C O M P A N Y N A M E
S p e c i a l F e a t u r e
B C D E V E L O P M E N T
are dealing with nding and paying
qualied sta at a time when housing
aordability is sky-high. "Most of us
who grew up in Vancouver would never
be able to aord the houses that we
grew up in if we were just starting out
now," Podmore says. "The Forum has
traditionally been a business-to-busi-
ness gathering, but it's time to address
the various complexities we have in the
Vancouver market and advance the
conversation so that the problems of
today do not become more acute."
Sustainably planned and much-
needed housing might just arise on the
mountainous slopes of West Vancou-
ver, of all places. Located along the
road that leads to Cypress Mountain,
Cypress Village is envisioned as a
multi-faceted and ambitious mixed-use
development that is currently wending
its way through the District of West
Vancouver's approval process.
Cypress Village will occupy 150
acres with a majority of the surround-
ing mountainside conserved as
protected environmental areas and
public recreational features. The
development is envisioned to include a
housing mix of mid-rise condomini-
ums, rental apartments, townhomes,
single family homes, retail and
professional work space.
Geo Croll, president of proponent
British Pacic Properties, calls Cypress
Village "a transformational master plan
that will be built on modern-day
planning principles which put sustain-
ability at the forefront. Cypress Village
will be a complete community that will
include a diversity of housing options,
something which is currently lacking in
West Vancouver."
Croll notes that "British Pacic
Properties rst proposed a mixed-used
village located just above the Upper
Levels Highway in 2006. We are acutely
aware of the urgency in the community
when it comes to housing unaordabil-
ity and lack of housing options, and we
are ready to launch this long-term
project as soon as possible. If given the
green light today, we could have
residents living in Cypress Village
within four years."
"
