By Andrew Mitchell
Although they’re a latecomer to corridor planning processes
currently underway, Smart Growth B.C. is working to ensure that Sea to Sky development
doesn’t overwhelm Sea to Sky values.
This month the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the
Environment hosted Ione Smith of Smart Growth B.C. to give a presentation on
her organization and their plans to create a green belt from Vancouver to
Pemberton.
Although their plans overlap with other plans already in
development, including the Sea to Sky Land and Resource Management Plan, the
Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s Regional Growth Strategy, and First
Nations’ land use plans, Smith believes there is still an opportunity to get
involved.
“Our goal is to get into contact with as many non-government
organizations in the region as possible and figure out what their vision is for
Sea to Sky, especially with all the growth and development pressures and
hosting the 2010 Games,” she said. “What we’ve been hearing from citizens based
on our preliminary work in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton is that they really
value that there’s so much natural beauty in the corridor, and are fearful it
will be lost in the next 15 to 20 years.”
Smith has already made presentations to the SLRD and the
Vancouver Organizing Committee, and has offered Smart Growth’s support to
planning processes that are currently underway. The benefit, says Smith, is
that Smart Growth affiliates are already active in all 50 U.S. States, as well
as in Ontario, and have a lot of resources and expertise to draw upon.
As for Smart Growth’s proposal for a corridor green belt
— ensuring that all wildlife corridors between Pemberton and West
Vancouver remain linked — Smith says it will take a while to get up to
speed with all the planning processes in place. Currently she has funding for
two days a week to work on the project through Smart Growth B.C.’s funders, but
she believes there is still an opportunity to ensure that Smart Growth
principles are included in future planning.
As well, she believes that Smarth Growth can help the public
become better informed about the big picture of development and growth in the
corridor and the opportunities to help guide that process.
Smart Growth B.C. has also teamed up with the Community
Foundation of Whistler and the Resort Municipality of Whistler to host a
sustainability workshop on April 21. The theme of the workshops will be
“growing greener”, and feature a series of speakers.
“(The workshops) recognize that Whistler citizens are already
very sophisticated when it comes to understanding sustainable values, and is
far ahead of other communities,” said Smith. “The workshops will basically keep
the conversation going, and there will be an opportunity to talk about the
growth in the region and how Smart Growth can be applied.”
Smart Growth B.C. receives most of its funding from foundations
such as the Vancouver Foundation, Victoria Foundation and Tides Canada. The
group is currently working with governments in Maple Ridge, Squamish and Oliver
to reduce the impact of urban sprawl and make communities more livable.
There are 10 basic Smart Growth principles: mixing land uses that balance residential, business and recreation; building well-designed and compact neighbourhoods; providing a variety of transportation choices; creating diverse housing opportunities; encouraging growth and redevelopment of existing communities; preserving open spaces and environmentally sensitive areas; protecting and enhancing agricultural lands; using smaller and cheaper infrastructure, and green building standards; fostering unique neighbourhood identities; nurturing engaged citizens to participate in community life and decision-making.