Recently, I attended a seminar by Vancouver architect Michael Geller. His talk was based on travels through Europe, examining differences in land use and accommodating increasing populations. As our population is expected to double by 2031, density in Squamish has been a difficult adjustment. Our Official Community Plan is out of date and District of Squamish staff have been working to modernize our zoning bylaws. We have been spot zoning individual developments in the absence of comprehensive planning.
I have been an advocate for a Healthy Community Index, and council has been supportive of integrating principles: healthy built environment, housing spectrum, healthy transport, climate, safety, exposure to noise and pollution, creativity and livability. Density is a principle that fits into these paradigms if it is done with thought and proper planning. “Spot zoning” does not create the same values, and means uncertainty for both the developer and community. Amendments to accommodate individual developments break our planning process, and often invites poor decision making. In a housing crisis we need housing stock. Dangled in front of us are small community amenity contributions in trade for generic townhomes, often using up essential employment lands.
In Squamish, as in most of North America, our communities are built around automobile infrastructure. Until we have robust, affordable public transportation options, including regional transit, we will remain an auto-oriented community. This means accommodating parking while planning for solutions. In Europe, the high cost of energy and taxation requires living in walkable urban centres. Housing destroyed during wars was rebuilt with purpose, and mid-rise mixed-income apartments have maintained the integrity of neighbourhoods while addressing social and economic equity. In Squamish, a town constrained by mountains and water, pre-zoned neighbourhood plans could ensure that community values are upheld. Decisions on how we build our density are consequential. If we continue to allow single-family homes to be bought up and spot-zoned for the same type of housing without mixing type and form, we will look back and wonder why we didn’t take the time to imagine the future. Squamish will be made up of named compounds instead of neighbourhoods. Those compounds, built in isolation of a neighbourhood plan, will struggle with connectivity and will not have adequate parking infrastructure or access to services. We need to slow down in the absence of a comprehensive community plan. We need to listen to the public, and not just ask where they want bike lanes, but how they want their neighbourhoods to look and feel. There is a need to vary our built environment, and ensure that the current free-for-all in development is addressing community needs for affordability, mobility and economy.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
