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Vancouver newspaper executive David Radler opposes a bid to convert a historic Southwest Marine Drive mansion into a seniors care facility.

The Care Group, in collaboration with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, has applied to the city for a rezoning amendment to transform the Casa Mia mansion at 1920 Southwest Marine Dr. into a 90-bed Community Care Facility for seniors.

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Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images

The 20,700-square-foot, Spanish-Colonial-style mansion was built in 1932 for liquor magnate George Reifel.

The rezoning application, which goes to public hearing on Tuesday, includes heritage preservation and reuse of the existing Casa Mia mansion, along with the construction of a two-storey addition with a basement and underground parking.

In a letter of opposition, Radler, who operates the Alta Newspaper Group and Continental Newspapers out of a Vancouver office, cautioned council by stating that putting a commercially run, “old-age home” in the exclusive west side neighbourhood would ultimately cost the city jobs.

“You will be allowing one of the last upper-scale residential areas of the city close to the airport to be commercialized,” Radler wrote.

The 1.5-kilometre stretch of Southwest Marine Drive between Angus Drive and West 54th Avenue is marked by some of the largest, single-family lots in the city, including a dozen grand homes built in the 1920s and ’30s, several of which are on the city’s heritage registry.

Radler owns a home in the neighbourhood.