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200 lot subdivision proposed for Britannia Beach

Developer promises to offer discount to current residents The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District has taken the first steps in rezoning land at Britannia Beach for 200 residential lots.

Developer promises to offer discount to current residents

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District has taken the first steps in rezoning land at Britannia Beach for 200 residential lots.

The SLRD board gave first reading to the development proposal at Monday's monthly board meeting.

Though the current Official Community Plan allows 800 to 1,000 residential units in the area, the development company is seeking approval for a much lower density after completing detailed studies on the servicing and topographical constraints in the area.

"(We) believe it fits better with the land," said Michael Rosen, who attended the SLRD meeting representing Britannia Bay Properties.

Of the 400 acres controlled by Britannia Bay Properties, the company is looking to rezone 235 acres for the residential development.

Roughly half the 200 lots will be developed within the existing town site and the other half on adjacent land said Rosen. Thirty per cent of the land will be dedicated as parkland.

Rosen said the company made a commitment to people in the community which would allow them to purchase homes on the new sites in an affordable manner.

He said the company will be doing appraisals of its new development and then giving residents discounts on those appraisals. The exact figures have yet to be nailed down.

For those residents who do not want to or can't afford to buy the new homes, Rosen said they will still be allowed to continue renting their existing homes or trailers.

"I think most of the community is very happy," said Jane Iverson, co-ordinator of the Residents Advisory Committee for the Residents for Tenure Society, who was also at the SLRD board meeting.

She was speaking at the meeting in support of the rezoning application and said a survey showed more than 80 per cent of the community supported the arrangement proposed by the developers.

Iverson said the developers have already shown a commitment to the community in numerous ways. Since taking control of the land in August, they have repaired and maintained houses and have removed garbage and old vehicles at no cost to the tenants.

Next they will hold a public meeting in March to explain the appraisal process to residents.

"Retention of the historic community and affordability are paramount to the residents," said Iverson.

Iverson also appealed to the SLRD board on Monday for support to get Highway 99 at Britannia Beach upgraded sooner rather than later.

She said residents have been lobbying for improvements to the highway for the past 25 years.

The current Ministry of Transportation schedule shows upgrades will not happen in that area until 2008. Iverson said she did not think they could wait another four years.

She asked for SLRD support to lobby the provincial government for a Smart Light in the area. These stop lights are able to sense the flow of traffic and react accordingly.

She also asked for support to lobby the Ministry of Transportation to re-examine the construction schedule on Highway 99. The idea would be that construction on the highway could be done in conjunction with upgrades in Britannia Beach.

The SLRD supported this request and will be writing a letter to the ministry outlining these concerns.

SLRD board split over growth strategy timeline

Whistler's Mayor Hugh O'Reilly wants a suspension of all major development projects in the SLRD while the board tackles its Regional Growth Strategy.

The strategy is one of the board's key priorities for 2004.

O'Reilly floated the idea for a development moratorium at the SLRD monthly meeting on Monday.

"If major applications come in, staff have to respond to it," he said.

That will take up valuable time that could be better spent on the growth strategy he added.

O'Reilly said the corridor must address issues like energy and transportation in a regional context before big applications, like the Britannia Beach development currently on the table, come through the door.

John Turner, director of Area D, was concerned about O'Reilly's request.

He is expecting at least two major developments in his area to come forward in the next six months. A moratorium on development would not be helpful.

"Having said that, I'm in favour of getting the regional growth strategy done as quickly as possibly," said Turner.

At the board meeting, Pemberton Mayor Elinor Warner asked the board to consider removing the summer 2005 completion date from the strategy.

Among her concerns were the time constraints on staff to get the strategy finished in the next year and a half as well as the potential cost to the Village of Pemberton.

Another concern coming from Pemberton is the lack of participation from neighbouring First Nations communities.

But others at the board table were worried about removing a timeframe on the project altogether.

Russ Oakley, director of Area A said he would prefer to set a target date.

Oakley was part of a Land and Resource Management Plan, which lagged for five years.

"I personally think that you need to have a target date," he said.

Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland said that without a timeframe, the board will be having the same discussions about regional growth well into the future.

If the board changes in the future, priorities may change and the growth strategy could languish he added.

But Board Chair Susan Gimse said the time and cost of the strategy is an important concern for Pemberton and if the growth strategy is going to proceed the board will need the help of all municipalities within the district.

"It's nice to have a target but I don't think the work that we're trying to accomplish here should be compromised by a timeframe," she said.

The motion to remove the timeframe was referred to the next monthly SLRD board meeting.