District of Squamish staff is seeking council endorsement to build a dike in Downtown Squamish at the Xwu’nekw Park along the Mamquam Blind Channel.
The council approval would mean staff going ahead with a detailed design concept for a steel sheet pile dike with a vertical face on the water-side.
The name ‘Xwu’nekw’ means ‘where large canoes are beached’ in Squamish language. In 1890 the first steam boat dock, hotel and trading post known as Mashiter’s Landing was built immediately north of Xwu’nekw Park.
In 1913 Pacific Great Eastern Railway established shops, offices and a railway station on the site which remained for several decades. The site was also used as a railway log dumping site during that time. From 1974 to 1999 the Royal Hudson used the site as a terminal station for a steam train, according to a staff report.
The District acquired Xwu’nekw Park in 2014 and the land is being used as Xwu’nekw Canoe Shelter site as well for Squamish Paddling Club Storage and open space uses such as slack lines.
The existing shoreline is a mix of decaying timber crib walls, substandard rip-rap (angular rock) and vegetated, eroding shoreline. The district is seeking to sign a MOU with neighbouring developers such as Sirocco and Waterfront Landing to work together and coordinate the designs of the sea dike, future ramps and docks and pedestrian bridge.
DOS staff will also investigate and incorporate future water access from the Xwu’nekw Park. This could entail allowing the Sirocco development to build a ramp and dock for their development.
Jim says
Great idea. But how about the rest of the shoreline to the South. If there is no plan for the entire shoreline it isn’t realistic.