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Britannia South owners encouraged to submit proposal

SLRD hopes for a plan that aligns with current OCP
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GET GOING The regional district directors want to see a formal proposal from the owners of the Britannia South lands and until something official is submitted no more money is going to be invested into planning for the area by the SLRD. Graphic courtesy of Taicheng

A clear message has been sent to the owners of the Britannia South lands. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) directors voted at their monthly meeting to tell Taicheng, the owners of the land at Britannia South, to officially put something in front of the SLRD board so the regional leaders can discuss the future of the land in a meaningful way.

The Official Community Plan (OCP) for the area, which was amended at the meeting on Oct. 28, calls for up to 1,700 new housing units for Britannia. There are currently 700 undeveloped units in the northern part of the community and 1,000 units targeted for the southern part of the town. At public presentations held by Taicheng the company indicated it wants to build up to 3,000 housing units in the southern part of Britannia.

SLRD director Jack Crompton of Whistler expressed concerns about the amended OCP for Area D. He said he supports limiting the number of units Taicheng develops in Britannia.

SLRD director of planning Kim Needham reported that she met with municipal planners from throughout the corridor recently and she said they all agreed that the Taicheng density vision isn't appropriate at 3,000 units.

"There was some concern that perhaps the development was not necessarily in keeping with the OCP and RGS (Regional Growth Strategy) in terms of the intent and spirit," said Needham. "They felt it was more extensive than perhaps what was being suggested."

She said the planners felt the sort of development envisioned by Taicheng is out of place and likely too much for what the site could bear.

Crompton and Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham made it clear they want the SLRD board to stick with limits placed on Britannia South in the current OCP.

"I think we should convey to the proponent that we are OK with receiving an application but it should adhere to our OCP and that we're not interested at this time in entertaining an OCP amendment," said Kirkham.

Crompton said he'd like to see future development focused in established communities like Squamish.

"I'm not in support of amending the OCP to allow for growth in a location that could potentially damage a very important municipality within our regional district," he said.

The SLRD passed a motion indicating the SLRD board wants to see a development proposal from Taicheng that doesn't require an OCP amendment and that the board won't spend any more money on consultants or staff time until a proposal is submitted.

Crompton also wanted the OCP for Area D to include a note indicating the SLRD board doesn't support the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish development. Crompton tried to formalize that through a resolution of the board.

"The OCP calls an area the 'Garibaldi at Squamish Study Area'," which may be perceived by some to give it some land use designation," said Crompton. "The goal of the motion was to clarify that it is a piece of land that is like any other and not intended to be used as a destination resort. That study area designation does not confer any land use."

Crompton couldn't get support for his motion so the OCP will continue to identify Brohm Ridge as a study area and potential future four-season resort within Area D.

"I'm not in support of amending the OCP to allow for growth in a location that could potentially damage a very important municipality within our regional district,

Crompton's attempt to erase any mention of Garibaldi at Squamish from the Area D OCP follows a meeting during the annual Union of BC Municipalities convention in which Crompton, Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden and RMOW CAO Mike Furey met with B.C. environment minister Mary Polak to discuss Whistler's concerns about the proposed destination resort.

Ombudsperson rules on Pemberton North water

The complaint filed in May with the Ombudsperson over the drastic increase in water rates charged to SLRD residents to the north of Pemberton is resolved.

Ombudsperson officer Jayne Elder recently ended the investigation and reported that a public information meeting and the production of an information sheet were enough to address the concerns of those impacted by the rate increase.

The Village of Pemberton provides water to SLRD Area C residents who live north of the village and sends a bill to the regional district, which collects payment from users of the system and reimburses the village. However, the village doubled the rate per cubic metre from $0.52 to $1.04 in 2007, but the SLRD did not begin paying at the higher rate until this year.

While the Ombudsperson complaint is closed the dispute continues between the SLRD and the village due to an outstanding balance of more than $500,000 based on the village's rate going back six years. Residents and the SLRD argue the increase wasn't justified and negotiations between the two local governments are ongoing while the matter is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the village against the regional district.

Centrepoint supported

The directors of the SLRD voted to contribute $100,000 to the Centrepoint project in Squamish. Former Squamish mayor Corinne Lonsdale fronted a presentation on behalf of Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS) in making the pitch for the contribution from the regional body.

She noted the project supporters need to raise $3 million and so far $1 million has been committed.

In making the request Lonsdale said SSCS serves people from Mount Currie to Britannia and the supported living housing spaces and office spaces in the Centrepoint building will be an asset for the whole region.

The SLRD board committed to contributing $50,000 in the year ahead and another $50,000 the following year.

This story has been amended to correct a previous error.