COLUMN: Choosing our future

The 2016 census results are in. 

A total of 19,893 people now call Squamish home, making us one of the fastest growing municipalities in British Columbia, along with Langley and Langford. 

The rapid transformation that has accelerated over the past three years is clearly visible in every part of Squamish. 

This rapid change has rightly elicited concerns in the community about the potential negative impacts ranging from traffic congestion to runaway housing prices and the general erosion of quality of life in our community.  

We face a key moment in our history that will define the character of our town for a generation.  

The good news is that we have the opportunity to set the course by making smart decisions to shape future growth in a manner that protects the assets we value while welcoming new residents and businesses to our community.  

The primary question before us is: do we want to be a suburban outpost of the Metro Vancouver or can we choose a different future?  

In my view we can choose a different future; one that preserves access to nature that abounds our community and makes walking and transit more convenient. 

To do so we must be innovative and use our existing urbanized land-base in a manner that is more efficient than a traditional suburb.  

Does this mean we need to live in high-rise towers without access to a yard? 

Absolutely not.  

There is a sweet spot in between the two extremes of density that is much more attractive and includes single family homes, duplexes, row houses and low-rise condominiums with ample greenspace and privacy. 

We know that communities of this character offer something for every family size and stage of life. They require less use of personal automobiles because they are walkable and can be efficiently served by transit. 

They are also more affordable and less susceptible to outside speculative investment that drives up prices for everyone. 

Moreover these building types use energy more efficiently and offer a key opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint.  

We are seeing increasing interest from Metro Vancouver developers in our town and it is incumbent upon council to ensure that we only support developments that meet our values and expectations. 

Projects that compromise these values should be rejected and sent back to the drawing board.  

Better design guidelines, better community amenity contributions and growth boundaries are all essential to achieving a higher quality of development that does not overtax our infrastructure or sprawl over the natural environment.  

An assertive approach on these issues is within our reach; the choice is ours.