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The horse’s mouth

Squamish’s equestrian community readies for third reading

John Buchanan might just leave, might just take all that he owns and shove off not just for greener pastures, but any pasture at all.

“I bet you’ll see people like myself just moving out of the valley and leaving the Starbucks community to carry on,” he says.

To Buchanan, Paradise Trails represents the last great hope for Squamish’s equestrian community, a small but organized bunch who’ve watched the town’s development boom chew up potential ranchlands.

But the project is not without controversy. Proposed for the end of Paradise Valley Road, it calls for 82 lots between 0.5 to two acres with an average price of $400,000. An equestrian centre will pin down the community, complete with tack shop, vet, arena and restaurant. Rambling in, out and around the community will be publicly accessible trails.

District staff is vehemently opposed to the idea. They’ve framed it as an offense to all things sustainable, the antithesis of the current planning paradigm.

“It’s inconsistent with almost all municipal policy direction, Smart Growth on the Ground and the Growth Management Strategy,” said planner Chris Bishop during a recent first and second reading for the project.

Councillors Greg Gardner and Patricia Heintzman sounded similar notes. “My general comment is that this goes against every planning principle I have read, studied or believed,” said Gardner.

“I’ve been clear from the beginning that this is a square peg in a round hole,” said Heintzman.

They were alone in their opposition. Councillors Corinne Lonsdale, Jeff McKenzie, Mike Jenson and Raj Kahlon all supported first and second reading. Mayor Ian Sutherland was absent. Come next Tuesday, the community will have its say at a public hearing.

Making reference to a treatment centre recently approved for the same environs, McKenzie suggested staff lacked consistency in its report. “One development gets approval, and there’s no fire and flood coming. Another one comes along, and there’s fire and flood coming.”

For her part, Carloyn Lair is cautiously optimistic. She’s done a lot of legwork up and down the valley, and she says there’s ample support from the community.

“I think we’ll have a very good turn out for public support and quite a few speakers,” she says. “Hopefully, that support will be there and we’ll get through.”

But it won’t be easily won, as criticism toward the project is substantial. Of primary concern is sprawl, the idea of adding yet another node in a town sometimes defined by its staggered sub-communities and the commuter culture they engender.

“I find it quite shocking that council would vote four to two in favour of moving ahead with this against the planning department’s recommendation,” says Catherine Jackson, president of the Squamish Environmental Conservation Society (SECS), the same group that Buchanan is a part of. “I think the planning department is worth listening to because it’s a hazard area. This is 82 mansion-sized homes of 5,500 square feet. And they’re allowed suites. So we’re adding another 500 or so people in a hazardous area.”

Another issue is the proposed lot sizes. To hear the planning department tell it, rural lots are usually 10 acres, not two or less. Lots that small constitute urban development, which Bishop says is against not only Smart Growth principles, but also the Official Community Plan (OCP).

Lair objects on both counts.

“Sprawl usually means unplanned, un-thoughtful, helter-skelter development with no amenities. To me, this is the antithesis. This is completely planned and integrated sustainable community.”

As for lot sizes, Lair says the thinking on that issue is antiquated.

“That whole concept comes form a 27-year-old OCP document that they themselves are ready to dump,” she says. “But because they haven’t adopted the new one, as planners, they have to go with what’s in place.”

Raj Kahlon, who, along with Heintzman, lives in Paradise Valley, gushed about the project, saying amenities like high speed Internet were badly needed — and that insurance rates would go down as a result of the development. He also dismissed criticisms about the community being so far flung.

“We talk about Smart Growth,” said Kahlon. “Fine. It’s good. I live down there. I drive the car. I burn the fuel. I pay the price. On the other hand, I plant fruit trees. I should be selling Kyoto points to the District of Squamish.”

The debate continues tit for tat. It’s planned for a fire and flood zone? The proponent has an evacuation strategy. It’ll cost the taxpayers too much money to service? It’s an addition to the recreation identity tooled by Tourism Squamish and others in the district. It’s elitist? It’s got publicly accessible facilities, and a generous amenities package to boot.

Lost in this debate are the horse nuts. It’s hard to get a concrete feel for the size of the scene in Squamish. Some people say there are about 200 horses in different pockets throughout the valley; others figure the number closer to 100. There’s not much in the way of public stables, and there’s only one coach in town.

For Toni Kerekes, Paradise Tails promises a lifeline to a moribund scene, one she’s spent most of her life enjoying. There’s a dearth of coaches and clinics, she says, and a total lack of equestrian amenities. Need oats? Head to Vancouver. Ditto brushes and veterinary services.

“If Paradise Trails were developed, and we could get the trainers up there, it would attract so much more,” she says.

At the same time, she’s used her position on the proponent’s advisory board to push for larger lots, if only to support private barns, as the centre has room for just 40 animals. She put forward that position mainly because she wants to live there, and she thinks she can afford it, though she considers herself fortunate to be in that position.

Paul Sowerby understands the controversy. A local horse breeder, he’s built and designed facilities like this across the country. In fact, Paradise Trails has him onboard with their project.

“I think the overall project itself is unique for this area,” he said, noting that the nearest, similar entity is in Langley. “And because it’s unique, everyone wants their questions answered. And the developers have no problem. The developers have a great reputation as far as what they’re doing.”

Not good enough, says Jackson. “Let’s do it,” she says. “Let’s build an equestrian centre. But let’s not have 82 mansions attached to it. Let’s call it what it is. The equestrian centre is a great idea, and, if it’s a viable business, it’ll make it by itself.”