Onni`s Corporate Welfare

Onni created their mess. Why are we bailing them out? Corporate welfare at it's worse. Extremely good letter in the North Shore News on Sunday.

My letter to Council

To City of North Vancouver Council

I would like to register my opposition to the Onni development proposal.  The OCP has already limited zoning to 180' which is 60' above what I believe it should be set at.  

Tonight we will hear from a lot of people in support who will personally profit from this project.  We will also hear from people who think this project will provide them with affordable housing who don't realize that the 12 units have been promised to a non-profit society.  We will hear from the hipsters from across the Lower Mainland who want to Yaletownize downtown North Van.  We will also hear from actual residents of North Vancouver who mostly oppose this project. I spoke to one this morning who said she is sick and tired of the never ending disruption to our downtown to build a wall of towers that divide the east and west parts of our city.  Lonsdale will become a large canyon. 

I was also quite dismayed after talking to a Councillor about a week ago and being told "It's so far along the process I have to vote for it."  No wonder why a lot of citizens think the system is rigged. We need to hear from the public closer to the beginning of the process which stays mostly in the backrooms until it's too late to scrap a bad project all together.

I also don't believe that the City has received sufficient value for the extra density it will allow, it's really corporate welfare. Onni gets the profits from 194,427 sq ft and the City gets $15.63 million in amenities. If the City gets $5.3 million from the sale or leasing of the child care space and $5.1 million for the sale or lease of the adaptive housing, I'd be very surprised.

I'd also be surprised if the City gets any value for the 47,000 sq ft it has given to Onni designated as "Employment Generating Office Use".  Onni and staff didn't even guess on the benefit actually received.  I've heard talk that the business community is desperate for this kind of office space but I heard the same talk when developed the old North Shore News site and two years after completion it stays almost empty, they have only rented to a temporary presentation center to sell condos for the Prescott.  That site also provide this "desperately" needed office space and will be available before Onni.

George Pringle

1617 Grand Blvd