The latest version of the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation's game plan is now available for review.
So far our municipal council has gushed almost in unison over a document that, on the surface, appears to leave no stone of opportunity unturned on the former Nexen lands.
But with the initial excitement dying down, the Second Avenue Seven should be asking some serious questions about many of the pie-in-the-sky statements contained in the report.
This patch of reclaimed turf has been the subject of a relentless series of charettes, town hall meetings, informal discussions and on-line input opportunities.
Within a span of five years, the project has witnessed a rapid succession of short-term leadership, including Larry Murray, John Turner, Mike Chin and, most recently, Drew Stotesbury.
The Oceanfront sub-area plan announces that "at build-out, the Squamish Oceanfront will host over 2,200 full-time employees."
On the contrary, there are few real facts here folks. Instead, we are faced with mostly conjecture, speculation and the vividness of the imagination extending its horizons.
Like so many other unsupported assumptions in the plan, the exact number of jobs has yet to be determined.
And in a town where the accommodations trade is floundering, full credit goes to councillors Bryan Raiser and Patricia Heintzman for voicing concerns over the feasibility of a high end hotel on the site.
Planning director Cameron Chalmers assures us that the hotel concept was based on an "absolutely solid business case." Where is this bulletproof business case? Has council laid eyes on it yet?
According to the plan, the compelling Oceanfront lands should attract people who "live where they work, work at their play, play as they learn, all together."
Somehow, in what amounts to a kind of outdoor recreation version of Granville Island, the members of a highly motivated workforce, engaged in either work/play, or play/work, will gaze in awe at the landscape before them, with visions of mountain biking or wind surfing adventures dancing in their heads.
Are small manufacturers and retailers willing to set up shop in a dead end location when the downtown is already having problems retaining businesses because they are moving to the easily accessible commercial hubs along Highway 99?
Beyond the location hurdles, there are even more immediate financial concerns. One conservative estimate puts the final development tab for the project at the $100 million mark.
Meanwhile, the plan trots out a list of dubious financing options that will no doubt cause bankers to roll their eyes in disbelief.
Amidst this litany of fiscal fuzziness, what is glossed over is the need for very deep-pocketed developers who are willing to buy into a project they had little or no say in planning.
All of these challenges do not imply that this plan is completely meritless or unfeasible.
There is much potential here, and the people hired to present it have done so in a professional and timely fashion.
However, like so many recent proposals commissioned by muni hall, the Oceanfront sub area plan does not offer a balanced or realistic view of the business landscape and the operatives who inhabit it.
