A developer’s offer for an adventure hub for an eco-toilet has yet to be approved by the council, but it has already been rejected if the feedback by the community is anything to go by.
As part of its Skyridge rezoning, Diamond Head Development agreed to install an eco-toilet along one of the trails in the north-east corner of the development for $25,000. But the developer is now offering part of those funds towards a bike hub at the bottom of Dowad Drive that would consist of a bike wash station, bike racks, and perhaps tools or landscaping.
District of Squamish has heard from several people who are concerned the proposal will create more traffic and parking issues for the residents.
A local resident, Christine Nijman, said such a hub should remain up the hill where the Sky Ridge development is. “It is part of their development and should stay on their site of development. If suddenly the owners who purchased in the Sky Ridge development do not wish it to be up there then I do not think it should go ahead at all. If they wanted it should be up in their locations not impacting all of our end of Tantalus road,” she wrote.
“Please consider moving the proposed bike hub and washroom facilities elsewhere, away from Tantalus and Dowad Road. On street parking will surely be impacted due to the fact that people own one or more vehicles, and as we speak there is another condo being built on Dowad and Tantalus which is sure to cause even more parking problems,” said resident Daniel Bunimovich.
Hannah Goodwin, another resident, expressed her shock at the proposal to create such a hub at the bottom of Dowad Drive and Tantalus Road. “The original proposal was to locate the facilities up on Skyridge, and this where is should remain, regardless to whether the residents of Skyridge and the school now don’t want them located there. Those of us living on Rockridge, Dowad and Tantalus should not have to deal with the “sh*t show” that the corner of Dowad and Tantalus will become, we already have to deal with the extra traffic and speeding vehicles coming from Skyridge.
Shauna and Bruce McClements said all the recent changes are forcing them to consider moving out of town after living here for the last 33 years.
“We are presently watching a brand new development being built right across from this proposed site (as I type this) which by itself will require more parking use on Tantalus road. Now on top of this you are proposing another hub facility which will attract more recreational traffic and as well an unsightly toilet. This will devalue our property, not to mention as I said before, reduce the parking availability in front of our units. THE LACK OF PARKING IS ALREADY A PROBLEM!!!,” they say.
Another citizen Michael Knudesen writes: “I am writing as a property owner at The Galleries to express my disapproval of moving the proposed bike and washroom facility to the corner of Tantalus and Dowad drive as this would lead to an increase in vanlifers in the area and take away parking from not only residents but the businesses in the area, whereas there are no businesses at the top of the hill.”
Mike McKechnie also expressed his frustration with the idea: “And as for the idea that the bottom of the hill/end of the trail will be the only “good” site, get a grip! If you start where you park you’ll end where you park, no one is going to wine or complain about the 100 meters of blacktop to the actual bottom of the hill.”
Another citizen, Jill Young, said Tantalus road is already littered with overnight campers throughout the summer and such a facility would only attract more to the area. “As much as we like to think a washroom facility keeps things cleaner, it instead encourages traffic, garbage and further limits the parking that home owners like myself already have limited access too.”
David Lassmann says
It makes sense to me that a facility like this hub should be located where it would best for the users. Issues about local parking can be resolved by reserving parking for residents.
There are many parking issues in Squamish that are a direct result of poor District of Squamish policies and planning. For example, Walmart has had to put restrictions on their parking lot because events take place at Brennan Park where the parking is too limited. Developnents have been permitted downtown without requiring the projects to include adequate parking.
Perhaps the District thinks that private cars will soon be a thing of the past, but I don’t expect to see it in my lifetime.