Some Squamish Valley residents are losing sleep, giving regional district officials policy headaches.
Last weekend (July 13,14), Jon Payne's tenants on his lot off Rustad Road were kept up until 4 a.m. The cause, he says, are a slew of summer events, including motivational camps and last weekend's music festival Burn in the Forests.
It's not a new problem, Payne said. Last year, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) enacted noise regulations for the valley. Now in place, the volume restrictions are being bypassed by event organizers by applying for event permits, Payne said.
These special events permits allow for noise to just carry on, he said. So now there is no recourse for us. There is nothing we can do.
The issue comes down to the absence of property zoning, SLRD event manager Ryan Wainwright said. Currently any land use is permitted in the area, making it impossible for the district to bar applications, he said.
Officials can revoke event permits. This year, until the end of August, the district has rubber stamped four events, all of which asked for operation hours beyond what's allowable in the noise bylaw. One application's request was denied.
These events draw people worldwide to Squamish and pour cash into the community, said Steve Moir, the owner of Glacier Valley Farm. He hosts events at his farm, from weddings to personal success education company Peak Potentials Training Inc.'s adult summer camps. Moir hopes new property zoning will allow for existing uses to continue.
If I built a business here, I should be able to sell it as such, he said, and noted there weren't noise complaints before 2009, when a new sub-division was constructed in the valley.
Area D throws Squamish Valley in with Furry Creek and Black Tusk, yet its make-up is very different, Moir said, adding a noise bylaw that might makes sense in Furry Creek may not be appropriate for the valley.
Squamish Valley is becoming a more rural/residential neighbourhood, Wainwright agreed. District officials are trying to balance the valley's business needs with the concerns of residents.
Regional staff is initiating property-zoning conversations for upper Squamish Valley, but the process could take up to a year. Community discussion are tentatively scheduled for early to mid fall.
It's a massive conversation, Wainwright said.
In the meantime, the SLRD should be more stringent with its events permits, Squamish Valley resident Matthias Jakob said. Although they have no control over the type of events taking place in the valley, officials can dictate their hours, he said, adding last year 60 residents signed a complaint form against the noise.
It is against the majority's wishes, he said.
