An application to build up to 420 residential units adjacent to the upper Mamquam Blind Channel will soon land on the District of Squamish's doormat.
After being smacked down by council five years ago, the same company - Kingswood Group - that put forward the Redpoint mixed-use development is back with a revamped project. Proponents aim to get a formal application to the municipality next month, Kingswood representative John Moonen told members of the Squamish Trails Society at a meeting on Thursday (March 21).
It's been a long time coming, he noted. Proponents were forced to sit on the land while municipal staff completed a land-use study of the area. With the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel (UMBC) study completed last year, developers incorporated the report's feedback in building a new project - Scott Crescent Development.
Thirteen-hundred square metres has been added to the site, the development's floor area ratio has shrunk, the climbing facility has been axed and replaced by a heavy focus on enhancing trails and parks.
"We listened to the community during the study and heard there is really a great need for connectivity," Moonen said.
The proposal pours $965,000 into community amenities, the majority of which improve upon trails, he said. The project is slated to include a walkway along the east side of the channel, connecting via a pedestrian bridge to Rose Park. The draft calls for a public kayak and canoe launch linked to a pathway that hooks into the district-owned Hunter Stairs. It also includes a 1,300-square-foot community meeting facility, worth approximately $375,000, Moonen said, noting the facility would be separate from the development's strata office.
The proposal adds a Highway 99 underpass at the south end of the highway's vehicle bridge, which will eventually meet up with future developments such as Waterfront Landing, Moonen said.
A big part of the plan is upgrading the Clarke Drive and the highway intersection, as well as a newly designed northbound Highway 99 intersection with Scott Crescent.
"There will be a [pedestrian] island in the middle and the crosswalk will actually be in from the highway," he said of the right-in and right-out vehicle access route.
The draft comes in under the recommended density presented in the UMBC study, Moonen said. He estimates the project will consist of 380 to 425 units, with less retail space than was outlined in the Redpoint proposal.
The proposal is based on a floor-area ratio, rather than unit count, he noted. That allows developers the flexibility to adapt to the real estate market. If proponents discover a greater need for a certain type of housing, they'll be able to incorporate the demand, Moonen said.
"This is going to be a multi-year process," he said. "It could be six to eight years before all the units are sold."
Squamish Trails Society members questioned the short entrance and exit run-up to the Scott Crescent intersection. One resident commented that it looked unsafe. Moonen responded that it met Ministry of Transportation requirements.
The project has a long way to go, he said. It still faces council's discussion and final decisions. Trails Society chair Bob Brant agreed.
"There are pieces that need to be filled into this puzzle," he said.
