EDITOR,
You know that Squamish expectations have come down by a quantum leap since the pre-Olympic heydays when now even the normally outspoken Helmut Manzl writes in his column about this town "being on a roll." The topics giving ground for his exuberance are all encouraging and speak of competence, but to call what should be regarded as normal business "being on a roll"?
On the topic of the marketing of the 64-acre Oceanfront development, it has to compete with several other large parcels, some with all approvals already in place. The largest is the 53-acre Waterfront Landing, followed by the 14-acre Ocean Gateway and Mireau, then the 1.77-acre parcel at the entrance of the SODC lands and sundry other properties. Add to this various half-finished projects in downtown, either languishing in limbo and waiting for better times or being on life support by receivers, and you get the picture of what competition SODC faces. All of it combined covers an area larger than the entire existing downtown.
If this glut of undeveloped and unsold real estate in the core is not already enough cause for concern, the scene played out before this background does not inspire confidence either. The revolving door of senior staff at Muni Hall, all shrouded in secrecy, cannot be comforting to developers or investors, most of whom put a high value on stability, transparency and certainty.
Transparency? What about the stonewalling regarding the recent request made by our online newspaper, The Squamish Reporter, to SODC under the Freedom of Information Act about consulting costs accumulated by SODC to date? You can read the details in the Reporter, but suffice it to say that the district corporation's hurdles are set high enough to discourage but the most intrepid investigator from pursuing it further. Why all the "cloak and dagger" stuff here, too? Doesn't the ultimate paymaster, the long suffering and incredibly patient Squamish taxpayer deserve more openness?
Thank God indeed for Quest University, the beacon up in the Highlands shining ever more brightly and proclaiming what the future of Squamish could one day be: A youngish, vibrant community, some folks still commuting no doubt, but increasingly being part of a sophisticated 21st-century, knowledge-based service economy, and I am not referring to entry-level service jobs here. In short, a Squamish transformed from the old "brawn"-based industrial economy to a nimble new one based on "brain." But to get there, we have to promote this town aggressively and consistently as a much better place to make one's home rather than in the Lower Mainland, something I already pointed out in a letter a few months ago ("Embracing the future," Chief, July 29, 2011).
Once we begin to experience a surge of newcomers with a corresponding increase in real estate absorption rates, the launching or arrival of new businesses and a reinvigorated downtown bustling not only during the Farmers' Market, the shout "This town is on a roll" will be justified. At the moment all I see rolling in Squamish, and with disturbing frequency, are heads at Muni Hall.
Wolfgang Wittenburg
Squamish
