A wave of industry representatives expressed concern at council Tuesday night over whether the Squamish Oceanfront development and its potential industry neighbours can coexist.
Port and forestry representatives spoke at a district public hearing for two policy documents that have to be passed by council as conditions of sale for the Oceanfront property – the zoning bylaw amendment and Official Community Plan bylaw amendment.
“Squamish Terminals does support the municipality in developing the SODC lands, but it must be done in a very careful and thoughtful process so it does not impact the current industrial operations nor the future of further expansion of business within the industrial areas,” said Ron Anderson, speaking on behalf of Squamish Terminals. Anderson, former president and CEO of the company, said one major concern is the planned proximity of housing to an active rail switch area that the Terminals utilizes between midnight and 7 a.m., seven days a week. Ships and equipment make noise as well, Anderson said.
“It really does not make sense, placing residential homes so close to this type of environment.”
Anderson, and fellow speaker Eric Andersen of the Squamish and District Forestry Association, requested council put in place strict covenants to protect industry in and around the Oceanfront land.
Michael Hutchison, the proponent from Newport Beach Developments, argued that industry and residents coexist in other parts of the world without a problem.
“I grew up in Sydney, Australia, which is one of the largest and busiest ports in the world, and we had industrial and residential uses mixed all over our town and it was never a problem.”
He also said industry was considered in the planning of the Oceanfront. Speaking of the community-informed sub area plan, which influences what will be on the property, Hutchison said the design was not the most profitable. Putting the housing right on the Nexen Beach area would have been more financially lucrative, he said.
“But the community chose not to do that, they chose to put together a site that honoured all parts of the community: work, play, live and that is what you have on the site.”
Former Squamish mayor and councillor Greg Gardner said that in the current proposal for the site, housing is possible in areas that were originally intended to be for other purposes.
“I am not sure council should feel pressured to make these changes… at this point in time,” he said. He also cautioned council, in terms of noise and industrial uses, against taking too much comfort from covenants.
“Covenants are promises,” he said, in reference to potential agreements that would protect industry from future residents’ complaints. “What happens when you have people living next to a busy and loud industrial place, eventually something has to give and usually it is the industrial in the long term. So now is the time to put the safeguard in place in terms of the land use.”
Several speakers, including Allan Barr, president of West-Barr Contracting which is an industry neighbour to the east of the oceanfront lands said there had been little if any consultation with industry over the Oceanfront plans.
Several letters of concern were also submitted to council Tuesday night including from CN Design and Construction and the provincial BCR properties, which owns the land the Squamish Terminals leases.
Council was to consider third reading and adoption of the OCP amendment, and the third reading of the Zoning Bylaw amendment, but decided to postpone the readings until early June.
“There has been a lot of material handed in today and a lot of things that have been discussed and things that council needs time to deliberate on,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman.
The Squamish Nation owns site B on the eastern shore across from the oceanfront peninsula. Squamish Nation Chief Ian Campbell declined to comment on the plans for the development.
