Developers of the proposed 19 Mile Creek affordable resident housing project will hold an open house information session Dec. 10 at Myrtle Philip school. The open house, which goes from 6 to 9 p.m., was requested by council Monday after receiving a number of letters and phone calls concerning traffic safety at the nearby intersection of Highway 99 and Alpine Way. The developers and their consultants will be present at and organize the open house. A public information meeting, which would be run by municipal staff and council, may also be held prior to the project going to a public hearing. A public hearing is a legal requirement following first two readings of a bylaw. Council is not allowed to accept any new information from a proponent or the general public once the public hearing has closed. Council gave bylaws for the revised 19 Mile Creek proposal first two readings at its Nov. 17 meeting — subject to resolution of four issues. The issues include: o An updated traffic study that examines the project’s impact on Alpine Way and Highway 99 o Some assurance from the Ministry of Environment that the proposed floor elevations meet flood proofing standards o Ownership details of the apartment rental units o Agreement on the sale price of the townhouse units and quality of finishing The project proposed by Columbus Properties 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 members and the new Whistler Resident Housing Corporation support the site, a former gravel pit next to 19 Mile Creek, behind the Alpine Market in Alpine Meadows. However, councillors this week reported receiving a number of phone calls from Alpine Meadows residents with concerns about the development proposal, hence the call for next week’s open house. Several of the letters in Monday’s council package mentioned traffic issues as a concern. Traffic was not an issue last year when an earlier employee housing plan for the 19 Mile Creek area was proposed. The Ministry of Highways has recently reduced the speed limit on Highway 99 between Alpine Meadows and Nesters from 80 km/h to 60 km/h.
