West Vancouver residents oppose expansion to Ferry Building

VANCOUVER — The District of West Vancouver is considering an expansion to the Ferry Building Gallery, one of the area’s oldest heritage properties.

But the idea isn’t going over so well with local residents, who worry new development will ruin their sanctuary.

“People don’t want it. We haven’t encountered one person who is for this,” Norma Gibson told Global News. She’s collecting signatures at Ambleside Beach to protect the park from future development, and has 2,000 names so far.

The Ferry Building is currently used as a community art space, hosting about 20 exhibitions and 60,000 visitors a year. But West Vancouver Mayor, Michael Smith, says it’s in serious need of repairs and has no public washroom.

“So now we’re asking a senior citizen to walk six blocks…to use the washrooms…it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said.

District Councillors were supposed to address the expansion tomorrow, but say a decision likely won’t be issued until this fall, after public consultation.

–With files from Tanya Beja.