Kingswood Developments’ proposals for the land next to the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel could probably win some sort of award for the most failed attempts to pass muster with the District of Squamish.
After having received third reading in late 2006 on a plan to develop 1.5 hectares into the 216-unit Red Point project, the developers actually took it to market — and as a testimony to the unbridled optimism of the pre-Olympics, pre-2008 recession period, the first 118 of the units sold out in a day.
That was before a condition attached to third reading — that the DOS and B.C. Ministry of Transportation sign off on an acceptable traffic plan — rose up to bite the proponents. After residents voiced concern about impacts on nearby neighbourhoods, the council of the day voted to rescind third reading and defer further approvals until after the DOS could complete a land-use study for the area between the Blind Channel and Hospital Hill.
After that 4-3 vote on Dec. 4, 2007, Kingswood president Lorne Segal famously said, “I had no idea it would be so difficult.”
The complexities were just beginning, though. The developers attempted to present a revised traffic plan that was also rejected. A month later, a plan that would have seen part of the area used for temporary housing for Games workers also ran into problems. In 2009, the developer’s plans for an RV park on the site also fell flat over the lack of proper screening from Highway 99.
You’ve got to admire Kingswood’s persistence. After so many iterations — the current plan calls for 425 residential units on a 3.4-hectare parcel — approval would be just reward for having taken those earlier defeats in stride and waited patiently for the DOS to complete its land-use study.
The decision facing the current council, though, isn’t exactly a slam dunk. On one hand, you’ve got the lion’s share of residents living along the streets that would need to be upgraded saying it’ll compromise their peace and quiet, property values and perhaps their safety; on the other, there’s a need to settle the fate of a high-visibility piece of property at the entrance to town.
Builders and realtors who spoke at the June 24 public hearing may have a point in saying it would boost their respective industries. But any project of similar size would do that. The key question facing council is: Is this the right development for this site?
— David Burke
