Squamish is the heart of Sea to Sky country. Multiple provincial parks, a municipal climbing park, a gondola, and an extensive network of mountain trails attract visitors and new residents to our corner of the world every day to experience the land.
Currently, we do not benefit from the same level of access and recreation assets when it comes to our waterfront. But significant changes will be taking place in the next few years.
The redevelopment of the Newport Beach Squamish oceanfront lands will see the construction of a large waterfront park, beach and a public multi-use pathway around the entire perimeter of the property. The Waterfront Landing development on the east shore of the Mamquam Blind Channel will have a significant public plaza and public uses along its shores plus a pedestrian bridge that will connect this new neighbourhood directly with downtown. Further up the channel, the Kingswood Scott Crescent development will have a pedestrian bridge across the Blind Channel that will offer a safer and more direct route to school for students travelling from Valleycliffe/Hospital Hill to Howe Sound Secondary and other adjacent schools. Common amongst all of these proposals is an enhanced public space that opens up the waterfront for a wide variety of public uses.
Another significant parcel of oceanfront land within the District is the land near Darrell Bay. The existing ferry dock is held by the province as an integral piece of infrastructure for emergency transportation needs. An array of proposals have been brought forward to transform the adjacent lands and improve public access to the waterfront. Recreation and tourism proposals envision public docks with a kayak launch and water taxi service to downtown Squamish. A proposal by Woodfibre LNG envisions an intermodal transportation hub with bus parking and other on-shore infrastructure for the construction phase of their project.
Difficult decisions will need to be made to balance competing interests. In my view, the guiding principles for decisions about the future of this area should focus on public access for a wide variety of user groups; locals, tourists, outdoor enthusiasts, sightseers. We must be careful that the lands not be tied for the exclusive use of one entity as Woodfibre LNG has proposed. It is very important that all groups work together to an arrangement that sets our community up for long-term success that fully utilizes our waterfront resources.
