One of the oldest homes in Ambleside is likely soon to be demolished.
West Vancouver council briefly debated and ultimately decided against withholding a demolition permit sought by owners of the 98-year-old Nesbitt House at 1281 Clyde Ave.
The Craftsman bungalow was built in 1926 by Harry Nesbitt, one of the community’s first Blue Bus drivers, right next to the dairy farm established by his early settler parents in 1912. The original unpainted cedar shingle cladding is still on the exterior.
The District of West Vancouver has a policy for council to consider every request for demolition of any of the 171 properties with historical or architectural value on the district’s Community Heritage Register.
Council has on numerous occasions withheld those permits for a 60-day period, in order to give staff time to discuss a potential heritage revitalization agreement with the property owners. Most often, those agreements involve granting extra density or a subdivision of the lot in exchange for restoration and permanent protection for the heritage asset.
Because West Vancouver council voted last month to update its zoning bylaw to comply with new provincial housing legislation, the Nesbitt House is already eligible to be redeveloped with a six-plex on the site without any council approval.
And in 2022, council put one such stay of execution on the Nesbitt House. The new owners have shown no interest in heritage reviltalization, according to staff, and the majority on council saw little point in making further attempts to save the home.
“With all due respect, it’s an unremarkable, small cottage. Its historical bona fides more have to do with who was there in the history of the place, and it doesn’t look like there’s any obvious opportunity to exercise the heritage revitalization agreement by adding another unit to the property,” said Coun. Peter Lambur.
Coun. Linda Watt agreed.
“It’s a perfect spot for some gentle densification, be it townhomes or whatever, so I’m reluctant to further handcuff the owners,” she said.
Mayor Mark Sager said his preference would be for the owners to have the original structure moved and repurposed elsewhere, which staff said they would pursue.
