The District of West Vancouver is debating a controversial request from waterfront property owners to build private docks on public foreshore near Horseshoe Bay.

The City Council says residents have long been concerned about the hilly Pasco Road area and the need for water access.

For the moment, there is only one road leading to the approximately 21 homes. It is steep, narrow and surrounded by cliffs. Residents say adding docks would make their properties safer in an emergency.

“The only way for these residents to evacuate their property would be through the water,” says West Vancouver District Councilor Scott Snider.

It comes after the region experienced record flooding and road closures, leading to evacuation orders for seven properties on the North Shore.

“Soon after that, I got a few emails from people saying ‘this is a perfect example of some of the risk factors we have going forward.’ If this road, the sole point of access to and from their residence, had been swept away by the storm,” explains Snider.

This is an access trail to the public beach in West Vancouver that was also the subject of a private acquisition earlier this year.

The district is currently finalizing a private sale of the property on Altamont Beach, but due to public outcry, the council voted this week to require the buyer to create a new trail and allow the public to use the beach during its construction.

Snider says that in the case of Pasco Road, the motion is not designed to increase the value of the property but simply to serve as a safety measure.

“These will be short-term uses for people to access their properties, so the idea that we would do this to increase the value of people’s property…not in my opinion, it’s not why this is being discussed.”

Snider adds that there is no access to the beach that would be blocked if docks were built, and other residents would not be affected.

“No beach route is blocked or restricted to the public. You can’t get there on foot because it’s just rocky cliffs.

Council will hold a public hearing on November 18 during which residents can express their support or opposition to the motion.

If the council moves forward with the plan, any new docks would still be subject to safety and environmental permits.