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Darrell Bay tricky to negotiate

The District has been in talks with the Ministry of Transportation about the site
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Negotiations are ongoing for public access at Darrell Bay, but council heard Tuesday that it may not be an easy fix.

“This is probably one of the most complicated jurisdictional areas we’ve worked on. There’s a lot going on down there,” said Neil Plumb, manager of real estate with the District.

The area just south of Squamish — currently used as an emergency ferry docking terminal and overflow parking for nearby tourist attractions — is a patchwork of land ownership, with both the Ministry of Transportation and the District controlling different portions.

Woodfibre LNG wants to use some of the parking spots on the site to transport workers across Howe Sound during the construction phase of its project. Initially, the company requested exclusive, four-year access to a portion of the site for security reasons, but council insisted on allowing shared use.

District staff met with the Ministry of Transportation and Woodfibre LNG in August and September to discuss uses for the area.

On Tuesday, District staff said after discussions with the ministry, public access in the current form would not be possible.

The shoreline is currently under a ministerial order, which restricts use as a Ferry Terminal.

The ministry is currently considering Woodfibre’s request, since transporting workers across Howe Sound would be an acceptable use under the current conditions.

A second commercial user could also be considered as a sub-tenant.

Plumb said while the order can be changed, it would take over a year, and it’s “not something that gets changed every day.”

He said shrinking the area under the order would be easier than trying to change the usage.

To achieve public access, the District would need to develop a management plan, and the Ministry of Transportation would have to do “significant analysis and process to ensure the existing emergency facility is not impacted.”

The long-term vision would be a place for the public to launch for non-motorized crafts like kayaks and paddleboards. A launch for motorized boats would likely be very costly to build for that site, said Mayor Patricia Heintzman.

Jeff Levine of the Sea to Sky Adventure Company, representing a small coalition interested in tourism potential for the site, said public access is essential and his group is prepared to pay for an accessible dock.

The water portion of the area is only one consideration. Heintzman pointed out that a future council will have to negotiate the road access and parking.

“I think the other piece is, WLNG predominantly needs this for parking cars and buses for their employees, how councils in the future value that, whether it’s some sort of lease or licence agreement or is it just simply paid parking, or do you have reserve spots for different businesses that may or not be working down there? And designated spots for the public, or the gondola or whomever else may be part of that,” she said.

“How the District values that land is important to maximize the return for the citizens for the citizens of Squamish.”

Plumb said the District will be given a chance to provide comment before the Ministry of Transportation finalizes an agreement with WLNG.

 

*Please note, this article has been updated to include that Woodfibre LNG wants to use part of the site, not the entire site, for its workers during the construction phase.

 

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