Proposed District of Squamish zoning amendments, if ultimately passed by council, would mean big changes to Squamish’s downtown core.
Council passed first and second readings of a series of zoning bylaw amendments that include the capping of building heights on Cleveland Avenue to two storeys of commercial.
Should the bylaw ultimately pass, “no building or structure on a property that abuts Cleveland Ave., between the cross streets of Buckley Ave. and Vancouver St., shall exceed a height of two storeys or 10 metres, whichever is less,” the amendment reads.
The rationale given for the proposed change was that it put the brakes on higher developments temporarily along the strip while the Official Community Plan is being updated.
“There is concern of a lag between forthcoming development and the adoption and subsequent implementation of the updated OCP, and a desire to protect the downtown core as Squamish’s main commercial area,” reads the staff report to council that accompanied the bylaw amendments.
Coun. Susan Chapelle voted against first and second reading.
“It is barely commercially viable to build [on Cleveland],” said Chapelle. “We are not going to get any redevelopment in our downtown.”
Chapelle also said a more robust public consultation should have preceded such a big change to downtown before it got to second reading. Local business owners on Cleveland Avenue were not consulted, she said.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman and several councillors stressed that this bylaw was not the end point, but slowed things down in terms of development on Cleveland Avenue while the look of downtown is worked out.
Ultimately, District policies will include a mechanism to allow for density bonuses and create variable heights in the downtown area, Heintzman said.
“This is not the end stop for this, but this is setting up the ability to create the parameters to create a really interesting main street and that is what our goal is,” she said.
Coun. Doug Race also noted that were the bylaw to pass as is, developers could come to council and propose a development with higher floors.
“It is still open to a property owner to come to us with a proposal,” he said. “It just puts us in more control of what is happening on Cleveland Avenue.”
The other zoning amendment that would change the look of downtown is the increase in front setbacks from zero metres to 2.5 metres for properties in Downtown Commercial and Artisan Village zones that front onto Pemberton Avenue, Victoria and Vancouver streets and Second and Third avenues. This would allow for 25-metre roadways.
“Larger front setbacks allow for an enhanced widened streetscape that is able to accommodate active transportation objectives while maintaining two lanes of on-street parking,” reads the report to council about the bylaw amendments.
Narrower downtown streets don’t leave room for bike lanes or parking, noted District planner Torill Gillespie, who also added that Vancouver and Toronto have installed such setbacks like the District is proposing.
Other major proposed amendments in the package of zoning changes include restricting personal-use mini storage businesses and drive-thrus to their current properties. In other words, not allowing any new drive-thrus or mini storage businesses that haven’t already been approved by council.
The Paco Road area is also proposed to be rezoned from multiple-unit to a new light-industrial zone that incorporates live-work uses.
The change reflects what is actually happening in terms of businesses that are set up already on Paco Road and maintains the employment lands in the area, according to District staff.
A public hearing on the proposed zoning amendments is scheduled for March 14 at municipal hall at 6 p.m.
