Pritpal Hans has passed through the doors of Bryan’s Auto Body on Pemberton Avenue to start his workday almost every morning for 30 years.
It has been a well-paying career that has allowed him to have a home in Squamish and raise two children.
The property has been sold, however, and Hans fears the shop will eventually be replaced by residential housing, displacing the dozens of good jobs at Bryan’s and similar light-industrial neighbouring businesses.
The District of Squamish planning department has said the Pemberton Avenue area is slated to become mixed use, rather than light industrial, in the upcoming revamped Official Community Plan.
“It is not only our jobs. We’ve been in business here for 50 years and we work for the people of Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton,” Hans told The Squamish Chief.
“The people depend on us.”
Once the sale is final – all the subjects have yet to come off – the incoming owners will wait until 2019 before they will close Bryan’s, Pritpal said.
Pritpal and representatives from three other local businesses: Good 2 Go Tirecraft, Corsa Cycles and Upper Newport Yacht Club penned a letter to the mayor and council regarding their concerns about the loss of employment lands in Squamish.
It is not possible for the businesses to relocate, the men say.
“The Business Park, for example, is prohibitively expensive,” the letter states.
The letter was accompanied by 17 form letters signed by employees and customers of the businesses asking that the area not be rezoned in order to protect industrial land.
Pritpal said the signatures were gathered in just one day.
“The way we look at it, we need more businesses like us because we are super busy,” he said.
“We can’t handle all the work so we need more businesses like us, instead of closing down businesses.”
The letter from the business owners also points out that the location of their businesses is convenient for customers and a boon for other downtown shops.
“Our auto service customers, for example, can do other downtown errands or shopping within walking distance while they wait for a work order to be done,” the letter states.
There are also several forest industry businesses on Pemberton Avenue, noted Eric Andersen, of the Squamish and District Forestry Association.
“We’ve been actively following neighbourhood and transportation plans affecting the area and encouraging consultation,” he told The Chief.
“These businesses are essential industrial services every town has to plan for. The OCP and Downtown Neighbourhood Plan refer to light industrial as part of the mix. This is all that’s left.”
Mayor Patricia Heintzman told The Chief she welcomed the feedback and that the new OCP is still in draft form, so the plan for the area is not written in stone. More opportunities for public consultation are forthcoming, she said.
“I do think they have a really good point,” Heintzman added.
