Expect trees to be falling by the end of March, as Squamish Valley Music Festival (SVMF) makes way for camping on 29 acres of property in the Squamish Business Park.
On Tuesday (March 4), festival organizers were back in the District of Squamish's council chambers, this time hoping for an easement on permanent fencing and vegetation buffers beside a watercourse. In January, council approved plans for camping on the four lots three located between Aspen Road and Pioneer Way beside Queens Way and the southern parcel on Discovery Way in front of the Sandman Hotel.
At the time, they called for an extension of the forested buffer between the camping and the North Yards neighbourhood from the legislated 20 metres to 50 metres. Officials also asked that a permanent fence be built between the two.
On Tuesday, SVMF organizers came back to the table with a preliminary environmental assessment of the sites prepared by the Squamish-based Cascade Environmental Resource Group. Several invasive species were identified, including the pervasive Japanese knotweed, and the on-site ditch isn't fish-bearing, district planner Sarah McJannet said. Festival organizers are also proposing to keep a number of tree clusters standing, she added.
In light of the environmental assessment, SVMF asked to place semi-permanent fencing along the northern perimeter of the site and reduce the ditch's riparian area from 30 metres to five. A permanent fence would cost approximately $62,000 to build, McJannet said, noting if the property is bought by a developer, the lot's zoning allows construction within 20 metres of the residential lots.
The festival has still proposed to do the landscape planting, she added.
Council passed the requests. The need for the fence disappeared when the buffer was extended, Coun. Doug Race said.
