It appears every nook and cranny up and down this valley has become fertile ground for residential and commercial development.
And that outburst of activity is garnering mixed reviews.
A proposal for a major building project on the “tear drop” property in the vicinity of Squamish Elementary School lit up The Chief’s Facebook page a few weeks ago.
Prentice Geary, who called the plan “the worst idea yet”, was worried about how it would impact traffic in the area.
“It has already been drastically densified with all of the new multi unit townhouse developments in the Wilson Crescent and Dentville neighbourhoods,” he wrote.
Jackie Laforest McBride asked, “What part of stop developing do they not get? We don’t need Condos… greed is ruining Squamish and the DOS is helping that along the way.” Anne Bright cut to the chase when she declared “Commercial development and more housing! Tell me this is a joke.” After the Waterfront Landing project got the thumbs up from council last week, Liz Graves wondered if anyone was thinking, “that we may need more amenities to support all these people, as it stands now it’s getting close to a nightmare just to try and get groceries. Five more years then time to move to a smaller town.” Sea to Sky Adventure Company owner Jeff Levine recently told council the higher density Waterfront Landing proposal with its affordable housing component will be a welcome addition to the community because as a business owner he is having a tough time attracting employees. One of the major bonuses of the development boom is hundreds of skilled trades and construction jobs requiring a minimum level of training are out there for the taking.
That means plenty of cash will trickle down to retailers and service providers, who in turn will hire more staff to keep up with demand. As new projects begin to multiply, some residents who are fed up with the escalating cost of rental accommodations may even realize their home ownership dreams.
Although, for many that may be a stretch if prices continue to escalate.
As we all know, housing demand in Squamish is going through the roof and units are being pre-sold to out-of-town buyers long before the foundations are even poured. It also goes without saying more than a few house-flipping opportunists that are taking advantage of the situation. According to a draft version of the District of Squamish Official Community Plan, “By carefully and thoughtfully managing growth, we can accommodate long-term growth while meeting our liveability and climate goals.”
But so far, despite that reassuring proposition, careful and thoughtful planning have not been the catchphrases for this unprecedented growth spurt.
What is emerging is the realization that the red-hot Squamish housing market has a mind of its own.
