The District is ramping up its consultation on proposed changes to specific downtown commercial zones with a workshop next week.
At a public hearing in mid-March, council got an earful from some property owners angry about proposed changes to downtown that included increased setbacks and an additional floor of commercial space on specific properties with Downtown Commercial and Artisan (C4 and C10) zoning.
The May 4 workshop will be a “deep dive” into proposed zoning changes, along with round-table discussions, according to a news release.
District of Squamish officials are looking for further input from various community members, including land and business owners, as well as tenants.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman took out Lego models of buildings on a street to explain why council wants to have a renewed vision for downtown.
Current rules create a street of what she called a “sausage link” of square buildings.
“We have rules that say you can build up to six storeys and you can build to X amount of setback,” she said. “What I would like to figure out is how we can create some interest in our architecture. How do we create some interest within our built environment?”
Heintzman said she and council are looking to the community to help create a shared vision of downtown and a pathway forward in terms of policy to create it.
The workshop will be followed by an online survey that will be open for two weeks.
Feedback gathered will be presented to council at a later date.
The workshop takes place Thursday, May 4 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Howe Sound Inn.
