North Shore Outlook – Four futures for Ridgeway Annex.

Nearly 100 North Vancouver residents and seven school board trustees gathered in the gymnasium of the once vibrant, now vacant, Ridgeway Annex school Tuesday to hear four possible futures for the former school property now up for grabs.

The lease and purchase proposals were made by representatives from three interested property development companies (Anthem, Darwin Construction and Atti Group)  and one local childcare business.

But when all the cards were down, Ridgeway’s four possible futures could be grouped into just two options. One, the building is saved and renovated for use as daytime daycare and nighttime community centre. Or two, it’s bulldozed and new housing is built atop the Ridgeway property at 450 East Fifth St.

Read more: http://www.northshoreoutlook.com/news/180377141.html

Musqueam Band proposes development on University Endowment Lands.

New Westminster News Leader – Restaurant eyed for new building.

An open house will be held next Thursday for a proposed restaurant patio at the Queen’s Park West office complex under construction in New Westminster’s Uptown district.

It will be held Nov. 29 from 5 to 8 p.m., at 300-601 Sixth St.

Uptown Property Group are the owners of the building, which is on Sixth Avenue at Fifth Street.

Read more: http://www.newwestnewsleader.com/news/180187751.html

Courtesy of the Toronto Star

“Developers of Toronto’s Trump International Hotel & Tower have launched lawsuits against seven investors in an effort to force them to close on deals for condo-hotel suites some claim haven’t turned out to be the Hollywood gold buyers were expecting.

The legal move by Talon International Inc. comes at the same time that a London, Ont. doctor is seeking $750,000 in damages for “misrepresentation,” unless he can get back deposits on the hotel suite he bought in the ill-fated project back in 2009.

The court wrangling is just the latest round of problems to curse the celebrity hotel and condo project at Bay and Adelaide Sts.

Dozens of purchasers of suites in the 65-storey luxury hotel are now trying to get deposits back and renege on final payments averaging over $500,000.

Other buyers, some too frightened of the legal ramifications to walk away from deals penned up to seven years ago, say they are finding themselves in a crippling Catch-22 — unable to sell the units or secure mortgages on balances due to Talon Nov. 29.

“One mortgage company asked me, ‘How could I give you a mortgage on a property that is losing money every single day?” said one devastated buyer, a blue-collar worker who borrowed the $175,000 down payment from his immigrant parents and owes $750,000 at month’s end.”

View the Entire Article HERE.

Onni development backlash grows.

A group of City of North Vancouver residents, about 700 of them so far, are hoping to stay council’s hand on approving what could be the largest development in Upper Lonsdale history.

City resident Linda Heese and a few other volunteers have been collecting signatures for a petition calling on council to reject a proposal from developer Onni Group for the Safeway site at 13th Street and Lonsdale Avenue. The project would see 344 residential units in two towers measuring 180 and 240 feet in height, atop a commercial podium including a new grocery store. The project goes to a public hearing and likely vote by council on Nov. 19.

But in Heese’s view, the towers are too tall and dense for the neighbourhood and abut the sidewalks, which will “change, irrevocably” the character of what is now a nice pedestrian street.