Keeping it weird
Never doubt whether or not people speaking up can change things.
A new townhouse and commercial development slated for Third Avenue in south downtown was defeated at council Tuesday night.
The Solterra development at 37762 Third Ave. was to include 11 townhouses and 1,800 square feet of commercial at street level.
Prior to council’s vote on third reading, a public hearing on the proposal was held.
Seven residents expressed concerns about density, traffic, saving the trees, bees and flowers on the lot, and that changing the zoning will forever alter the character of the quirky industrial/live-work area.
Most expressed a desire to keep the area, home to many artists, “weird.”
The developer can bring back a new proposal for the site at any time.
Rates going up
It looks like the pocketbooks of Squamish residents will get a bit thinner after increases to water and sewer rates got the nod from council Tuesday night.
Sewer rates are set to increase by two percent; water rates by four per cent; solid waste for a medium tote will go up by 10 per cent and a large tote will go up by 15 per cent.
The average resident will pay an additional $51.55 a year for sewer, water and solid waste utilities.
Council passed the first three readings of the bylaw that would increase the rates at its meeting.
Contact the district to change your tote size. The deadline is Dec. 17.
Garburator ban
Garburators will not be allowed in newly constructed developments after council passed three readings of a bylaw to ban them at its meeting Tuesday night.
Garburator waste causes extreme clogs in sewer piping in the district, according to district staff. Installing a garburator could lead to a $1,000 fine from the district.
Have your say
The public will have a chance on Jan. 10 to weigh in on another proposed housing development slated for the Northyards.
Council passed first and second reading on the townhouse development planned for 39773 and 39777 Government Rd. at a meeting on Tuesday night.
The proposal is for 28 stacked townhomes and 23 conventional townhouses.
The public hearing will be in council chambers at municipal hall at 6 p.m.
B.C.’s answer on 15% tax
The answer was maybe one day.
In response to Mayor Patricia Heintzman’s July 29 letter to the province asking that Squamish be included within Metro Vancouver’s 15 per cent foreign buyers tax, Finance Minister Michael de Jong replied that the provincial government is monitoring the impact of the tax and “is prepared to make further changes as required.”
Heintzman’s letter referenced the housing crunch in the District of Squamish and that Squamish is only 20 minutes north of the boundary of the tax, which took effect in August.
She said it was probable that the tax would force foreign buyers into Squamish and further raise local housing prices.
De Jong said the tax was thoughtfully designed taking into account the geographical area it applied to and the tax was “an attempt to reduce upward pressure on house prices in that region and allow time for housing supply to catch up.”
His letter also notes that housing prices have “moderated” as of September in Squamish.
Developing Squamish
A development that includes a mix of retail, offices, rental apartments and townhomes is proposed across north and south parcels of land at the site of Whistler Punk Hollow Adventure RV Park and Golf at the intersection of Centennial Way and Loggers Lane.
The proposed project by Anthem Properties is for a mix of 175 two, three, and four-bedroom townhomes, a six-storey rental apartment building and about 20,000 square feet of office and commercial space.
Representatives from Anthem appeared before the community development standing committee on Tuesday to present the proposal.
A car-share program is also proposed. The property would need to be re-zoned as it is currently zoned for a campground, and would come up for a public hearing before the proposal could move forward.
More housing for seniors
A long-awaited new Squamish Senior Citizens Home Society * development is a bit closer to becoming a reality.
The society has signed a letter of intent with Polygon Homes for housing on property at Third and Pemberton avenues, according to a letter submitted to the District of Squamish by the society that was discussed during the community development standing committee on Tuesday.
Council passed a motion to support the project in principle.
The society is proposing 230 units of affordable seniors housing in a four-storey complex. A car-share program and a permanent men’s shed is envisioned for residents.
Rezoning will likely be required for portions of the site. The society currently has 70 affordable seniors housing units and 90 individuals on the waitlist for those units, Gordon said.
The plan is once the current residents were moved over to the new facility, Polygon would buy the old site for its own housing development.
The new affordable housing project would be with BC housing, according to the letter signed by Peter Gordon, co-chair of the society’s board of directors.
Once all approvals for the proposed project are received a more formal partnership will be entered into, the letter states.
*Please note this post has been corrected since it was first posted. The original post had a typo in the name of the society.
