The land formerly used by International Forest Products to mill wood is moving closer to taking on a whole new look.
Brook Developments hosted a public information meeting June 28 that was attended by 45 interested people.
Developers John Norton and Ned Pottinger plan to convert the industrial lands into a people-friendly place featuring 1,350 residential units in the form of apartments and townhouses in a water-focused development.
According to Kyla Leslie of Brook Developments, a team of eight people working with Norton and Pottinger were on hand to outline the development concept as it exists in the early stages of planning for the site between Hwy. 99 and the Mamquam Blind Channel.
"We received a couple of comments on the design side," Leslie said.
She noted it is still early in the process and more public meetings will take place through the planning process.
"It was a good opportunity for people to bring ideas and put them in the bin," said Leslie.
Norton indicated soon after the purchase agreement was finalized that he wanted to upgrade the waterfront so a marina can be built and a small passenger ferry can shuttle people across the channel to Downtown.
Limited commercial space is planned for the site. Norton and his partner don't want to detract from the efforts to revive the downtown core and the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation lands.
The developers are keen to move quickly with construction tentatively set to begin in 2007.
jfrench@squamishchief.com
