I have been lucky enough to call Whistler home for almost 15 years. When I moved here I worked hard as a server, saving and investing to purchase a home.
With a professional background in strata management and real estate, I am interested and invested in … housing developments within Whistler.
The comprehensive website that has been put together by “Friends of Nita Lake” presents a plethora of excellent points as to why council must re-evaluate the current proposal for redevelopment of the forested west side of Nita Lake.
The purpose of this letter is to remind you of all these critical considerations, but to also share another concern—one which council must consider any time they are in support of granting variances to re-zone land.
I am a home owner in Creekside and have an unobstructed west facing view of Nita Lake. Put yourself in my shoes. Would you want there to be a clear cut and multiple dwellings built here, or an eco lodge?
When I bought this property, I did so with the knowledge of what the properties on the other side of the lake were zoned for. I knew that no one would ever be able to develop these sensitive environmental reserves with new multi-dwelling townhomes and condos.
This is similar to the development that was trying to be passed in Nordic. People bought homes in a quiet neighbourhood, knowing there was one undeveloped estate lot behind them. No one should ever be able to build apartments in their backyard—it is simply unreasonable.
Both the Nordic and Nita Lake projects devalue the real estate that others have worked hard to purchase, so that developers can lobby an altruistic agenda to “help the community” all the while negatively impacting many others‘ investments, while a few get rich.
And don’t even get me started on the traffic study that was completed for the Nita development, which was conducted during the pandemic, when there is a province-wide guideline for “essential travel only.”
On the topic of council supporting rezoning and variances, if this proposal does wind up going through, I would suppose this will be precedent-setting? There will be many other properties/owners on Westside Road looking to capitalize on this gravy train. Where does it end?
There’s a saying, “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Well, my strata is a massive ski-in, ski-out parcel of land just above Creekside Village.
We have a covenant on our land restricting the construction of only 32 units (which we have). We also have a GFA (gross floor allowance) remaining that we could technically build the same amount of square footage twice over.
So my question to council is, if you endorse the Nita Lake project—would you also be in support of allowing all other stratas to sell parcels of their land to further develop, increase the density, and profit, just like the project in question?
The Official Community Plan, bed count and scarcity of land is what has resulted in real estate values [being] some of the highest in Canada.
If we start to be too frivolous with making exceptions for the betterment of only a few at the expense of others, the very principles and all the strategic planning that went into Whistler’s success, will begin to crumble.
I would like to hold council and Mayor to task on slowing things down, and making sure that we get this right.
Adding a few dozen affordable housing beds so a developer can make millions is just bad business.
[The virtual public hearing for the development will be held March 9 at 5:30 p.m.]
Adam Zelikovitz // Whistler
