Housing in old DQ spot
A four-storey housing development is slated for the property of the old Dairy Queen downtown.
Council approved a development permit for Cleveland Gardens, at 38165 and 38167 Cleveland Ave. at council on Tuesday night.
The Dairy Queen building was demolished in 2009 and it has been an empty lot since.
The development will consist of 19 residential units on upper floors and two commercial units on the ground floor, according to district staff.
“[I’m] excited to see these empty lots get filled in the downtown,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman.
Channel complex floating
The Sirocco development passed first reading of its rezoning bylaw at council Tuesday night, but was sent back to the drawing board by councillors before second reading will be considered.
The proposed development, at 38050 Loggers Lane would include 138 apartments in three mixed-use buildings and 520 square metres of commercial space. The development, south of to the Mireau development on the Mamquam Blind Channel, would also include a mixed-use float home community, consisting of 27 residential floating homes and four floating commercial units.
The developer would build a dock and walkway that the public could access.
The development was up for first and second readings of the bylaw, but councillors had several issues with the proposal as presented including: the lack of employment space, how the district would access the dike for maintenance given the proximity to the float homes and an amenity contribution some on council found lacking.
Second reading will be back before a future council meeting.
Pot shop variance passes
A marijuana dispensary at 40437 Tantalus Rd. will be able to apply for its business license after council approved its development variance permit on Tuesday night.
Only Coun. Doug Race voted against the motion.
In front of a packed chamber, council cleared the way for Grassroots Medicinal to stay in business though its property is 240 metres away from Mamquam Elementary. The Squamish zoning bylaw requires pot shops to set up 300 metres from a school.
District staff recommended the variance, because the actual establishment will be more than 300 metres away, according to the documents submitted to council. The bylaw measures property line to property line, not actual establishment to school, something Mayor Patricia Heintzman said perhaps is an oversight in the bylaw that should be revisited.
The Squamish bylaws regulating dispensaries were passed in July.
The business, which opened in March, already has 500 patients, says the co-owner of dispensary, Tania Jackett.
Completion of Aqua
The final phase of the Aqua housing development was cleared to get its development permit at council Tuesday night. The proposed 61-unit townhouse complex, at 1188 Main St., by SVR Investments marks the completion of the Aqua development, which has remained unfinished since the project went into foreclosure under a different developer following the 2008 recession.
In the previous plan, 98 units were to be built, of which 82 were to be apartments and 16 townhouses.
Borrowing for road
District of Squamish council is proposing to borrow $1,650,300 to go towards completing the Peninsula Main Road out to the Oceanfront Lands.
If at the end of the 30-day alternative approval period for receiving elector responses, 10 per cent or more of residents are against the bylaw, then the bylaw must go to referendum before council can consider adoption.
To object to the borrowing, individuals can pick up a form at municipal hall that is due before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
Rose Park gets upgrade
Capilano Highway Services Co. will be working on a corridor trail upgrade project in Rose Park to the tune of $424,815 after council awarded the company the tender at council Tuesday night.
The project includes paving 700 metres of trail and adding 20 LED lights that will start at the Highway 99 underpass and end at the north end of the Squamish Adventure Centre parking lot. The north end of the trial will tie into the existing Corridor Trail across Loggers Lane, according to District of Squamish staff.
The work was designated as a priority for the 2016 capital year.
