Yes, another Environmental Assessment Office public comment period is set to begin.
Starting Friday, the public comment period on the long discussed, debated and anticipated Garibaldi at Squamish resort slated for 13 kilometres north of Squamish begins.
The proposal is for an all-seasons ski resort at Brohm Ridge that would include 124 ski trails on 668 hectares, and housing that would total 5,723 units – or 21,920 bed units.
In June of 2010, an environmental assessment review was done on this project and provincial ministers required additional information before a decision on the project could be made.
There has been much back and forth between the proponent, the EAO and the ministers in the interim, and changes have been made to the original proposal including to how water will be supplied to the resort and the removal of a plan for two golf courses.
Council unanimously passed a motion at its meeting on Tuesday evening to request from the provincial ministries more time and access to funding for extra staffing in order analyze the supplemental application before giving an official District of Squamish response to the project.
“We need to be able to do our due diligence on this very significant project prior to considering any kind of support or non support for the project,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman in setting out the motion before council. “It is a lot of work. We are behind on things now because of the other environmental assessments, and this process is absolutely hugely onerous on staff time, on our community’s time, and we need to do our job on this properly so that is what we are asking.”
The EAO public comment period begins Friday and runs to June 22. An EAO open house on the project will be held at the Executive Suites Hotel on May 21 from 3 to 8 p.m.
