The future of a new commercial development on Highway 99 is in jeopardy following a presentation to District of Squamish council on Tuesday (March 13) by municipal staff.
The planning department recommended that council not support amending the Official Community Plan bylaw (OCP) in order to allow for a 10-hectare commercial development at the business park that would front onto the Sea to Sky Highway.
"We feel that this development will go against the principles that council has laid out for what they want this piece of land used for," said Cameron Chalmers of the municipal planning department.
The parcel, which Parallax purchased from the district in March of last year, is currently zoned as C-9. Under this designation, commercial development must be of a larger factory outlet scale.
"The OCP lays out that commercial tenancy not be less than 30,000 square feet," said Chalmers.
However, each 30,000 square foot building could be divided among three separate businesses, making the smallest business allowed under the C-9 designation 10,000 square feet.
"Under this proposal some are as small as 1,200 square feet," said Chalmers. "Even the largest is only 20,000 square feet. Places like these do not follow the guidelines of the OCP."
Council expressed concerns that the proposal went against what they originally agreed the land should be used for.
"My biggest concern is the minimum size," said Mayor Ian Sutherland. "We sold this land to be used as a factory outlet and that's what we wanted."
"The commercial properties that concern me are not the 5,000 square feet or 10,000 square feet ones. The ones that do concern me are the ones that are 1,200, 1,500 and 2,000 square feet," said Sutherland.Council echoed those concerns.
"If we look at Second Avenue downtown, there is half a block of available smaller commercial space," said Coun. Corinne Lonsdale. "I'm really very concerned that this would hurt businesses downtown. We're working on developing the downtown right now, and is this going to make all of that work for nothing?"
Development representative Anne Languedoc contended that the project would not have a direct impact on downtown businesses."Six of the acres we are developing fall within the guidelines set out by council," said Languedoc. "I am a resident of Squamish and I want this to be an attractive development for Squamish. This recommendation from staff puts our project in absolute peril. If we are not allowed some flexibility on tenant size then this will not happen."
Proponents of the program argued that the project would be of benefit to the downtown core.
"The proposal for this project is a commercial based vision for the community that would provide a service for the community," said architect Gord McKenzie. "It will include a hotel and restaurants, and national retailers that would keep fewer people from going into the city."
Proponents believed this would lead to more people spending money in all of Squamish, including downtown.
Council was still uncomfortable with the possible ramifications of the development, however, and Sutherland suggested that the developers sit down with municipal officials to come a compromise that would maintain the proposal's viability, yet would also address some of the district's concerns.
Languedoc, however, wanted council to consider the development as quickly as possible, so the amendment to the OCP will be brought to council as is, with the planning department's objections, for a vote on March 27.
