The District of Squamish this week introduced a new land development application process that officials say dramatically simplifies and shortens the process through which developers apply for new projects.

The revised process, introduced in a statement issued by DOS officials on Tuesday (Jan. 15), is “a monumental step forward” and “sends a clear message to the development community that Squamish is open for business and that we want to make it easy to do work here,” Mayor Rob Kirkham said.

The previous process was described as “characterized by multiple guides, multiple application forms, and information that contradicted itself, resulting in high levels of frustration experienced by developers,” officials said.

The new application kit includes four simple documents, including an application guide, pre-application meeting request form, application form, and document checklist, officials said.