Should the district build a downtown hub to showcase the growing recreation industry here?
Or should the businesses construct the centre for themselves?
Discussion about the recreation industry flowed freely during the monthly mayor’s breakfast held Friday morning at Corsa Cycles, where co-owner Dave Heisler called for “more support from the local government.”
Some recreation business owners suggested that the industry should be centred downtown, close to trails and the kind of lifestyle they are trying to promote, instead of in the industrial park to the north.
Jonathan Staples from OneUp Components said he and his two partners are all working out of their houses but are searching for a small commercial location close to trails. “That has been very difficult to find,” he said.
“There is a bit of a disconnect in terms of what the needs are in the community and what gets built with the developers,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “It seems the supply side is not working with the demand side.”
She said the district wants businesses to grow out of their homes and integrate into the community – “hey, business taxes,” she said – but acknowledged that rental rates are high.
D’Arcy Bloom from Blurr Design Inc. said he had hoped to locate his business downtown. “Squamish itself and the recreation here is a big part of our brand. When people visit,” he said, “I would like to show them more than an industrial park…. It would be nice to showcase the personality of Squamish a little more.”
Tyler Jordan of 7Mesh said his company does not require the 30-foot ceilings of the business park. “It feels a bit of a shame to take people visiting to an industrial park…. Fifty years from now, downtown will be the showcase of Squamish.”
Bloom suggested the district could showcase recreation businesses. “In Boulder (Colorado), they are positioned prominently downtown and it plays into the image of the community and the type of people living in that community. So we should have free space downtown.”
Heintzman laughed, then later suggested the “rec tech” (recreation technology) industry can be featured on wayfinding signs.
She offered to facilitate a meeting between developers and rec tech company owners so they could find appropriate office space – or said the companies could band together to create their own centre.
Doug Day of Garibaldi Springs Golf Course offered his help in coming up with a plan for a co-operative type arrangement for a rec tech centre.
Jeff Cooke, president of Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA), is concerned about another aspect of recreation: the trees being cut near town, which has changed the trails and disappoints tourists going for a mountain bike ride, he said. “A lot of logging and landscaping has been happening close to town… They are expecting it to be spectacular and if they are disappointed, they won’t come back.”
Heintzman urged people to get involved in the public engagement process for the Official Community Plan. “The OCP is literally the blueprint for the town. It’s what tells developers what we want to build and where we want to build it.”
The OCP process is just beginning, she noted. “It’s a hugely important document.”
