It's been 12 years since the municipality had a new Official Community Plan (OCP), and now District of Squamish council seems poised to adopt the most recent vision for the future within a few weeks.
But for downtown businesses and residents, the best news to come out of the adoption is that municipal staff can now turn their attention to their neighbourhood's needs.
"Now that the OCP is almost completed, we can start turning our minds to the downtown," said planning director Cameron Chalmers.
The new Squamish Service Initiative states the downtown plan should be complete and into the reading stage by the end of 2010.
Chalmers presented council with a draft downtown neighbourhood plan during a Tuesday (May 18) Committee of the Whole meeting. The plan has already had significant public input, and council members had the opportunity to comment on changes and new elements of the plan at the meeting.
Height restrictions, concrete walls and parking were three issues discussed at length.
Chalmers clarified that the neighbourhood plan was a sub area plan such as the plan for the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) lands.
"One main difference that makes the [downtown] neighbourhood plan unique is that it has been solely initiated and run by district staff," said Chalmers.
And despite the fact that the SODC lands, the downtown area and the Waterfront Landing (the former Interfor site) have the same OCP land designation of downtown, the three are deemed separate.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman, in the position of acting mayor, agreed with the four storey maximum, however wanted the leeway to impose a variety of height restrictions under four storeys.
"I thought we were trying to avoid the sausage effect," she said, suggesting varying building heights would make a more interesting skyline.
Chalmers said challenges would make anything under three storeys less appealing to developers.
"To make it economically viable, people are going to try and achieve a maximum density and a maximum height. Three-storey buildings are less viable than four."
Cleveland Avenue currently has a zero lot line scenario, meaning a series of 26 foot-tall projects made to look like one building.
The one four storey Cleveland Avenue building not following the zero lot line leaves a concrete wall exposed, leading Heintzman to another concern over esthetics.
"If we could somehow get murals or plants then we could avoid massive concrete walls," said Heintzman. "And maybe coincide that with some sort of downtown beautification."
She also asked about a downtown parking strategy.
"We recognize that parking is a big issue in the downtown," said Chalmers.
He said a parking strategy exists in the downtown transportation plan and a parking ratio analysis is being done, but it's challenging to align the developable areas and parking requirements since they're competing for the same space.
"We're losing opportunities for quality projects because of parking standards."
A detailed strategy isn't in place yet but will be addressed when more discussions place in September.
Zoning process updated
Urban planning consultants Halcrow and Brook and Associates provided a zoning bylaw process update, summarizing the issues addressed at their first meeting with stakeholders on May 6.
Blaire Chisholm from Brook and Associates suggested adding statements of intent to bylaws to ease the culling of undesirable proposals.
"We're really working to clarify," she said. "It's not a visionary exercise but more of a house cleaning."
Coun. Doug Race said council should have a vision for the end product because zoning bylaws are so important in a community.
"Zoning bylaws are partly to preserve the status quo, to protect people from being surprised by their neighbours," he said. "Every bylaw can change the character of a neighbourhood."
Heintzman said she hoped the re-zoning process would address the Veterans Land Act (VLA) properties, an act put in place so veterans could be given good mortgage rates but is now causing difficulties with subdivision.
The area is between Mamquam Road to the south, Diamond Head Road to the north, Garibaldi Village to the west and Read Crescent to the east.
