A second public information meeting on the proposed 19 Mile Creek employee housing project likely won’t be held for another month even though the Ministry of Environment says the site is suitable for building on. "We mutually agreed to postpone the dates of the public information meeting and a public hearing," developer Matthew Coté said this week after meeting with the municipality and its Whistler Housing Authority. Late last week dates were set for the public meetings but those were later cancelled. "The Water Management Branch has acknowledged our (floodproofing) plans are suitable," Coté said. The building site, next to 19 Mile Creek in Alpine Meadows, will not have to be raised to level higher than the creek due to the dike next to the creek and the slope of the land. However, discussions still have to be held with Fisheries and the Ministry of Crown Land. The Water Management Branch offered to set up the meeting in the next couple of weeks. "Basically, we’ll answer a lot of questions before we have a public information meeting," Coté said. A revised proposal for a 19 Mile Creek employee housing project was submitted last fall. At the time Coté said he needed approval before January if the project was to be occupied by next winter. Coté says it’s now impossible to complete the project in time for next winter, but he expects half of it could be built by December if council gives its approval shortly after the public information meeting and public hearing. "The property lends itself to building a portion at a time," Coté said. The proposal includes 60 one-, two- and three-bedroom townhouses in eight buildings, and 24 three-bedroom rental units in two buildings. A single-family lot, which would be sold at market value, is also part of the proposal. Council gave the project first two readings Nov. 17, 1997, but said a public hearing wouldn’t be scheduled until several conditions had been met. Those conditions include some assurance from the Ministry of Environment the site is flood-proofed, an updated traffic study of the project’s impact on the area, details about ownership of some units and final details on sale prices of townhouses and the quality of finishing. One public information meeting on the project was held in early December but many Alpine residents complained there wasn’t sufficient notice given prior to the meeting. Whistler council has received numerous letters from area residents opposing the project. Both council and the Whistler Housing Authority have supported the 19 Mile Creek project.
