A group of local citizens that set aside five days to create a vision for the future of the former Nexen lands and the Squamish estuary has finished its work.
The process, called a design charrette, started last year with a series of information open houses and workshops. Information gathered from the initial meetings was used to introduce the idea of creating a waterfront plan and set principles and goals to guide development of the plan.
The process was led by The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and the Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) at the University of B.C.Using the information gathered by the FBC and SCP, guidelines were set and goals established for a group of 20 people to design a detailed concept plan that incorporates sustainability principles and best practices in terms of planning, design and infrastructure.
The group of about 20, including Coun. Sonja Lebans who represents District of Squamish Council on the panel, met Feb. 4 and 5 and then again Feb. 11 and 12. On the evening of Feb. 10, the design panel participants met at Totem Hall for a public meeting that was billed as a mid-course review.
More than 125 people attended the meeting to review the work done by the design panel and to offer feedback.
Elisa Campbell of SPC told the gathering that the panel participants came up with their concepts by first talking, then doodling and finally drawing concepts on maps.
"On the first day (Feb. 4) we spent a lot of time looking at the study area and walking around the site and the estuary," she said. "We spent a lot of time getting to know each other then the pens came out."
From the public meeting it was clear that the panel participant's pens were busy dreaming up major changes for the southern tip of the downtown area.
Panel participant Murray Sovereign said at the meeting that three key things are very popular with those involved in the charrette.
The three things are; relocation of the windsurfing access point to Third Avenue just south of Squamish Terminals, conversion of the former Nexen lands to an island through the creation of a channel connecting Cattermole Slough to the Mamquam Blind Channel and the building of a pedestrian foot bridge over the Blind Channel from Squamish Nation land on the east to the newly created island on the west.
Sovereign said those concepts are strongly supported and they came up over and over through the charrette process discussions.
One of the concerns expressed at the public meeting on Tuesday and at the council meeting the week before is what the future holds for businesses like ICG Propane and Rasio Chemicals. The two industrial operations are located on Galbraith Road, the only road access to the former chemical plant site.
The changes proposed for the waterfront won't have an immediate affect on industry in the area.Economic Development Officer Lee Malleau said some of the industrial land users are interested in vacating their lands in favour of property in the Squamish Business Park.
Charrette participants indicated at the meeting that their final report will include a recommendation that a trail network be created throughout the downtown. The group envisions a trail around the circumference of the former chemical plant site.
Maps presented at the meeting also show a recommendation that the chemical plant site be developed with a mix of land uses that includes residential, commercial and park. The group wants to see a bridge over the southern end of Cattermole Slough that connects to Third Avenue.
The charrette participants also envision a cruise ship terminal to be built out into Howe Sound from the southern tip of the former Nexen lands.
According to Campbell, at the end of the process there will be land use plans, illustrative plans, perspective drawings, guidelines and more for the former Nexen lands and the estuary lands around that property.
A concept plan was finalized and presented on Thursday (Feb. 12). Campbell and the rest of her team will turn the charrette panel's design concept it into a document that will be given to Squamish Council. Campbell said once Council gets the document it can decide what to do with it. One option is to adopt it and use it as the basis for development of the waterfront.
Council has created a corporation that is owned by the District of Squamish. That company will be responsible for development of the lands Squamish is poised to take over from the provincial government as part of the deal to sell the BC Rail operations to CN Rail.
