Editor’s note: This a letter to Squamish’s mayor and council. It was copied to the Squamish Chief for publication.
The community had an opportunity to comment June 24 on the proposed Kingswood development. Traffic concerns are a major concern, with not only residents of the development being injected onto Scott/Clarke, but also vehicles and trucks of service providers and customers of the development’s retail and food-service tenants, as well as residents’ guests. What traffic projections were made for a Saturday/Sunday? Kingswood has dangled a juicy $500K-plus amenities package to “improve” the neighborhood, including the widening of Clarke Drive to accommodate another bike lane; this amid residents’ safety concerns.
The “against” speakers spoke passionately and emotionally about traffic concerns and the impact to their quality of life. The “for” speakers were largely those with self-serving interests, made up of construction companies and providers to the construction industry, who will benefit financially if this project is approved, and who mostly do not live in the directly affected neighborhood. When all is said and done, if the project is approved, these people will take their slice of the Kingswood pie and return to their safe neighborhoods: in the Highlands, Upper Hospital Hill, Whistler, and other places, while the residents of Clarke Drive, Hospital Place and Scott Crescent will be left to deal with safety issues, traffic, noise, pollution, and yes, a diminished quality of life and perhaps lower property values.
I urge mayor and council to reject this development based on poorly designed traffic plans. I also urge you to walk Clarke/Scott/Behrner, as many of us do every day: With no sidewalks, a “traffic calming” island will not ensure safety for pedestrians. I also urge you to observe the current traffic flow and envision the traffic bottleneck that will occur as residents from Hospital Hill/Valleycliffe/Clarke Drive and users of Squamish General Hospital, all converge at Clarke and Highway 99.
Carol Watts
Squamish (Hospital Hill)
