North Vancouver School District
the natural place to learn©
Ridgeway Annex
October 28, 2015

City of North Vancouver Approves Rezoning of former Ridgeway Annex Site

 
On Monday, October 26, 2015, North Vancouver City Council approved an amendment to the City’s official community plan to rezone the property at 450 East 5th Street. The proposal by Anthem Properties for the construction of nine single-family homes will now proceed on the .58 acre site formerly occupied by Ridgeway Annex. The Annex was permanently closed in 2011 and was not considered viable as a future school site, as the small size of the land parcel does not meet current Ministry standards.

The conditional purchase agreement for the property, valued at $5.1 million, will be finalized between Anthem Properties and the North Vancouver School District. The entire proceeds from the sale will be directed to retire the remaining debt to the Ministry of Education for the rebuilding of Sutherland Secondary and Westview Elementary. 

For almost three years, the School District has been diligently working to gain approval from the Ministry of Education to convert the estimated $37.8M seismic project for Argyle Secondary into a full replacement school, with the cost of the preferred option currently estimated at $51.5M. This approval is subject to the earlier debt being repaid and financing the cost difference between the approved seismic upgrade and the requested full replacement school.

“The repayment of this debt to the Ministry represents an important step forward to secure approval for the Arygle replacement project,” says North Vancouver School District Superintendent John Lewis. “The slate is clean, and serves to advance our request with the Ministry for a fully realized Argyle Secondary.”

 
For further information, please contact:
Victoria Miles
Communications Manager
Phone 604.903.1254
E-mail vmiles@sd44.ca
 
 
 
August 4, 2015

City of North Vancouver confirms September 28, 2015 for Ridgeway Annex Public Hearing

On Monday, July 13, 2015, North Vancouver City Council voted to proceed with a public hearing to review a potential amendment to the City’s official community plan. If approved, the amendment would effectively rezone the property at 450 East 5th Street, the site of the former Ridgeway Annex, to permit residential development on the .58 acre site. Ridgeway Annex was permanently closed in 2011 and is not considered viable as a future school site, as the small size of the land parcel does not meet current Ministry standards.

A conditional purchase agreement for the property, valued at $5.1 million, is in place between Anthem Properties and the North Vancouver School District. Proceeds from the sale would be directed to the remaining debt of $6.2 million to the Ministry of Education for the rebuilding of Sutherland Secondary and Westview Elementary.

The School District was able to undertake the replacement of Sutherland and Westview, in the City of North Vancouver, by borrowing $7.2M from the Ministry of Education—approved on the basis that the debt would be recovered through future surplus land sales.  The balance of the debt must be paid back to the Provincial Government on or before December 31, 2015.  Should the deadline pass without repayment, it is expected that the Ministry of Education will recover the funds from the School District’s operating budget.

For almost three years, the School District has been diligently working to gain approval from the Ministry of Education to convert the $40M seismic project for Argyle Secondary into a full replacement school at an estimated cost of $49.9M.  This approval is contingent upon the earlier debts being repaid.

“Since 2004, renewal of our facilities in the City alone has resulted in a new Sutherland Secondary, a new Westview Elementary, a rebuilt Ridgeway Elementary, a new Carson Graham Secondary and a rebuilt Queen Mary Community School,” says North Vancouver Board of Education Chair Cyndi Gerlach. “Our local community benefits from all of these projects and the Board is committed to fully meeting its obligations to the Province and clearing the way towards a new Argyle Secondary.”

The public hearing is scheduled for Monday, September 28, 2015 at North Vancouver City Hall.  Once confirmed, further details will be posted on the City of North Vancouver website

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Miles
Communications Manager 
North Vancouver School District
604.903.1254 
vmiles@sd44.ca

 

 
June 12, 2015

Ridgeway Annex Information Session - June 16, 2015

 
Anthem Properties is hosting a Public Development Information Session on:
 
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Ridgeway Elementary School - Gymnasium
420 East 8th Street
North Vancouver BC
 
For more information, please see the Anthem Properties' Ridgeway Annex website.
 
 
 
May 26, 2015
 
At the City of North Vancouver's Regular Meeting of Council on May 4, 2015, Council provided direction to its staff to receive Anthem Ridgeway Developments Ltd.'s zoning amendment application for a nine lot single detached subdivision at the former Ridgeway Annex School site. 
 
 
 
March 25, 2015
 
The City of North Vancouver has now endorsed its Official Community Plan.  It is expected that the Ridgeway Annex proposal will likely proceed to the City of North Vancouver's Municipal Council in the near future.  Anthem Properties continues to refine its development proposal for presentation to Council.
 
 
 
June 18, 2014
 
An update on the Ridgeway Annex site was provided by John Lewis, Superintendent of Schools, at the Public Board Meeting on June 17, 2014.
 
The North Vancouver School District is working with the City of North Vancouver to arrange a meeting for early September to enable further discussion of the Board of Education's land management strategy.  This will provide an opportunity to increase the understanding of the proposed redevelopment of Ridgeway Annex in the larger context of the School District's land management strategy.
 
 


 
April 23, 2014
 
At the Public Board Meeting on April 22, 2014, Superintendent John Lewis provided an update on the Ridgeway Annex site. 

Anthem Properties' development application is scheduled on the City of North Vancouver Council Agenda on April 28, 2014.  Anthem Ridgeway Developments Ltd. has applied to amend the City's Official Community Plan and Zoning for the Ridgeway Annex site. 

 
 
March 12, 2014
 
Anthem Properties is preparing its Development Application to the City of North Vancouver.
 
 
 
January 21, 2014

Anthem Preparing Development Application  


At the Public Board Meeting on January 21, 2014, John Lewis, Superintendent of Schools, provided a Land, Learning and Livability Community Engagement Update.  Information about the Ridgeway Annex site was included in the Update.

Anthem Properties held its second neighbourhood meeting on December 12, 2013 providing meeting participants with an overview of the development concept and architectural design of the housing proposed for the Ridgeway Annex site.  Almost 1,000 hand-delivered meeting notifications were provided to residents for the two public meetings.  Approximately 100 residents attended the two meetings, providing their input and perspective, engaging in question and answer sessions, and in discussions with the architect and representatives from Anthem Properties.
 
Anthem has built a website (www.ridgewayannex.com) to provide updates as they become available, hired a consultant to engage in further outreach to the community through phone, e-mail, and door-to-door, and engaged Catherine Rockandel to facilitate the second meeting and to prepare a summary of the discussions from the meeting.
 
Throughout the process to date, Anthem's goal has been to maintain transparency with all stakeholders, to provide residents with multiple opportunities to voice their questions, support, and concerns.  Anthem is pleased with the public engagement work completed to date.  Regular and on-going communication has also been maintained with the North Vancouver School District.
 
Anthem is now preparing to submit its Development Application to the City of North Vancouver, and anticipates the project moving towards the 1st Reading with City Council in April 2014.
 
 

November 22, 2013

Neighbourhood Meeting

 
Anthem Properties will be holding its second neighbourhood meeting on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at Ridgeway Annex.  This meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to engage with Anthem in the examination of residential options being considered for the site.
 
 
 
October 23, 2013

Redevelopment Discussions

 
At the Public Board Meeting on October 22, 2013, John Lewis, Superintendent of Schools, presented the Land, Learning and Livability Community Engagement Update. The Update includes current information regarding the Ridgeway Annex site.
 
Anthem Properties held their initial "Neighbourhood Meet and Greet" on September 25th to commence the process of engaging the community in discussions related to the redevelopment options for the site.  More than 400 invitations were provided to local residents and approximately 50 community members attended the initial meeting.  Anthem also conducted a survey with the participants to determine their perspectives and to gain an understanding of how they would wish to be involved in the consultation process. 

 

 

July 18, 2013

North Vancouver Board of Education approves the sale of Ridgeway Annex school site

At its public meeting on July 18, 2013, the North Vancouver Board of Education proceeded to the third and final reading of Disposal of Real Property Bylaw No. 2013-1 Ridgeway Annex School.  Following considerable discussion and deliberation, the Bylaw motion was passed and adopted.  The School District will now proceed to enter into an agreement to sell, and complete the sale of, the Ridgeway Annex School to Anthem Properties Group Ltd. for a sale price of at least $5.1 million. 

As Chair Stratton observed in her concluding commentary that prefaced the decision, "Anthem Properties is now in a position to move forward with the community through the City of North Vancouver's municipal process to create, from a boarded-up building, the highest and best use for the future of this site."

 

 
 
July 8, 2013

North Vancouver Board of Education Schedules July Public Meeting to Address Ridgeway Annex Property


The public is welcome to attend the upcoming meeting of the North Vancouver Board of Education regarding the Ridgeway Annex property.  The Board is expected to make a decision at this meeting regarding an agreement of sale of the site to Anthem Properties.
 
July 16, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Education Services Centre
5th Floor
2121 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver BC
 
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

Ridgeway Annex was opened in 1953 and closed in 2011.  The student population in the area is accommodated in the Heritage Restored Ridgeway Elementary School, with a larger capacity than the former school.  More details

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press Release: April 3, 2013

North Vancouver School District announces Anthem Properties as lead proponent for Ridgeway Annex site

Franci Stratton, Chair of the North Vancouver Board of Education, is pleased to announce that Anthem Properties has been confirmed as the lead proponent for the redevelopment of the Ridgeway Annex site.  The Board will now enter into negotiations with Anthem Properties to determine the terms and conditions of an agreement of sale for consideration by the Board.

"We're pleased to be moving forward in addressing the future of this property," says Chair Stratton.  "Potential proceeds from the sale of the Annex site will allow the Board to fund other vital improvements in the School District that are not covered by government funding.  For example, our investments in the rebuilding of Westview Elementary (completed in 2007) and Sutherland Secondary (completed in 2008) have an outstanding cost of approximately $7 million still to be addressed.  As a Board, we are committed to ensuring that the assets of the School District are fully valued and bring the highest return to support the programs, services, and facilities that serve our students."

"We are delighted to enter into a working relationship with the School District of North Vancouver with a view to repositioning the Ridgeway Annex site back into the neighbourhood as a residential solution," says Anthem Properties CEO Eric Carlson.  "Our intent is to facilitate a meaningful dialogue between the community, the City of North Vancouver, the School District and Anthem to determine a winning outcome for all.  We visualize a redevelopment complementing and fitting into the existing neighbourhood that local residents will be able to walk by and view with a degree of pleasure and even pride."

Located at 450 East 5th Street in the City of North Vancouver, the .58-hectare Ridgeway Annex property has been vacant since July of 2011.  The newly rebuilt Ridgeway Elementary now accommodates over 400 K-7 students in the neighbourhood, and the Annex site, with its limited space, is no longer viable as a location for a school.

"Since the Spring of 2001, we have been engaged in an open dialogue with the community on the future of a number of surplus properties in the School District," says Chair Stratton.  "Input provided by local residents helped inform the Board's decision to proceed with Anthem Properties as the proponent most able to meet the Board's extensive criteria for the Ridgeway Annex property.

As the Anthem proposal involves redevelopment of the site, community input and consultation will continue to be facilitated through the Municipal process. Further updates are expected later this Spring, after the Board and Anthem have completed the next phase of discussions regarding the agreement going forward.

* * *

The North Vancouver School District serves over 16,000 K-12 students with a vision to provide "world-class instruction and a rich diversity of engaging programs to inspire success for every student and bring communities together to learn, share and grow."

Anthem Properties is a 150-person real estate investment, development and management company operating in Western Canada, headquartered in Vancouver, BC.  Anthem has invested in, developed, and or managed, alone or in partnership, over 210 projects in virtually all asset classes, with a cumulative historical value of approximately $2.5 billion.  Creating Real Estate That Works for over twenty years, Anthem is committed to building projects that are architecturally appropriate for, and satisfy the needs of, our homeowners, tenants and neighbours.  For further information, please visit the Company's web site at www.anthemproperties.com

For further information:

Victoria Miles, Communications Manager
North Vancouver School District     604.903.1254     vmiles@sd44.ca

Alexa Ulinder Baughen, Vice President
Investments and Communications
Anthem Properties     abaughen@anthemproperties.com

 

 

February 28, 2013

Update Regarding the RFP for Ridgeway Annex and Site

The Board of Education has now completed its final review of the redevelopment proposals of Anthem Properties and Darwin Properties and has identified Anthem Properties as the lead proponent for the redevelopment of the Ridgeway Annex site.  The Board will now enter into negotiations with Anthem Properties to determine the terms and conditions of an agreement of sale for the consideration of the Board of Education.

The Board of Education expresses its sincere appreciation for the interest of Darwin Properties in the Ridgeway Annex site and will reserve Darwin Properties as an alternate to the lead proponent.

As the proposal of Anthem Properties involves the redevelopment of the Ridgeway Annex site, community input and consultation will occur through the Municipal process in the coming months.

 

January 18, 2013

Land, Learning and Livability - Ridgeway Annex site update

Following the Community Meeting of November 20, the proponents for the redevelopment and/or re-use of the Ridgeway Annex and site were evaluated.  The input received at the Community Meeting and submitted in writing was one of the important criteria considered in the evaluation process.

The Board of Education was pleased to receive four quality proponents for the future use of the Ridgeway Annex and site.  Upon the application of the evaluation criteria and the consideration by the Board of Education, the Board determined that it will proceed with a final phase of the selection process with Anthem Properties and Darwin Properties.

The Board of Education expresses its sincere appreciation for the interest of both the Atti Group of Companies and Kidsland Childcare Centre in the Ridgeway Annex site.  Both proponents provided interesting proposals for the potential redevelopment and re-use of Ridgeway Annex and site.

The four short-listed proponents were evaluated using the criteria provided below.

Evaluation Criteria:

    • Consistency and harmony with the Vision and Values of the North Vancouver School District
    • Alignment with the School District's Values and Goals: Trust, Respect, Responsibility, and Collaboration
    • Alignment with Goals and Objectives of the 2011-2021 Strategic Plan: leadership in environmental education and sustainability practices, and strengthening and expanding reciprocal community relations
    • Land, Learning and livability Guiding Principles: to realize the maximum social and financial value of school district assets, while also repurposing lands through strategic use of long-term leases to address evolving community needs such as affordable housing, recreation, green space, and childcare
    • Compatibility of the proposed use with the neighbourhood
    • Compatibility of the proposed use with the Municipality's OCP
    • The proposed financial terms and conditions, including lease or purchase options
    • Community input provided at the community meeting and by written submissions.

As the proposals of Anthem Properties and Darwin Properties both involve redevelopment options for the Ridgeway Annex site, the Board will continue to examine either long-term lease and/or sale with both proponents.  There will be further community input and consultation through the Municipal process, once the final proponent is selected.

The outcome of the final phase of the selection process will be provided in our next update on the Ridgeway Annex site, prior to the spring break.

 

 December 14, 2012

On November 20, 2012, the North Vancouver School District hosted a community meeting to provide an opportunity for Trustees and the public to hear presentations by proponents on the proposals submitted to the Request For Proposals (RFP) for the former Ridgeway Annex school property.  Over 100 people attended the meeting.

The following main themes were identified with comments that were submitted:

Anthem Properties

    • Residents would like to retain green space with mixed support for pocket park
    • Developer demonstrated passion, experience, and history as a local developer
    • Residents expressed preference for lower density operation
    • Relative affordability was desired
    • Length of time for construction of the development was a concern.

Atti Group

    • Residents expressed concern about density of proposal
    • Concerns regarding the potential for additional traffic and street parking
    • Questions as to whether increased density on Ridgeway Annex lands would lead to increased density in surrounding area
    • Relative affordability was desired
    • Length of time for construction of the development was a concern.

Darwin Properties

    • Questions about housing types, height, whether duplex option would have suites
    • There was a strong preference for smaller single family homes
    • Interest in green space and larger publicly accessible park shown in presentation
    • Concerns about the length of time of construction
    • Concerns around the additional parking requirements for the new development.

Kidsland Child Care Centre

    • Questions raised about the affordability of care (universality)
    • Questions raised regarding the ability of the proponent to meet the financial obligations associated with their proposal
    • Concerns about facility maintenance based on past neighbour experience
    • Concerns about the extent of market research undertaken to support future plans
    • Concerns about experience in leasing facilities for the proposed endeavour.
 

The following questions were submitted at the Ridgeway Annex Community Meeting on November 20, 2012:

1. To all developers that submitted RFPs, please provide specific documentation on where parking will be.

As this process is at a very early stage, developers have provided conceptual images and drawings.  As the process continues, should the Board proceed with a redevelopment option for Ridgeway Annex, plans will be refined through consultation with the community and municipal authorities.  All proponents have provided their assurance that resident and visitor parking will be provided on-site.  Parking plans are reviewed as part of the Building Permit Application.

2. Are the financials of each proposal going to be public information?

The financials of each proposal are confidential information provided to the Board of Education for consideration.  The financial benefits to the School District are one of the criteria used in the assessment of the proposal.

3. Atti Group stated: "There have been no non-profits who stepped forward to present." Question to NVSD44, what non-profits have been contacted by NVSD, if any, about taking over this property?

The School District did not contact any specific group or individual regarding the assumption of this property.  As we look at the potential for the redevelopment or reuse of our land assets, we are required to undertake a fair public process and seek fair market value.  The RFP process invites parties to submit responses based on their own needs and capacity.

4. Please provide examples of other daycares in Canada that house 100 or more kids.

While it is unusual for daycares to provide care for 100 or more children, it does occur.  Vancouver Coastal Health monitors all community care facilities as a licence is required for all programs and facilities providing care to three or more children who are not related to the operator by blood or marriage.  The Child Care Licensing Regulation comes under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and provides standards for all childcare facilities regardless of the age range of the children and the number of children in care.

5. Will Kidsland be relying on government subsidies to run daycare operations?

There are a number of child care subsidies that are available to families and it is the families of children in care that ultimately determine which care facility suits their needs.  There are additional subsidies that are available to child care providers but few public or private child care providers rely on these subsidies as their primary source of income.

6. One of the Trustees has property across from the Ridgeway Annex site.  Will the Trustee be allowed to take part in any/all decisions as it may impact their personal property value?

To avoid any concern regarding the possible perception of a conflict of interest, this Trustee has voluntarily withdrawn from the decision-making process related to the RFP for the Ridgway Annex.  This Trustee will not take part in any discussions related to the decision-making process for the Ridgeway Annex property.

 

 
November 21, 2012

Over 100 local residents and community members attended the Community Meeting at the former Ridgeway Annex School on the evening of November 20, 2012.

Opening comments were provided by Franci Stratton, Chair of the Board of Education, which were followed by presentations from each of the proponents.  After each presentation, the audience was provided with a question and answer period.

Input forms were made available to the meeting participants; a copy is provided below.  The Meeting Agenda and presentations are available here:

Ridgeway Annex Public Meeting Agenda

Anthem Public Presentation [large file - 21 MB]

Atti Group Public Presentation

Darwin Public Presentation

Kidsland Public Presentation

Question and Comment Sheet

 Please return the completed Question and Comment Sheet by November 30, 2012

Fax 604.903.3448 or
 
 

North Vancouver School District's

Land, Learning and Livability

Community Meeting

Former Ridgeway Annex School Site

November 20, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: Ridgeway Annex, 450 East 5th Street, North Vancouver

Click here for a print copy of the

Agenda and the North Vancouver School District's

Revised Guiding Principles

 

 
 
 

October 26, 2012

Following it's recent Request For Proposals (RFP) process, the Board of Education is pleased to report strong interest in the reuse potential of four surplus sites: Keith Lynn, Monteray, Plymouth, and Ridgeway Annex.  Public Meetings have now been scheduled for two of these properties: Ridgeway Annex (November 20th) and Plymouth School (December 4th).
 
For a complete update on the RFP process and meeting details, please visit our "Land, Learning and Livability" blog.