Waterfront Landing
A public information meeting on the proposed Waterfront Landing development slated for the 53-acre property on the east side of the Mamquam Blind Channel is set for Nov. 9 at the Squamish Adventure Centre.
Developers Squamish Lands General Partnership (Bosa Development Corporation) made a presentation to council members at the committee of the whole on Tuesday afternoon.
The proposal has changed since it was originally proposed a decade ago and is currently for up to 965 units of housing in three-storey townhouses and four six-storey apartment buildings.
The plan also includes a mixed-use village centre, four-acre park, a public marina and a lifted pedestrian crossing over the Mamquam Blind Channel to downtown.
The earlier application included a pedestrian overpass over Highway 99, a lagoon and 1,500 units of housing.
Rental housing proposal
A proposal for Hudson Station Townhomes, 50 rental townhouse units, is a little closer to becoming a reality after council passed first and second reading of a rezoning bylaw at its meeting Tuesday night. A public hearing on the Target Homes project is slated for Nov. 8 at municipal hall at 6 p.m.
The project proposed for Government Road at the north end of the Sea to Sky Business park would include three-storey townhomes with either two or three bedrooms. The potential rentals would be between $1,600 and $2,000 per month, staff said. The plan is for all the units to be rental housing for a 60-year term.
Coun. Karen Elliott opposed the project in part because of the rail lines close by and a pending expert report on if building on the property would transfer flood risk to neighbours.
Coun. Susan Chapelle opposed the plan for the same reasons as Elliott and because the property should be employment land, she said, and not rezoned for high-density housing. Coun. Ted Prior also voted against the readings.
The Main
A new housing and commercial development is coming to Cleveland Avenue. Council authorized the development permit for The Main at 37881 Cleveland Ave. at its meeting on Tuesday night. The six-storey development will include 110 residential units, a communal space on the third floor for residents and commercial space on the lower floor. A two-floor parkade with 135 parking spots is planned.
The Main will also have a “green” roof.
Squamish Energy Utility
A decision on whether or not to pursue a neighbourhood energy utility for Squamish is being put off until next year.
District staff presented a feasibility study on such a utility at the committee of the whole Tuesday that determined a neighbourhood energy utility – known as a district energy system – would be feasible but expensive and a possible “financial risk” to the district.
Coun. Susan Chapelle opposed the resolution arguing the utility is too expensive for a community of Squamish’s size.
The committee directed staff to bring back limited and phased implementation plans for a district energy system for the upcoming 2017 budget deliberations.
Staff will also engage with local developers to see what they think of the idea of a neighbourhood energy utility for Squamish.
The system would provide hot water and space heating for a series of Squamish buildings, most feasibly in the future Newport Beach development, through a centralized system that would use a biomass or ocean heat recovery system.
The study cost the district $60,000. A previous study was done in 2010 that also found the utility was too expensive for Squamish.
The committee also directed staff to prepare a plan to develop development permit area quidelines and green building incentives for the budget process in 2017.
The study concluded the utility would cost a total of $38.2 million for a biomass system and $43.4 million for an ocean recovery system.
