Qualex-Landmark president Roger Navabi said he's humbled by community pleas to return to the Oceanfront bargaining table, but added it's no use - the company is not coming back to Squamish.
"I don't know how to respond," said Navabi. "That's very humbling, but we've kind of moved on mentally and psychologically."
A new group calling itself Citizens Oceanfront is lobbying Qualex developers and District of Squamish councillors to restore a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) to develop the former Nexen lands.
Qualex walked away from the MOU last month after council narrowly passed a motion to support the deal, and only if it was amended to reserve a third of the 60 acres of land for park and another portion for light industry. Council divisiveness created concern along with the amended motion, which, Navabi said council may have passed illegally.
"Our lawyer remarked that it was probably even illegal because they can't make a land use decision without holding a public hearing," he said. "It's legally required under the Municipal Act and they just made a land use decision on the spot to reserve one third for park."
Dawn Lecky, the wife of SODC board member and former council candidate Ted Prior, launched Citizens Oceanfront out of frustration over MOU opponents' "propaganda" and the split council vote.
"My husband's been busy doing that community process instead of helping me with my four children and my business," said Lecky. "I personally take it as a very big insult, the actions in that council chamber. I am still awaiting the apologies [for] actions that were taken at that council meeting."
Lecky said she wasn't willing to divulge how many members
Citizens Oceanfront had. Prior said he isn't involved in Citizens Oceanfront, adding his wife "does her own thing".
Mayor Ian Sutherland said the formation of the group shows that people who took for granted that the MOU would pass have now been "spurred into action".
"I really, truly believe that up until now there's been a silent majority support on the Oceanfront process and I think it's unfortunate that we got sidetracked by a small but vocal group that took it off the rails," said Sutherland. "A lot of people that were complacent that the MOU would go forward with Qualex have been spurred into action."
Sutherland said he remains optimistic that there may a future with Qualex.
"Being the eternal optimist, I believe that at some point, be it next week or next year or whatever, that given the opportunity Qualex would come back and talk to us again," he said.
For the time being, however, Navabi doesn't seem convinced.
"It's very simple and basic," he said. "The SODC invited the development community to invest in your town and then after a year of hard work they found out that the council had changed its mind. Whereas previously they had unanimously supported all of SODC's decisions, finally, by a narrow 4-3 margin, they supported something completely different to what was agreed to."
