In life, we learn that planning is everything.
In municipalities, the planning department is meant to lead your community into the future. Those decisions and enforcements come through zoning and bylaws that set the path for the economic and social wellness of the community.
As a former city councillor and an economic development professional, I can say this; that ‘future’ and ‘innovation’ are concepts that have been elusive in this municipal political term.
In a time when we know that diversity of opinion matters, decision making has neglected the opinion of the community and seems to be driven by personal interests: Developers who lobby and promise public art and spaces, while not even delivering on basic infrastructure. Land-use decisions are being sent to studies but rarely integrated into modern, evidence-informed decision making. This has become evident in the amount of density and the lack of economic development or traffic planning.
Long ago, one of our more forward-thinking civic politicians, Mayor Egon Tobus, proposed moving downtown to the flat, stable centre of our town which is now known as the “Business Park”. Instead, we built high-density on an estuary, where dykes and earthquake protection all challenge the municipal budget. The Business Park is in the centre of our community.
It has active transportation options, but limited bus service. The businesses that opened in the Business Park include many of the craft, localized businesses for which Squamish has become renowned.
Business park development and zoning have been a massive blunder.
The flip-flop decision making based on personal biases has led to confusion and a lack of ability to plan for business development or expansion of existing, economically viable businesses. Committees for economic development have made recommendations that have been adopted but not funded.
The Economic Leadership Team is the next committee to discuss change, however no budget line has been allocated to adopt recommendations. Public hearings that have clearly asked for zoning to be innovated have been ignored, and land use has been further restricted instead of modernized.
Allowing gyms, breweries, bikes and craft businesses led to an influx of novel, viable and locally built economic development. Council changed zoning and removed the use of the park for these uses at the start of the new term and only now are asking the public (who already went through public hearings on this zoning change) to say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ again.
The flipping of zoning decisions: Yes, you can have a gym; no, you cannot. Yes, you can have a brewery; no, you cannot. Yes bikes, no bikes. Storage yes, storage no. Finally, no gyms, no breweries; yes automotive and industrial. Not Squamish, not innovative economy, not forward thinking and not local economic development.
The amount of giveaway with tax incentivized land for development, not just in the Business Park but the Oceanfront, has been disappointing and unfair to the residents of Squamish. Giving away our land for no taxes and bowing to developers’ demand for a free ride leaves our community in a debt of infrastructure and services.
There is no land trust, no place to grow our healthcare facilities, no land left to centralize parking as we build high density. Our entire economy is now based on residential development which is unsustainable.
Squamish economic development has been recently described as “enough until 2032”. Previous studies say we do not have enough. We have become a service industry to tourism that is no longer as viable or sustainable with global pandemic conditions. Climate emergency also asks travellers to stay home.
The two are ideologically opposed.
Much of our community now commutes to work, either virtually or by car. This is not the beautiful, sustainable community we were promised, but a place where service jobs at minimum wage are difficult to fill, and higher wage jobs are only obtained by leaving the community.
All this development but no funding to grow Brenan Park or build arts spaces. Squamish does not have a single place for musicians to gather and play. Congestion and high density residential with no economic development space threatens to disrupt the bucolic and eclectic nature of Squamish that drew many of us here. Diversifying employment and growing space for local economic development can still be baked into a good plan.
Please take the time to comment on the new zoning bylaw update for Squamish here;
https://ca.surveygizmo.com/s3/50078157/District-of-Squamish-Zoning-Bylaw-Update-Survey
Susan Chapelle has been a two-term councillor at the District of Squamish.
Rob says
Chapelle for Mayor next term for all you uneducated newcomers to this town.
francine lessard says
Susan you have with this article describing the gross mismanaged planning of this town that 20years ago had potential to be reinvented into a spectacular destination with a vibrant economy of its own has sadly just stayed what it was know for when I moved here 30 years ago a “bedroom community ” serving the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Such disappointment on the lips of so many residents.
A missmash of architecture a brick a brack of sad infrastructure and delapitated schools.
Uninformed municipality that have ignored studies and have destroyed the vision that now is only in our dreams for the one who work run businesses and reside here full time.
Decision made only for the benefit of tourist and residential developments is not sustainable.
Susan you well described our condition you had your time on council you have been on the inside maybe you have a prescription?
Whats the prognosis with all that is happening how long do we have to turn this around.
Maybe you will run again maybe not but we all know that we need a counsel that loves people not fight the people and make decisions for the people.
Otherwise we will remain “the town of sidewalks to nowhere”.