The District of Squamish has received a rezoning application change the zoning of the BCR Triangle area on the Oceanfront Peninsula from industrial use to housing, commercial space, and civic facilities. The three parcels of land are commonly referred to as the ‘BCR Triangle’.
The applicant, Newport Beach Developments LP, is seeking to rezone three parcels currently zoned Industrial to align with the Oceanfront Peninsula Sub Area Plan. The new zones would support residential, waterfront residential, and civic uses.
The proposal includes a reduction in parking requirements across the Oceanfront lands, including shared parking in mixed-use buildings and reduced visitor parking in residential-only buildings.
“A reduction of parking can be a contentious issue, as illustrated in our Downtown. However, in Downtown Squamish, there are significant constraints including no potential for underground parkades, commercial parking buyouts, allowable reduction of parking space sizing to 100% ‘small car’ and legacy commercial buildings that were constructed with little to no parking other than street parking. This will not be the case for the Oceanfront lands,” the developer write.
“We will be providing ample street parking (current estimates are the site will provide over 350 on-street parking spaces). In addition, many of the sites will have parkades which will be located ‘underground’ as the site will be raised across its entirety to future flood construction levels. The development is designed as an extension of downtown that will promote walkability and bikeability, and will
carry the densities necessary to have access to frequent public transit.”
The developer has also proposed removing short-term rental use from certain portions of the development. This, the applicant notes, “should assuage District concerns over long-term housing on the site.”
The developer is offering $2.29 million in cash and 47,630 square feet of affordable housing. The applicant is also requesting a land exchange involving a small district-owned right-of-way in return for a larger water-lot area to support future parkland. The district will now review the application and present it to the council for consideration. Public engagement opportunities will follow as part of the rezoning process.
Given that that parcel is in the estuary it probably shouldn’t be used for industry. The main issue for the District of Squamish is finding the funding for services needed by residential development.