Efforts to spur the Paradise Trails equestrian development were rebuffed this month.
In a written response to proponents, Squamish chief administrative officer Kevin Ramsay dismissed a formal complaint alleging the District of Squamish is unduly delaying the project.
"It is remarkably clear that the contents, allegations, and statement in your letter are entirely unfounded," wrote Ramsay. "I take remarkable exception to the statements and generalizations in your letter particularly since it is abundantly clear that you are accountable for the length of time your project is taking."
A Jan. 22 letter to the district from Timeline Project Management's Michael Goodman states the developer has spent upwards of $750,000 preparing for the information required at third reading and $20,000 up front for a third party engineer to represent the district's interests in reviewing the project. However a requested meeting with a district lawyer "to clarify a few critical points" such as public use of the proposed equestrian facility has gone unanswered, he alleges.
"Unfortunately, the district has developed notoriety within the development industry for its uncooperative approach to people who want to invest in Squamish," he states.
He added that since Ramsay was hired, "the situation has improved greatly."
Ramsay rebuffed the complaint in his letter to Goodman.
"The equestrian public use agreement looks satisfactory and will be reviewed with our solicitor when the remaining legal agreements are reviewed," he wrote.
"With respect, this is probably the most minor and simple prior-to's and should not be a significant consideration until major issues like servicing and life safety have been addressed."
Ramsay provided an updated matrix indicating numerous answers are needed to move forward with the application. Issues remain outstanding despite emailed requests from the district, including wastewater services fire protection measures and flood mitigation measures.
Ramsay closes off by saying district staff remain committed to working with the proponent, however in the absence of information, meetings "will not likely be satisfying to either your team of district staff."
SLRD to help fund services
The Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) should pay for non-taxpayer use of Squamish facilities, stated council.
Council unanimously agreed to direct staff to work with the SLRD to draft a servicing agreement for services in areas defined by the chief administrative officer. The item came forward as a recommendation from the finance standing committee.
"It's about the growth of our community outside from the north and south," said Coun. Paul Lalli. "We all know that it's happening and it's service that we don't necessarily think of on a daily basis, whether it's the library or the recreational facilities that we need to start focusing on because those communities depend on our services so we need to address that."
