The proposed Sea to Sky Gondola will encourage people to step on their brakes in Squamish, just as the gaming centre has, says Squamish Nation Coun. Dale Harry.
Harry was among 48 people who spoke in favour of the gondola at a public hearing on Tuesday (Nov. 8). If it goes ahead, the cable tram would travel 2,700 feet up to a ridge below Mount Habrich.
Squamish Nation chief, council and elders have given the project the thumbs up because it runs between two sacred locations the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls rather than up to them, Harry told council. Squamish Nation hopes to work with the project's proponent, GroundEffects, to include nation's members in the anticipated 20 to 50 full-time staff positions, he said.
Harry said he expects the gondola would see similar results as the Squamish Nation's Chances gaming centre.
"It was like sending a net across the highway," he said. "I think the Sea to Sky Gondola will do that. People will stop."
The meeting drew some big names, such as Olympian Tami Bradley. Bradley, who was Canada's top female moguls skier from 1998 to 2000, said Squamish is competing for traffic with two amazing locations Whistler and Vancouver. The Sea to Sky Gondola proposal, which includes retail space, a café and interactive theatre at the top of the lift, is what Squamish needs to put it on the map, she said.
Sea to Sky Adventure Co. owner Jeff Levine told council clients often ask him what they can do in Squamish for the couple of hours before heading to their hotels in Whistler. The project will provide him with an answer, he said.
"We have often talked about Squamish being a destination," Levine said. "I don't think it is there yet, but it has potential."
Noting she was drowning in a sea of support, Marion von Dehn said she had come to speak on behalf of the wildlife. While the gondola will open up the backcountry to skiers, hikers and bikers, von Dehn questioned how GroundEffects proposes to mitigate human and wildlife conflicts. GroundEffects estimates the gondola will draw up 300,000 visitors annually. Those people will be entering pristine forest, von Dehn said.
"I believe that this gondola is a death sentence to wildlife up there," she said.
The Stawamus Chief is already a destination spot, Squamish resident Peter Harker said. The project has the potential to draw foot traffic from downtown, he said.
"I would be more inclined to support a project like this if it is not the usual highway project," he said.
Council watchdog Terrill Patterson asked why the District of Squamish was not demanding a community amenity contribution from the proponent as it does with other developments. Patterson said he wasn't for or against the project but added that council's inconsistency won't sit particularly well with future developers.
"There's one standard for one developer that you happen to like and another criteria for another developer that you don't like," he said.
With the public hearing on the rezoning and Official Community Plan amendment needed to allow the gondola's base on the 6.17-acre former gravel pit closed, the bylaws will go to third reading at council on Tuesday (Nov. 15).
Rezoning is a key step for the project, said David Greenfield, principal of GroundEffects. The gondola also needs approval from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, B.C. Parks and other provincial agencies, all of which are watching Squamish's council's response closely, he said.
"The Sea to Sky Gondola isn't the only answer we see for the future of Squamish, but it is an important one," Greenfield said.
