A Squamish Nation request to have a portion of the Cheekye Fan designated residential in the Official Community Plan was thoroughly scrutinized during a council meeting Tuesday (Jan. 26).
Municipal planner Jim Charlebois presented council with a letter from senior operating officer with the Squamish Nation Toby Baker, which asked council to remove a portion of land in the Cheekye Fan from the Cheekye special study area and designate it as residential. Charlebois asked council to direct staff whether or not to include the request in the Official Community Plan (OCP) revision list.
If council agreed to the request, approximately 184 acres of land in the Government Road and Ross Road area would be redesignated for various land use purposes including employment, industrial, open space and residential.
"I don't mind saying take out the special study area," said Coun. Patricia Heintzman. "But I do need more information and clarification if we're going to go towards re-designating that land."
Municipal planning director Cameron Chalmers said staff is prepared to accept the request, because it will not affect the principle behind the special study area.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale said the district might be better served not to re-designate the land from limited industrial to residential.
Coun. Doug Race moved to remove the land from the special study area but not endorse a re-designation for the northernmost portion of the land.
"While I'm in favour of taking it out of the special study area, I'm not in favour, at the moment to re-designate it residential without further information and a bit more of a look at it," he said.
Admitting she previously misunderstood the boundaries of the land, Lonsdale said this is an issue for which she would like community input.
"If I had known [the boundaries] had gone that far, I would have wanted dialogue with the community before hand," she said.
She said she could not support the motion because the land would be better protected from development as a special study area.
Heintzman and Coun. Bryan Raiser echoed Lonsdale's opinion.
Gardner said he felt comfortable with the options council would have in the future if the municipality chose to develop the land.
The motion passed with a vote of four to three with Gardner, Coun. Rob Kirkham, Lalli and Race in favour and Lonsdale, Heintzman and Raiser opposed.
The item was part of a list of revisions for the draft OCP, which Chalmers presented to council. The list is designed to track changes in phrasing, land-use designation and new policy direction for municipal staff and council.
After further discussion regarding items on the revision list, Lalli said concerns over some of the OCP designations might be irrelevant because zoning can correct any improperly designated areas.
"Zoning does really dictate and help us control all of the issues that we've talked about today," said Lalli.
Lonsdale argued the OCP sets the general direction for zoning, not the other way around.
"I certainly don't agree with Coun. Lalli at all," Lonsdale said. "The OCP actually guides the zoning, or at least it supposed to."
Airport fees set
Neil Plumb presented council with a suggestion to establish a Squamish airport landing fee, effective starting Wednesday (Feb. 3) and lasting until Saturday March 20 at the Tuesday (Jan. 26) special council meeting.
Neither council nor staff openly discussed the matter, despite Gardner's request that explain the new fees. Lalli, however, said it was unnecessary because he was willing to support the motion based on the submitted report. Gardner asked if any council member wanted more information or discussion on the matter, no one responded.
According to the report, the fees would range between $225 and $325 for each airplane or helicopter landing and a fee of $100 would be charged, per night as an overnight fee.
The generated revenue would help fund additional management for the airport during the Olympic Games. Municipal staff consulted with an aviation expert to establish rates and noted the recommended rates are half of what Whistler is charging during the same timeframe, stated the report.
It adds that staff plans to revisit the regular airport fee schedule after the Games.
Council unanimously passed a motion to give the amended fee bylaw the first three readings.
