By Clare Ogilvie
Intrawest is one of five development corporations, which has
been short-listed as a possible partner to help develop the oceanfront lands in
Squamish.
The Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation put out a
request for proposal for a joint venture partner last October.
“We got a phenomenal response,” said Mike Chin CEO of the SOD
Corp.
“We had 15 quality submissions from big firms. It is just a
testament to the interest and absolute excitement about this site and Squamish,
in general.”
The other four short-listed contenders are Concord Pacific
Group Inc., Holborn Group, Onni Development Capital Corporation, and Qualex
Landmark Group of Companies.
Chin said the companies would submit proposals to the SOD Corp.
by Jan. 26. There will be reviews, questions, interviews and clarifications of
the submissions during February. A preferred proponent will be identified in
March and it’s hoped an agreement will be in place by the end of April.
“This is a pretty long project and it is a long time to be
partnering with somebody so we want to make sure we have the right partner so
it is a bit of a process to select that partner from these submissions,” said
Chin.
“This is not the highest bid wins this thing. It is going to be
about fit with the community, community desires, sustainable development,
economics is a pillar of that sustainability (too).”
The SOD Corp. was created by the District of Squamish to
develop the oceanfront property in synergy with other downtown lands. The
independent and for-profit corporation has been tasked with creating the
conditions for a model oceanfront community and to make it become a reality.
Assets in the land and water lots will finance the development
of residential, marine, commercial and light industrial, cultural and tourism
facilities.
The District of Squamish acquired the lands from the provincial
government in 2004 for $3. The lands were previously owned by BC Rail. The
District of Squamish and SODC have a partnering agreement, which states that
the fee simple title to the legal parcels will continue to be registered in the
name of the District of Squamish and held in trust on behalf of SODC.
The property includes approximately 59 acres of land and 44
acres of fee simple water lot for a total of 103 acres.