Protect existing industrial land’s conversion to residential use, create a new zoning for purpose-built innovation space for green and tech sector, and a new media district to develop the adventure media target.
These are some guiding principles recommended in a recent report by a district-hired consultant, Sean Grant. The ideas are part of a Guiding Principles for Employment Space Development report that was presented to the council last month.
The report calls upon the District to encourage economic diversity and actively plan for employment space in the community.
Protect existing employment lands from conversion to residential use, which the reports suggests can be done through neighbourhood planning.
“Squamish faces a significant threat of demand spillover – including the conversion of employment lands to residential use – which would result in a progressive removal of higher-order economic activities,” the report says.
The report suggests the District protect existing retail lands from conversion to residential use and protect employment lands by restricting retail to established retail areas, the mixed-use developments in the districts and the Downtown, and to neighbourhood nodes.
This threat of conversion to lower-order uses was recognized as an ongoing issue in the OCP, especially in regards to residential spillover reducing the availably of industrial lands, though the report notes there is sufficient land available to supply employment space demand uses for the next two decades.
The District should also enable the development of a mixed-use downtown and should encourage pedestrian-oriented main street retail as well as dedicated office buildings in downtown.
The District says ensuring an increased supply of employment space is a strategic priority, and adequate business space means that local businesses may expand, and new firms may locate in Squamish, translating into more local jobs for the residents.
