Despite no major changes to street arrangements, a development proposal historically plagued by traffic-flow concerns is slowly inching forward.
The 425-unit Kingswood project received first and second readings at the District of Squamish’s council meeting on Tuesday (June 3), allowing the proposal to go to public hearing. It’s been a long road for the application that originally came forward as the Red Point development eight years ago.
One of the major stumbling blocks has been the project’s vehicle access and egress points, 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 entering or exiting the development would use Upper Clarke Drive and Behrner Drive to Lower Clarke Drive.
In February, the municipality directed officials to examine the feasibility of realigning Behrner Drive after residents handed the district a petition. The idea doesn’t have wheels, staff told council. Construction costs for the new roadway would reach an estimated $5.9 million — $2.5 million more than the current figuration’s price tag, district planner Sarah McJannet said.
“The lands are covered by a B.C. Hydro right-of-way. B.C. Hydro’s property division noted that there was an objection to using their right-of-way,” McJannet said.
Municipal staff contracted Opus International Consultants Ltd. to conduct an independent review of the proponent’s traffic study. What they came up with was similar to original plans, with some variations. For minimum impact to neighbourhoods surrounding the project, the report recommended the creation of a diverter island at the Scott Crescent/Lower Clarke Drive/Clarke Drive intersection. That would result in predominantly right-turn traffic-movement onto Lower Clarke Drive for southbound traffic. Inbound traffic to the development would be required to use Behrner Drive, McJannet said.
“This is seen to balance the traffic on local roads in a more predictable way,” she said.
The studies indicate this format would reduce the number of peak afternoon volume from original estimates of 99 vehicles per hour to 53. The average annual daily traffic projection would be 580 vehicles per day, a figure well below the Transportation Association of Canada’s guidelines for local residential roads of 1,000 vehicles per day, McJannet noted.
Councillors Bryan Raiser and Patricia Heintzman questioned staff about what will stop southbound drivers using the Shell Canada station off Highway 99 as a roundabout.
The public hearing will take place at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre on Tuesday, June 24, at 6 p.m.
