North Vancouver Shipyards undergoing major redevelopment

North Vancouver's waterfront is set to undergo a redesign the city is partnering with a developer to give the shipyards a new look.

"We are going to change an old industrial shipyard building area wasteland into a great people orientated dynamic place," said Darrell Mussatto, mayor of North Vancouver.

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The plan which has been in the works for years will be equipped withrestaurants, shops, a boutique hotel, underground parking,an outdoor skating rink in the winter and a water park in the summer.

"It's going to be a great place for people to gather all year-round," he said, "That can be thenew gathering spot not just for the north shore, but be one of the better ones for the lower mainland," he said.

Quay Property Management Corporation will fund the $35 million project and will leasethe land from the City of North Vancouver.The city will pay $5 million for theremediation ofthe site.

Mussatto says the redevelopment isn't going to take away from the iconic area. On the contrary, he says it will add to it.

"By removing toxic soils that are full of carbons and heavy metals and taking them away from thesite andremediation elsewhere, you will see an enhancement in natural areas."

The projectisexpected by to be completed by 2018 with remediation expected to start in the next few months.

With files from the CBC's The Early Edition and Bal Brach

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