A new rental housing development proposal is heading to the District of Squamish council for approval on May 5. The project, Phase 6 of the Waterfront Landing development east of the Mamquam Blind Channel, would add 234 rental apartments across two six-storey buildings.
Of those units, 25 are designated as affordable rental housing secured in perpetuity, meaning they cannot be converted to market-rate or strata housing down the line. Twenty-three units are designed to be accessible, including five that are both accessible and affordable.
The development, marketed under the SEAandSKY brand, sits west of Laurelwood Road and north of the protected bluff lands. The two buildings, labeled H and I in planning documents, would sit above a single level of underground parking with 254 stalls. The project also includes a publicly accessible dog park at the northwest corner of the site, a children’s play area between the two buildings, and a new pedestrian pathway connecting Road B to Laurelwood Road.
Phase 6 is the latest step in the gradual build-out of Waterfront Landing, the development taking shape on the eastern shores of the Mamquam Blind Channel directly across from downtown. Phases 1 through 3 are already complete and phase 4 is currently under construction.
When the project was posted publicly and a development sign placed at the site, no comments were submitted and no one requested a public information meeting, an unusual level of quiet for a project of this size.
Council will also be asked to approve amendments to the Land Development Agreement governing the broader Waterfront Landing site. One key change would allow Phase 6 to receive occupancy before Phase 5 is complete, something the developer says is needed to take advantage of current funding opportunities for rental and affordable housing. Staff are recommending the amendment, noting it would get housing built sooner.
A sidewalk on the west side of Laurelwood Road, running from Channel Road to Clark Drive, would also be secured as part of the deal. The connection was requested by Squamish Nation as an important transportation link.
The 234 units would fulfill between 26 and 74 percent of the District’s 2026 housing targets depending on which projection method is used.
