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The public will continue to have access to a century-old path leading to a secluded West Vancouver beach while the district finalizes a private sale of the municipally owned property it sits on.
This week, the district council voted to require the buyer of 3000 Park Lane to create a new footpath to Altamont Beach, replacing the existing trail on the property being purchased for more than $6.5 million.
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Until the new footpath is built, the council’s motion ensures the public can use the current beach access path, at the foot of 30th Street. It also mandates public input on the new path’s design, with completion expected within two years.
The change comes after significant community outcry, including 2,000 people who signed an online petition against the sale of the public trail, which the majority of the district council voted to include in the beachfront property’s sale this summer.
“It’s nice to hear the good news,” said neighbour Christopher Molineux.
Molineux’s family regularly uses the public path to walk to Altamont Beach for kayaking or blueberry picking. While two other access points are located several hundred feet away, he said the existing path is much more accessible.
“It’s a creative solution,” he said, expressing excitement about the public’s involvement in designing the future path, which will be located east of the current one.
When asked about the prospective sale in August, West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager said that without including the public path in the beachfront property listing, the district had struggled to find a buyer.
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“We’re just trying to utilize taxpayers’ resources to provide far greater public access to the waterfront,” Sager previously said, acknowledging that he knows one of the buyers involved.
Proceeds from the sale — pending final approval from the council — will allow the district to purchase the last remaining waterfront house in Ambleside as part of its Waterfront Acquisition Plan.
“It’s a rarely used access point that will enable us to acquire something that will be greatly utilized,” added Sager.
In 2022, the beachfront property was assessed at nearly $7.4 million.
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