The Cheekeye Fan development passed first and second reading quickly on Tuesday night by council.
These readings were for Official Community Plan amendments that would allow the project to proceed.
A public hearing has been scheduled at the Brennan Park Recreation Centre at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26.***
The development area is 170 acres adjacent to Ross and Government roads in Brackendale.
This project is being spearheaded by Sqomish Sea to Sky Developments, which is a partnership between the Squamish Nation and Squamish Cornerstone Developments.
The current iteration would include 1,215 units – 537 would be single-family units and 678 would be multi-unit dwellings.
Of those, 85 units would be purpose-built affordable and an additional 85 would be market rental housing.
There is also space for commercial use and a new school.
The entire development is located in a debris hazard flow area and would require an expensive barrier to protect homes and the people living in them.
“We will have a comprehensive report on the history of the whole process,
the discussions we’ve had at the committee level on operation and funding, and that all will be coming back at the public hearing,” said Jonas Velaniskis, director of community planning.
“Following recent discussions with council regarding the current level of exposure for existing development on the Cheekeye Fan, and options for cost sharing the operation, maintenance
and reserve building associated with the Cheekeye Fan hazard mitigation, staff will be bringing more detailed information for public consideration when and if the public hearing occurs,” reads the report to council on Tuesday.
While the developer has agreed to cover the estimated $45 million cost of constructing the barrier, it would still need to be maintained through taxation.
The District will also need to build up a financial reserve to clear debris in the event of a major flow.
The annual cost was estimated at $919,000, according to a “conceptual funding analysis” presented at committee on June 5.
That number could change if the barrier was eligible for provincial disaster financial assistance.
Council will need to determine how much of that tax burden will be applied to all residents through general taxation or if a local service area will be created so affected residents will pay a larger share.
At committee earlier this month, staff pointed out that the barrier will protect more than just the residents of the new Cheekeye development – along with other homes in Brackendale, it would also protect important infrastructure like Highway 99.
The upcoming June 26 session will not be the first time this development has gone to a public hearing.
Previously, OCP amendments allowing this project to go forward were given first reading in March 2015 and second reading in February 2016.
A public hearing was then held on the matter in January 2017.
Following that hearing, the District received new information related to those amendments, which necessitated holding another hearing, according to an information report presented to council.
The adoption of the new Squamish 2040 Official Community Plan this month also meant council had to reintroduce bylaw amendments for this project and once again give two readings in order for a public hearing to happen.
**Please note, this story has been updated since it was first posted. The first version had an incorrect date for the public hearing.
