A rezoning application for a building on Buckley Avenue was unanimously defeated by council during first reading at their regular meeting on April 2.
The application sought to introduce a mixed-use rezoning application for the building at 38482 Buckley Avenue. It would allow the owner’s proposed alterations to the structure to proceed.
The building is home to residential units as well as two stores, the convenience store Manila Shop and Go, and Van Mist Vapor Co., an e-cigarette store.
A staff report presented to council says the municipality had received a complaint regarding possible “life safety issues.”
“The building department confirmed that two unpermitted suites were present and proceeded to place a ‘Do Not Occupy’ notice on the property,” the report says.
“There are significant challenges with the building that were identified in 2014, when we were first on site,” said building inspector Chad William during council’s meeting.
“Is it possible to do the necessary upgrades? Certainly, but the extent of the upgrades we don’t yet know. They are significant, and that is why we recommended putting a notice on title in 2014. And nothing has changed since that time.”
Councillors voted down the application, saying that non-compliance and life safety were concerns.
“I think this is a classic example of how not to build,” said Coun. John French. “We have rules. And we need to enforce those rules. And I think this is a good first step in righting some wrongs that took place in the past where we maybe didn’t apply the rules the way we should have.”
“I read the letters of support attached to this and it did highlight the need for rental accommodation in Squamish,” said Coun. Armand Hurford. “Life safety has to, for me, override, well, everything else.”
However, the proponents of the project disagreed with council’s decision.
Peter Padley, the architect working on behalf of the building owner, told The Chief that he recognized the non-compliance and life-safety issues.
“The building’s not in compliance — correct. And that’s what we’re trying to address; the non-compliant aspects of the building,” he said.
He said, however, red flags were only raised in the last few years, despite the building’s previous history of being inspected with no issue.
“There were no complaints, no issues raised by the District up until just recently,” said Padley. “That’s a problem.”
Rezoning the area would allow for the construction of a compliant building that would resolve the life-safety issues, but council has rejected that, he said.
Gurkirat Takhar, the owner of building, told The Chief he disagreed strongly with council’s decision.
He said he will be appealing the decision in the near future.
Takhar added he believed it was wrong that he wasn’t granted a chance to speak and defend his project during the April 2 council meeting.
