The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is moving forward with plans for a large residential subdivision on Whistler’s northern boundaries, despite staunch opposition from the resort municipality.
The Green River Country Estates development in Area C of the SLRD is proposed to go on a two kilometre stretch of land north of Green Lake on the east side of Highway 99.
Whistler council, however, unanimously pledged to fight any new development on its boundaries at Monday’s council meeting in a motion brought forward by Councillor Ken Melamed.
Not only is Whistler trying to do this by asking the province for a massive boundary expansion, the resort municipality also hopes to wield influence with the regional district, who would ultimately give the green light for projects on Whistler’s fringe.
Melamed asked for council support to fight development on the boundaries after learning about plans for the Green River Country Estates.
"I found out about this subdivision on our boundaries and I said ‘we’ve got to find a way to stop it,’" said Melamed after Monday’s meeting. "We don’t know how we can intercede and we’re going to plead with the regional district but it’s a little bit shocking that they’ve gone ahead as they have, knowing our wishes."
Whistler’s wishes have been clearly articulated by the community as a whole, who chose to contain further residential development within the existing built area during the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan process last year. That meant any future development would only occur between Function Junction in the south and Emerald Estates in the north.
That decision effectively ruled out the Callaghan Valley, which is 17 km south of Whistler Village, as a future residential development node.
Though the Green River development isn’t within Whistler’s existing boundaries, it’s right on the edge – close enough to have the municipality worried.
"I guess the best way to describe it is if you look at the examples of what’s happened in the United States," said Melamed. "We saw this very clearly on our last trip to Park City (Utah). You’ve got your municipal boundaries and a development pattern that’s controlled by the city and then off the borders, you’ve got the county and there it’s classic sprawl…. You’ve got all these little communities spotted through the foothills between Park City and Salt Lake City, scattering the landscape, consuming valuable land…"
Melamed called that kind of planning the antithesis of Smart Growth, which is defined as a collection of urban development strategies to reduce sprawl that are fiscally, environmentally and socially responsible.
"It’s the reason we didn’t choose the Callaghan for our athletes village. Whistler is committed to developing using Smart Growth principles and that means discouraging sprawl," he added.
Like Whistler, the SLRD has also taken steps to protect its rural landscape from a plethora of subdivision developments. At October’s monthly board meeting, on Thursday, Oct. 28, the board began the process of limiting development within the regional district by changing the zoning in parts of Area C.
The proposed bylaw would essentially change the zoning in the Rural 1- Resource Management zones in Area C from a minimum parcel area size of 8 hectares (20 acres) to 40 hectares (100 acres).
This means any development in that zone would need to be approved through a rezoning process with the SLRD, where the costs and the benefits to the community and the environment could be properly evaluated, rather than just going through a development permit application process.
SLRD staff proposed the downzoning in these areas because of the growing interest in development of the rural areas both on Crown land and private lands.
"… Private holdings in areas … in Area C have been the subject of enquiries regarding subdivision potential," wrote Steven Olmstead, the SLRD’s manager of planning and development in a report to the board.
Along with the Green River Country Estates development, these private holdings also include a large private land holding in the Soo Valley and a 60 acre site on the Green River Forest Service Road between Pemberton and Lillooet Lake.
"With the significant increase in property values over the past couple of years, land that previously would not have ‘been on the radar screen’ as far as development is considered has now become within the realm of possibility from an economic return point of view," wrote Olmstead.
There was one caveat to the blanket downzoning. The land just north of Whistler would retain it’s original zoning, essentially supporting the proposed Green River Country Estates development.
Olmstead said staff did not think it was fair to lump that parcel in with the others in the downzoning bylaw.
"It’s been actively under development consideration for some time," he said.
SLRD Board Chair Susan Gimse said at the meeting that she thought the regional district was responding responsibly to Whistler’s concerns about sprawling growth by implementing the blanket downzoning.
She added that the district could find itself in a very difficult position by pulling the plug on the residential development application mid-stream.
In June 2002 the more than 500-acre parcel of land, which straddles both sides of the Highway 99, was bought by Yukon Inc. Yukon planned to develop on the land east of the highway that had been disturbed by pit mining and clear cutting.
"This property includes view corridor land which has been ravaged by strip and pit mining for rock and gravel as well as areas of clear cuts," states a Green River Country Estates mission statement.
"The only feasible way to finance restoration of these parts of the property and enhance the beauty of the view corridor is through environmentally conscious development."
Yukon’s plans include subdividing the land into 28 parcels. More than one home would be allowed on each parcel but it is still unclear just how many homes could go in the subdivision.
It is intended to be a low density development, complete with its own sewer and water treatment services. The subdivision is designed as an alternative to Whistler and Pemberton.
If approved as proposed the homes will be part of the SLRD and taxed accordingly, bringing significant tax revenue into the district.
A subdivision application was sent to the Ministry of Transportation earlier this summer. The ministry is the subdivision approval officer for the regional district.
Meanwhile Whistler has sent in its proposal for a boundary expansion to the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services. If approved Whistler would assume jurisdiction of the land for the proposed development.
The boundary expansion extends to land north and east of the current boundaries next to the Green River, south to include the Whistler Interpretative Forest and Jane Lakes, west to encompass Mount Sproatt and southwest to the lower Callaghan Valley west of Callaghan Creek. If approved the resort municipality would grow from 16,500 hectares to close to 27,000 hectares.
The boundary expansion was negotiated with the province during the 2010 Olympic Bid phase, along with financial tools to ease the property tax burden and a 300-acre land bank for employee housing.
Melamed explained the boundary expansion was negotiated in order to control the lands surrounding Whistler, particularly as the interest in the area increased.
"We had an inkling that this type of thing was going to happen," he said.
"We thought expanding our boundaries was one way to get some control. We thought that engaging the regional district and our partners Squamish and Pemberton in a Regional Growth Strategy was another one.
"Everybody can see the writing on the wall. You just have to go to Vail or Aspen or Sun Valley or Jackson Hole to see what the result is of weak urban containment boundaries and the results of sprawl throughout the mountain resort areas. It’s devastating."
Mayor Hugh O’Reilly said he would continue to champion Whistler’s cause against this residential development at the SLRD board table.
As stated in the mission statement the developers will continue to "oppose annexation by Whistler and strive to be a positive contribution to the SLRD."
