As we head into the New Year it’s time to shine the spotlight on some of the District’s major bucket list considerations.
The protracted oceanfront development project is finally underway and the priority will be to ensure management stays on task and on schedule. That lucrative property was sold by the District to Newport Beach Development for $15 million, a promised $10 million park, other amenities and a public art contribution of $150,000. A lot of folks in town are still scratching their heads, if not pulling their hair out, over how the proponents wangled such a sweetheart deal.
Controversial developer Doug Day has submitted plans for two purpose-built rental housing towers downtown, reaching 12 and 17 storeys respectively. The elephant in the room for council is whether this community is ready to take the high-rise leap.
After years of intense deliberation and public consultation, the final draft of the Official Community Plan has been released. Instead of the fuzzy, feel-good rhetoric that beset sections of the previous OCP, the newest version presents a more realistic set of initiatives. The big test will be to transform that ambitious agenda into action.
On another front, the downtown makeover is taking shape. Parts of Cleveland Avenue are being transformed from an eyesore to eye candy. New commercial ventures are thriving and some operations are even expanding. Former Squamish Downtown Business Improvement Association president, Eric Armour, says cash flow is good and shops are bustling. He adds that the District needs “to stay creative and aggressive in their economic development portfolio, keep it active and working… and lower taxes.”
It appears new business licences are being minted at a break-neck clip. That being said, to get a more accurate picture of the commercial landscape, a system should be installed to track the longevity of those start-ups three to five years down the road.
One of the goals stated in the District’s 2016 Annual Report is to maximize the use of municipal-owned lands. The sale of some of those properties will no doubt provide a cash infusion for muni coffers and fodder for more runaway high-end development in the hothouse real estate market. But the priority should be a robust expansion of affordable housing and employment lands.
If handled correctly, council’s pending crackdown on illegal short-term rentals will level the accommodations playing field by monitoring and taxing Airbnb locations the same way hotels are regulated. Still, controlling short-term rentals is a mere drop in the housing shortage bucket. At the moment, District officials are working with BC Housing on two purpose-built rental buildings. And if council decides to establish a Squamish housing authority, that would go a long way toward providing a supply of reasonably priced rental units.
In any event, if we keep the above smorgasbord of possibilities in mind, it will be interesting to see what happens to the Squamish bubble in the new year.
