Downtown Squamish may finally be on its way toward a much-anticipated transformation.
After three years of public consultation, the Waterfront Landing development proposed for the former Interfor mill site across the Mamquam Blind Channel is in the final stages of securing the go-ahead from the District of Squamish. At a public meeting last Thursday (May 24), representatives from Pridham Development revealed amended plans for the site.
"We've taken what we've heard from council, what we've heard from staff, and the feedback we've heard from the public and we've tried to roll it all into the improvements for the site," said Chuck Brook, president of Brook Development Planning Inc., consultants for Pridham. "We now have a higher emphasis on green buildings, green landscape, and sustainability."
The public and district also raised questions around potential commercial use, so the developers expanded the ceiling height of many of the ground level units to give owners commercial expansion options.
"We created choice-of-use zoning for quite a number of properties, which can now be converted so you can use your unit in a variety of ways," said Brook. "If you wanted to have a little pottery or artist's studio and live above it, you could."
According to Brook, data collected from an independent consulting firm hired to assess potential revenue generated from Waterfront showed $4 to $5 million a year would be directed toward downtown.
"We don't want to steal downtown's thunder," said Brook. "We only want to improve it."
Final adoption of the plan is expected to go through this summer. If approved, the final outcome will see new playing fields and an expanded lagoon. Housing options range from townhouses to four- and six-storey apartments and three highrise towers. The towers are still under council debate.
