After eight years of heated debate, the vacant lots at the entrance to Squamish may soon be a busy enclave, with hundreds of private residences, a park and amenities.
Late Tuesday night, July 15, the District of Squamish council voted in favour of third reading to the proposed 425-unit Kingswood development slated for the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel. With final approval in its grasp, this paves the way for construction of the mixed-use, eight-acre parcel.
Traffic has been a major stumbling block for the project, a hot-button topic that swayed the council of the day to rescind its approval in 2007. The most recent plan directs northbound traffic to a right-in/right-out turn at the Scott Crescent-Highway 99 intersection. Southbound travellers enter or exit the development using Upper Clarke Drive and Behrner Drive to Lower Clarke Drive.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman questioned who would be left with the bill – the Ministry of Transportation or the district – if the community experiences traffic issues at the Highway 99/Clarke Drive intersection as a result of the development. There is some onus on the municipality, chief administrative officer Corien Speaker replied.
Traffic issues have plagued the project, but the current plan is far better than some of its predecessors, Heintzman said. The overall plan is a “pretty nice project,” she said.
“It will definitely impact the neighbourhood. But I think generally speaking it will have a more
positive impact.”
Kingswood has been through a lengthy process, Coun. Doug Race agreed. The project offers trail connectors and a community amenities package worth close to $2.5 million. The project is consistent with Squamish’s official community plan (OCP) and proposes less density than is allowed within that. zoning, Race noted.
“It will increase traffic,” he said. “Traffic studies have shown it will be well within the capacity of the roads.”
Coun. Bryan Raiser, the only councillor to vote in opposition of the project, said the additional vehicles on the street as a result of the development will have a major impact on the neighourhood.
“Every time I walk the site I just can’t see how it will work,” he said.
By the time council voted on the project, the clock hit 11:30 p.m. The crowd had thinned, as many concerned Hospital Hill residents had already left. The project’s backers were pleased with council’s decision.
“I think we did our diligence,” proponent Ron Bijok said.
There’s been a lot of fear regarding extra traffic, but five years from now people will see that the flow will be just like any other Squamish street, he said. As for the development’s start date, it’s not set
in stone.
“We will look at market conditions and decide then,” Bijok said.
