District of Squamish council members have once again turned their sights to the contentious land use plan for the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel.
District planner Jim Charlebois presented council with a proposal outlining the general scope and timeline for land use discussions at the Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday (Nov. 10).
Debate around the area's land use became heated in 2007 and 2008 in the midst of discussions on the contentious Redpoint development proposed for the area. Council of the day rejected the proposal, partly due to the developer's inability to come up with an adequate road network.
Land use discussions among area stakeholder proved unsuccessful, as noted by facilitator Catherine Rockandel of Rockandel & Associates.
"Stakeholders initially asserted the desirability for collaboration and the meeting concluded with an air of hopefulness," she stated in her report. "However, within days the weak commitment had begun to disintegrate as stakeholders asserted their positions."
In Oct. 2008, council decided the planning study should only resume after public hearings for the Official Community Plan (OCP) were completed and the Downtown Neighbourhood Plan (DNP) amending bylaw was adopted.
Charlebois said the district should start initiating the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel consultation process soon to fit the time constraints of another intended third-party consultant.
Charlebois said the land use project should also include a community consultation component to help rebuild trust between the community and the district's planning process, considering the history of previous meetings regarding the Blind Channel.
Coun. Doug Race asked for further clarification on when the community might expect the land use study to start. Charlebois said the district plans to host the public hearing portion of the OCP in early Jan. 2010.
Maayor Greg Gardner said he envisions this land use process to be very consultative in nature, but added unanimous community consensus is unrealistic.
"I don't see it as a 'try and reach consensus [issue]' because I don't think you normally achieve that in a land use plan. I worry about it because a with land use planning, at some point, council has to make a decision, and decisions very rarely make everyone happy."
Charlebois also added the planning department has received a petition from approximately 20 residents who are asking the district to encourage the development of a comprehensive plan for the Upper Blind Channel.
With councillors Patricia Heintzman and Paul Lalli absent, council unanimously endorsed a motion encouraging district staff to engage in consultation pending the development of a more detailed project timeframe as well as a terms of reference outline.
Council meetings to begin earlier
Councillors agreed that municipal council meetings will start at 6 p.m. rather than 7 p.m., and will run to 10 p.m. when necessary. If the meeting must run later than 11 p.m., council must unanimously pass a motion agreeing to stay longer.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale recommended the online bylaw include Internet links to the relevant Community Charter section or if in hardcopy version that an addition hardcopy of the referred section be provided.
Several other phrasing concerns were resolved before councillors unanimously approved the bylaw regarding the regulation of meeting of council.
911 beefed up for 2010
E-Comm 911 president and chief executive officer Ken Shymanski told council members Squamish residents can expect the same level of service they usually receive during the Olympic Games.
The 911 dispatch service is planning to have more staff to compensate for the expected increase in emergency calls. E-Comm is preparing their staff for a 30 per cent increase in emergency calls during the Winter Games due to the temporary increase in population.
"We've got no good call data from Salt Lake City or Turin," he said. "But wouldn't you rather we be prepared for the worst case, than not? And that's what we're doing."
Council considers realty association membership
Upon the request of the District of Squamish economic development standing committee, local real estate manager Neil Plumb presented council with information on the NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The organization focuses on responsible commercial real estate development and comprises of more than 18,000 members including owners, developers and other industry related experts.
Gardner said the membership may be of use since the district wants to explore commercial real estate development as outlined in the community vision and in the district Smart Growth plan.
Plumb suggested a few options for involvement in the North American-based organization, including becoming a member, sponsoring a networking NAIOP breakfast, or being the guest speaker at a NAIOP event. Sponsoring a breakfast costs between $2,500 and $5,000 and according to Plumb, but he doesn't think it will guarantee the district an opportunity to give a presentation.
With a price tag of $325 per person per year, becoming a member is relatively inexpensive, however networking might be tedious because it would be done on a one-to-one level, said Plumb. Speaking at a breakfast, on the other hand, is a very cost effective way to reach a wide audience without paying a hefty fee, he said.
Coun. Rob Kirkham said he doesn't think sponsorship is an option for the district because it wouldn't guarantee the municipality an opportunity to speak to all members.
"I think if we have our name in the queue for the presentation, that'll give us our biggest bang for our buck," Kirkham said.
Lonsdale suggested two district representatives from Squamish should attend each breakfast to give everyone an opportunity to network for the community.
Race said the district could use the guest speaker to promote current developments like the Oceanfront project.
Gardner recommended the district move ahead with becoming a NAIOP member as soon as possible as it would increase the municipality's chance of being asked to speak at such an engagement.
Councillors unanimously agreed the District of Squamish should become a NAIOP member.
Natural hazards reported
National Resources Canada representatives presented council with a final report on natural hazard and risk management in the municipality. After three-years of research by the federal agency, Earth Sciences Sector, the report outlined potential flood, earthquake and fire hazards in Squamish.
The agency plans to use the landmark project as a framework for establishing similar types of natural hazard and risk assessments in communities across the country.
Presenter Sonia Tawler said if communities know what types of hazards and risks are likely, communities can plan for them and mitigate the potential damage.
Murray Journeay, a research scientist with National Resources Canada said the project's research suggests Squamish is on the right track with risk and natural hazard management.
"This type of information can be extremely helpful in emergency planning. These are very effective scenarios indicating who will be impacted as well as what the community can expect in terms of damages and economic loses," he said.
"The implementation of the district's own development plan is an effective strategy for mitigating escalating trends in addition to the other strategies that you already have in place."
Councillors unanimously agreed to accept the report as a municipal resource.
