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First Nations’ plans raise concerns

Open house scheduled for three parcels; distribution of bed units questioned
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Developing Legacies Mayor Ken Melamed (right), Councillor Gord McKeever (right background) and Jim Godfrey (centre background), Whistler's executive director for the 2010 Games, were on hand in September 2006 when the ground was broken on some of Whistler's Olympic Legacy Lands, the athletes' village. The athletes' village will become resident restricted housing in the summer of 2010. Development plans for the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations' Legacy Lands will be presented to the public at the July 14 open house at the cultural centre. Photo by Maureen Provencal

A gas station in Function Junction and more houses behind the Rainbow neighbourhood are just some of the amenities the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations want to build on their Whistler plots of land.

And while not all Whistler councillors are comfortable with the proposals, council gave staff permission this week to pencil in a public open house on Monday, July 14, at the brand new Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.

“This is simply an effort to get input from the community,” explained Mayor Ken Melamed.

“I do not think this is ready for prime time, but this is just a first brush at public input. I do not think this commits us to a path.”

Councillors are concerned that the precise details on two projects have not yet been hammered out, and this creates ambiguity on how the lands will be developed.

Also, a third application to build town houses on the BCBC lands across the highway from Alta Vista will not go forward to the public open house, following a recommendation by municipal staff.

Both staff and councillors commented that when the Legacy Land Agreement was signed in May 2007, they understood all the 458 bed units granted to the First Nations would be built on the Alpine North property above Rainbow.

Looking through the agreement now, councillors had trouble zeroing in on the exact passage that states the bed units cannot go on the BCBC site.

“If you look further into the agreement, there is no clarity where exactly the bed units being handed over were to be assigned, although clearly the intention was always Alpine North,” said Councillor Gord McKeever.

The mayor said even though the other two proposals will go before an open house, council should seek clarity on the agreement.

He added: “I am somewhat taken aback to see this presentation here, despite numerous conversations that have occurred between staff and the First Nations, including personal conversations, that we had no interest in developing residential types of developments on the BCBC lands.”

Of the three First Nation applications, the Alpine North proposal is the most clearly defined, explained housing planner for the municipality Guy Patterson.

Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations would like to build 45 detached dwellings and 20 to 30 townhouses on the 32-acre parcel, located above the new Rainbow subdivison.

“One key issue with this development parcel is road access within the parcel and adjacent lands,” said Patterson, adding that the development would be visible from the highway.

“Some next steps for this application would be to refine the road layout and develop a comprehensive design covenant.”

The First Nations would also like to build a gas station on their Function Junction land, sandwiched between Highway 99 and the railway tracks. The gas station would be accessed via Alpha Lake Road, not directly off the highway.

Patterson noted that the gas station, which only takes up a small portion of the total plot of land, would be considered “commercial zoning”. The rest of the area would have an industrial zoning that allows light industrial uses as well as restaurant, retail and service commercial operations.

Councillor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden took issue with the proposed zoning. She said she was confused why council would look to rezone the Mons property near the centre of the village (see related story) to put industrial companies when land already exists for them at the First Nation plot in Function Junction, Whistler’s only industrial park.

“We’ve got an industrial park, we’ve got new land adjacent to the industrial park, we should be putting industrial uses on that land,” she said, adding that she would like to see the First Nations’ proposal move forward with provision for only a service station, not other commercial uses.

Councillor Ralph Forsyth, who was the only member at the table to vote against moving the proposals to public consultation said, “I think there are great questions that have been raised here and we do not have a lot of clarity.”

“To be honest, I am not comfortable moving this forward and making it ready for prime time.”

Representatives from the First Nations were not able to comment on Monday’s meeting but issued a press release July 8, alerting the public to the planned open houses.

In the release, Squamish Nation Chief Gibby Jacob said: “We remain committed to a collaborative, co-operative and inclusive process, working with council and municipal staff to create the most suitable and appropriate development to meet Whistler standards and integrate into the community.”

The release also said the First Nations would provide more documents in response to councillors’ concerns about the BCBC site proposal.

A public hearing to establish seven First Nation parcels of land under the designation “Resort Land Trust” was also held this week. The seven parcels include the Function Junction and Alpine Meadows lands discussed by council this week, as well as three parcels at the entrance to the Callaghan Valley and two near Emerald Estates. The Resort Land Trust designation is anticipation of future development.

Only one person, Brad Sills, spoke against the designation. Sills said developing the First Nation land in the Callaghan could have a huge impact on the area, and a more comprehensive development plan for the land south of Whistler was needed.

The open house for the Alpine North and Function Junction developments will be held for the public on Monday, July 14 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Iskten Hall at the newly opened Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.