Among the features that contribute to the beauty of the Village of Lions Bay are its scenic views. Indeed, the intentions of the original community development is evident in many street names: Bayview, Oceanview, Soundview, Seaview, Panorama, Isleview.
When the village was initially established in the early 1970s, trees were removed to make space for houses and open up the views. With annual growth of cedars at 3 ft, hemlocks at 2 ft and Douglas firs at 2 ft a year, in the ensuing 30-50 years, trees have grown to the point that they obscure, limit and in some cases block the views of many properties. A significant portion of these trees were planted by the original residence as hedges to mark property lines. Due to the rainforest climate of Lions Bay, these planted trees grow significantly over the years. Aside from the view, these overgrown trees also pose a hazard as they may fall down during the stormy season, resulting in personal injury or property damage. The sunlight blockage by trees can cause health issues in the long term as well.
View blockages by trees on private land have resulted in disputes among neighbours, especially in recent years as trees continue to grow. Property owners are often faced with a neighbour who does not agree to trimming of their tree in order to open up the view. Or, as property values increase, some neighbours are asking for significant sum of money to permit tree trimming. Or, a new neighbour is not aware of, or willing to honor the agreement neighbors had for years on opening each other's views.
Other municipalities' with similar scenic views developed regulation / bylaw to protect the views. The municipality of Lions Bay lacks such a bylaw. The purpose of this petition is to unite the residence of Lions Bay in order to request the municipality to develop a view bylaw for dispute resolution among neighbours for view protection.
