The City of North Vancouver (often just called “North Vancouver”) and the District of North Vancouver are two separate municipalities, each with their own mayor and council. The city supports more housing, but the district appears to be less supportive.
By the way: There’s a public information meeting tonight for a six-storey market rental building (66 apartments) proposed in Lynn Valley Town Centre, at 1149-1155 Lynn Valley Road. I don’t know how much opposition it’s likely to run into, either from neighbours or from council. If you’re interested, the meeting is from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Mollie Nye House (940 Lynn Valley Road). You can also submit a comment online: you need to sign up (with your name and email address), but the whole process only takes a couple of minutes.
Delbrook Lands
In one of the more memorable decisions in the region after that election [in 2018], the District of North Vancouver turned down an affordable-housing project that was not going to displace any existing renters (it was on empty land next to a community center), was being proposed by a non-profit that planned to rent out the apartments for an amount significantly below current market rates, and was going to reserve part of the housing for seniors.
The site is called the Delbrook Lands. Catalyst, a non-profit housing developer, had been planning the project for two years.
Municipality website: 600 West Queens Road.
November 2018: the municipality rejects Catalyst’s rezoning application.
North Van council rejects affordable-housing project: “non-profit model is untested”; “not enough to address climate change.” Frances Bula.
'We can do better': District of North Van rejects Delbrook affordable housing project. Brent Richter, North Shore News. “In one of its first major decisions, the new District of North Vancouver council has shot down a below-market housing project that had been in the works for more than two years.”
Rezoning for below-market-rental housing project rejected by District of North Vancouver. Justin McElroy, CBC. “Councillors had concerns about height, mix of housing, consultation process.”
The vote was 5-2, with only Mathew Bond and Jordan Back supporting the rezoning. (Mathew Bond ran for mayor in 2022, losing narrowly to incumbent Mike Little.)
February 2019:
District of North Vancouver goes back to residents for direction on long-debated piece of land. Justin McElroy, CBC. “Mayor says community concerns weren't adequately prioritized in previous consultations.”
October 2019:
DNV advances housing/park plan for Delbrook lands. Jeremy Shepherd, North Shore News. “It’s one storey shorter and in need of a funding partner, but the Delbrook housing project is back –now with a park. District of North Vancouver council unanimously advanced a plan Monday for a four-storey building at 600 West Queens Rd.”
November 2019: the municipality rezones the site for a four-storey building instead of five. Now the municipal government needed to find a non-profit developer to build it.
District of North Van rezones Delbrook lands for housing, park and seniors. Brent Richter, North Shore News.
How many units of housing will be in the four-storey building, how many bedrooms they’ll have and what the rents will be are all yet to be determined as, unlike the previous proposal, there is no non-profit proponent waiting to build the project.
November 2020: the municipal government announced that it had a partner, Hollyburn Community Services, two years after rejecting Catalyst’s application.
District of North Van OK's affordable housing partner for Delbrook. “Two years after rejecting an affordable housing and seniors respite project on the Delbrook Lands, District of North Vancouver council has found a non-profit partner to develop the site.”
Editorial: District of North Van fights for redemption with Delbrook Lands partnership
June 2021: BC Housing agrees to provide funding for the project.
Province funds Delbrook affordable housing. “Hollyburn hoping for 2023 move in.”
The municipal government issued the development permit in November 2021.
Maplewood Gardens
Municipality website: 2131-2171 Old Dollarton Road.
North Van’s Maplewood proposal finally goes to council. Frank O’Brien, Western Investor, December 2021.
After five years of waiting in line and 10 years after it was included in the 2011 official community plan, the Maplewood Town Centre development proposal goes to North Vancouver District council December 13 for first reading.
Darwin Properties and QuadReal are proposing a project that includes 535 homes, including 374 condominiums in three buildings, a mix of subsidized and market rentals and a retail village.
Maplewood Gardens is a two-phase development that would revitalize an entire city block, with BC Housing managing the 80-unit rental building in Phase 1. The rental building will include 58 non-market homes for the existing families living on site, plus 22 additional rental units for middle-income households.
Split vote by DNV council quashes Maplewood Gardens redevelopment plan. Brent Richter, North Shore News, December 2021.
The developers largely tailored five buildings in the proposal to fit the district’s official community plan and Maplewood village centre plan, but a split council voted 4-3 to defeat first reading of the rezoning bylaw, Monday night.
The project was to be phased so tenants of Maplewood Gardens could move into the new below-market housing before the 1972 townhouse complex was demolished. The developers had committed to using no fossil fuels for heating, hot water or cooking in the buildings, and the tallest building in the proposal – a 12-storey tower – was to be constructed with mass timber, which sequesters carbon.
Mayor Mike Little quickly moved to defeat the proposal, saying the 12 storeys was a non-starter for him.
Latest status: looks like QuadReal (owned by the bcIMC pension fund for BC public-sector workers) is trying again. They submitted a new application in March 2023.
Another District of North Van proposal, for non-market housing: https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/affordable-housing-plan-proves-controversial-in-north-vancouvers-lynnmour-7750283