Create the Oceanfront planners will reveal ideas for a waterfront walkway circling the Oceanfront peninsula, an urban waterfront neighbourhood and even a canal reminiscent of Holland at a public meeting on Thursday (March 26) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Sea to Sky Hotel.
For the past eight months, the Oceanfront planning team has met with community members to get a sense of priorities for the peninsula. The result is an 85-page draft Oceanfront Planning Policy document and two concept plans for the area. The next step is public review.
"This is a critical part of the planning process because council will be making decisions on this important milestone. We need public input," said Cameron Chalmers, director of planning for the District of Squamish.
Spearheaded by the District of Squamish, the consultation process started in May 2008 and a finished plan will be presented to council in late spring of 2009. The Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation, and neighbouring peninsula property owners Westmana and BC Rail are helping to fund the process.
"We've received solid and consistent community feedback throughout the process and this next meeting is again critical," Chalmers said. "We are basing our decisions based on what we hear from the community."
HB Lanarc Consultant Pete Whitelaw said the planning team used seven themes to summarize how the community's priorities were drafted into the planning policy document. The two concept plans show different ways the peninsula could develop.
"We tried to capture what we heard from the public to develop the planning policy. We want to know what the public thinks of these ideas and whether they are worth the investment," Whitelaw said.
Options include a commitment to renewable energy, the creation of jobs in marine industries and a range of homes in the form of townhouses, condos and apartments. Also included in the policy document is a commitment to provide a balance of jobs, parks and open space.
Trade-offs are part of the planning process. Whitelaw said public feedback indicated an interest in civic amenities such as parks or walkways in exchange for a tolerance of high-density buildings.
"The public meeting allows us to see if the draft policy works or not. It is one of final steps along the road to a completed plan," Whitelaw said. "We are encouraging people to come out because the Oceanfront will change life in Squamish for the next 30 years."
The draft planning policy and concept plans are available for review at www.createtheoceanfront.ca.
