Sylvie Paillard
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The Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) has seen another resignation from its board following the collapse of a partnership with private development company Qualex-Landmark.
Vice-chair Rob MacLeod submitted his resignation from the SODC board on Monday (Nov. 13) due to personal and professional obligations and, most significantly, due to council's "lack of direction," he said in an interview with .
"They had agreed to follow the recommendations put forward and then they changed their minds, as far as I'm concerned, for no good reason," said Mac-Leod. "I think they made it a political interest instead of a what's in the best interest of the community decision."
MacLeod is still passionate about the subject, however.
"It's going to cost us a lot of money to do nothing," he said. "I know people want to see something go forward on this and I hope that people will communicate that to the elected representatives."
Board directors Tom Bruusgaard, Ted Prior and Dale Harry attended a council meeting Tuesday (Nov. 14) where SODC board chair Larry Murray announced that other resignation letters pending.
"It's recognizing the lack of confidence that the council has demonstrated," said Murray in a interview, adding that he is not among those thinking of resigning. "I am totally committed to ensuring that my board and staff are considered in this period of discontent."
The board is now composed of seven active members out of 12, including Mayor Ian Sutherland as an ex-officio member, said Murray.
Larry also presented six options and costs for Oceanfront development to council on Tuesday (Nov. 14), running the gamut from doing nothing with the land, to selling it as-is, to developing it.
"The task now at hand is to continue developing a masterplan," states an SODC report.
In addition to the cost-to-date of $1.6 million, the SODC estimates the cost of doing nothing with the land at $461,815 annually, selling as-is at $3.1 million, process of rezoning at $3.8 million, selling after rezoning at $6.2 million, selling after phase one is subdivided at $16.2 million and selling after phase one is built at $30 million.
The Oceanfront remains a contentious issue with council members.
Council agreed before the meeting to remove from the agenda SODC recommendations that request council confirm its full support of the board and accept the costs and direction to complete the masterplan. But when the agenda appeared with recommendations still attached, Coun. Corinne Lonsdale put forward a motion to have them removed.
The motion passed unanimously.
Lonsdale went further, however, and added a second motion for the entire issue to be removed from the agenda.
"It's entirely inappropriate to have this on the agenda," she said, adding that council already agreed to continue discussions in January. "The community's a little bit raw on the subject. We all need to sit back and think a little bit about where we are and where we want to go."
Sutherland and councillors Patricia Heintzman, Mike Jenson, Raj Kahlon and Greg Gardner said they wanted the information and wanted to hear Murray's update.Murray said that the report came forward because the SODC "fully recognizes that one chapter has to close and another open".
