About 200 curious Squamish residents turned out to an open house held June 9 at Executive Suites Hotel and Resort on the proposed Polygon residential housing development envisioned for the Garibaldi Springs Golf Resort.
In the wake of the announcement made June 7 that the sale of the 118-acre property from property owner Doug Day to the Vancouver development company would close June 15, many at the open house said they wanted to learn more about what was being proposed.
“I don’t know that we want to give an opinion when they are just giving their preliminary ideas here,” said Bruce Senkpiel, who lives in Greenside Estates near the golf course. “I don’t want to judge too soon.”
Polygon is proposing a multiphase development. Phase one would include 200 townhouses in the northern portion of the property. Plans for phase two have not yet been finalized, according to Polygon CEO Neil Chrystal, but the company envisions affordable townhomes on the southern portion of the property.
At council last week, Polygon representatives had mentioned possibly putting cabins on the southern portion, but Chrystal said townhomes were more realistic, “more affordable housing relative to single family homes.”
Eighty acres of the property would be offered for a public park.
“You have a widespread group of people here,” said Kevin Shoemaker, vice-president of development at Polygon, as attendees viewed poster boards. “Some are sharing their concerns, and others want to buy a home,” he said. “It is way too early for that.”
Chrystal said comments company representatives received at the open house about the proposal generally adhered to two main themes: the proposed parkland and access.
“We want to find out from the community what they would like to see,” the CEO said of the parkland. In terms of access, Chrystal said some poster boards showed access points running from Greenside Estates.
“Obviously they have been there a while, and they have some concerns as to how is that going to impact them. How is public or emergency access to the lands going to impact their community?”
Chrystal said it is still early days in the process, so at this point, they are absorbing what the public is telling them. “What would they like to see, what are the things that are really going to bother them, and how do we then begin to form a design that meets the objectives of everyone?”
Squamish’s Melanie Marohn didn’t attend the open house because she has a young baby at home, but she told The Squamish Chief via email that she is concerned the development is another sign of Squamish’s increasing bedroom community status.
“We have nicer scenery, and lower crime rates right now, and no tolled bridges, but it seems that we are merely a suburb of Vancouver,” she said by email.
Marohn said she has lived in Squamish 14 years, and many of the people she knows currently have to commute to the city for work.
“In those 14 years, we have lost major industry, and rental rates have essentially doubled, if not more. A lot of real estate has at least doubled, and gasoline prices have nearly doubled. I don’t know about others, but my wages have not doubled.”
Polygon has yet to file applications required for the development with the District of Squamish, according to district staff. Shoemaker said applications would likely be filed this summer in order for the proposal to be part of the district’s Official Community Plan review that is currently underway.
