By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: May 12, 2012
Squamish Subdivision and Control Bylaw is a big, dense, and a highly technical document that most resident won’t have the time or inclination to read.
It’s an important document, nevertheless, one that sets servicing standards for developers, and shapes the way our community is developed.
The bylaw guides the developers on servicing standards for sewers, storm water management, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes and such.
Given the esoteric nature of the subject, district engineer Jenni Chancey wasn’t expecting a packed room of people curious to know about the proposed changes to the bylaw.
After she waited for an hour, two people showed up.
Eric Andersen and Krisztina Egyed were the only Squamish residents to show up at the meeting to know more about the changes.
The bylaw is being revised eight years after it was first passed. It’s being upgraded to make it innovative and developer friendly.
But it’s also being retailored to the outdoor recreation needs and the changing demographics of Squamish, Chancey said.
“So, there is a scope for more sidewalks because of young families, and more bike lanes,” she said.
The bylaw is soon expected to come before the council for adoption. Chancey said the old bylaw had a number of idiosyncrasies that led to developers asking for repeated variances.
The revised bylaw would remove some of those inconsistencies, creating a clear standard for what developers need to do when developing a subdivision.
The bylaw mulls some progressive changes with new developments. For example, developers are required to put bicycle lanes and bicycle routes on any new road cross section.
The revision also sets new standards for storm water management including new rain gardens instead of just concrete sidewalks.
“Instead of a hard surface, we can have a nice landscaped rain garden. You get less absorption and it’s aesthetically pleasing,” she
said.
The bylaw has improved hillside development standards for building on steep areas of Squamish.
They now remain the same for all areas, irrespective of whether the development is going on Garibaldi Highlands or downtown.
The new bylaw would also give developers the option to present design standards that exceed the requirements of the bylaw.
“We are hoping this will make things better for the district, the developers, and Squamish,”
