Just over two years since District of Squamish councillors approved a rezoning for 1001 Finch Drive, they have now issued a development permit for one of two mixed-use buildings.
The majority of council members who attended the regular council meeting on April 15 voted to support a DP for Phase 1 of the development, which would provide a 100-space child care facility and 44 market rental units.
According to the report to council, a total of “11 shared visitor/commercial spaces are proposed and a total of 65 residential spaces are proposed,” for the building.
District community development planner Aja Philp said that the child care facility, located on the ground floor of the four-storey building, would be the new home for the Squamish Montessori School.
The school is currently operating on the site out of two portables that were approved in 2021. It will continue to operate amidst the construction of the building.
Through Phase 1, a publicly accessible park fronting Finch Drive is also proposed.
“The park has one covered picnic table and one uncovered table and kids natural play elements,” Philp said.
As part of the earlier rezoning, two on-site publicly accessible parks were secured for the development connected via a trail—all of which were to be provided prior to occupancy of building one.
But in order to expedite the construction of the new rental units and additional child care services, the developers requested an amendment to push back the timing of the second park.
“Staff are supporting the proposal to move construction of the second park at the rear of the site and the trail connecting the parks to the second phase of the development,” Philp said.
Building 2 is proposed to house a commercial unit on the ground floor and 45 hotel units over the three storeys above.
Council comments
Three out of the four councillors who attended the meeting were supportive of pushing back the timeline of the second park if it meant securing a quicker build for the community.
“I think that showing some level of flexibility in the timing of delivery of amenities and in ways that still ensure that any development delivers for the community … feels very appropriate,” Mayor Armand Hurford said.
“I'm happy to see the child care included in the phase that's moving forward first, and given that there isn't an immediate need for the trail connection, I'm happy with the adjustment.”
Coun. Jenna Stoner was also supportive of issuing the development permit, so long as the second building would still come to fruition in the future.
“I don't think that we're actually making that many changes to the land development agreement. We are shifting the delivery of a park and a trail to a later phase, and still hoping that that phase comes to fruition,” she said.
“I think the delivery of the 44 market rental units, along with the child care space, is extremely valuable to our community, and it still delivers on a lot of the components that we had talked about in terms of having one park and some open space and improving the crosswalk across Loggers Lane.
“I would just hope that over due course of time, that the second building will also come to fruition and deliver on the employment space that we also know that we need and want in community.
“But I'm not willing to hold up the 44 market rental units and the child care space in order to do that.”
Coun. John French also echoed his colleagues' sentiments.
“The bottom line for me is we need these daycare spaces, and we need these apartments, and we need them as soon as we can get them,” he said.
“And if we were to do something other than what we've got in front of us, we would probably force the developer to put a for sale sign on it, and then, who knows when we see something developed on that property.”
Only Coun. Chris Pettingill opposed the motions on the table for the development, citing FortisBC as one of his reasons.
“I’m really torn here, you know, if it were not for the pipeline, there are some questions about whether we are relaxing too many things in the land development agreement, but then maybe that has the opposite effect, if we don't want it to go ahead, because there's the pipeline there,” he said.
“So I'm really spinning my wheels a little bit here at the moment.”
The Eagle Mountain to Woodfibre LNG gas pipeline is being installed along Finch Drive and Industrial Way, by FortisBC.
Council supported authorizing the DP for Building 1 and giving the Land Development Agreement first, second and third readings. Coun. Pettingill opposed the motions.
Looking ahead, a spokesperson for the District of Squamish said that the developers will need to apply for a development permit for the second building when the time comes for construction.
For more information on the development, visit the District of Squamish website.
