Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation

 A COMMUNITY-BASED PHILOSOPHY

To coordinate and consolidate the efforts of different land owners into an exciting, implementable plan for the entire Peninsula, Council directed in 2007 that the Oceanfront peninsula should be planned as a whole, through a District led process that builds on the previous community engagement, planning and policy work. Most importantly, Council directed that the process be community-based, relying on strong engagement with the public to ensure that community values and visions form the basis of the new plan.

With this guidance, the “Create the Oceanfront” process engaged the community in reviewing previous planning work (at a public forum in July 2008). The community then worked with the District’s planning team to explore options and establish what directions the community prefers to take (through stakeholder workshops, an open house, and kitchen table workbooks in October/November 2008). The resulting policy statement reflects the rich feedback received from the community, and acts as a bridge to the next steps of more detailed planning and the production of a sub-area plan. The final plan will be enacted through an OCP amendment.

VISION

The communityʼs vision for the Oceanfront is that it will contribute to the sustainability and long- term success of the whole community. The Oceanfront must demonstrate Squamishʼs leadership in sustainable community development and smart growth. It will be a vibrant, mixed-use area that balances job creation, public uses and high quality residential living.

The Oceanfront will be an exciting place that offers a rich palette of experiences for Squamish residents, workers and visitors. A strong marine essence and function will capitalize on its unique access to the ocean. Its spectacular beauty will be recognized and celebrated, and it will be a place for young and old, rich and poor. Fundamentally, the Oceanfront will be “the soul of Squamish”: it will be authentically Squamish, and so attractive as to draw others to it and to the community.

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY ON THE OCEANFRONT

Previous planning exercises and community input have consistently stressed that development of the Oceanfront must be a model of sustainability, addressing economic, social and environmental dimensions in a genuine and meaningful way. If it is to make a genuine contribution toward sustainability, the Oceanfront plan and project must make progress in addressing key global and local challenges, including:

• Dramatically and quickly reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions;
• Using water more efficiently;
• Virtually eliminating waste;
• Restoring ecosystem function;
• Enhancing quality of life, health and opportunity in the community; and
• Ensuring long-term economic prosperity, stability and resilience.

Because of its location and prominence, a waterfront site is a magnificent natural setting that attracts local residents and visitors alike. The Oceanfront is a prime opportunity to showcase Squamishʼs achievements in sustainable community development. What does this mean in practical terms? Within the community, there are many social aspirations for the peninsula, including housing close to downtown, support for affordable housing, and major new community parks, trails and community facilities.

On the economic side, new employment and business opportunities are desired, and in order for any of these to be provided, development of the peninsula must be economically viable. Finally, Oceanfront development must also protect local ecosystems and respond to major global issues such as climate change and sea level rise. Clearly, these are high expectations. A long-term approach that integrates these goals, and finding ways to optimize and perform better in relation to as many of them as possible is required. Such an approach must also explore trade-offs between competing goals, and pursue synergies where achieving one goal will help meet others. This is sustainability for the Oceanfront.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

A set of Guiding Principles was developed for the “Create the Oceanfront” process based on community values established through previous planning processes. These 10 principles capture the core of what the Oceanfront development must achieve:

1. Contributes to Squamish: enhances the vitality of downtown, Squamish as a whole, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor.
2. Strong Identity: Enhances the sense of community, history and connection with the natural world, celebrating the uniqueness of Squamish and the Oceanfront itself.
3. Complete Community: Encourages a healthy, diverse and vital mix of uses.
4. Economic Viability and Business Vitality: Ensures the plan is viable, and supports long- term economic prosperity and resilience through diverse business and employment opportunities.
5. Housing for the Whole Community: Provides a diversity of housing to match community needs.
6. Access for All: Ensures public access to the waterfront, and emphasizes options to the car.
7. A Model of Green Development: Buildings and infrastructure that are greener, smarter and cheaper; support for a secure and resilient local food system.
8. Environmentally Restorative: In harmony with natural systems, protects and enhances the environment.
9. Enhanced Livability: Designed for safe, healthy experiences, and facilitates social interaction.
10. Everyone Has a Voice: Base planning decisions on an effective, transparent and inclusive public process.

Through the “Create the Oceanfront” process, these principles have been further detailed into a series of objectives and aspirational targets, making the principles more real, and giving a sense of how well development must perform in order to be truly sustainable. These targets will be refined as planning and development proceeds and once what is and is not possible becomes clearer.

Examples of aspirational targets in the policy statement include:

• Reduce GHG emissions from buildings by 60 to 80% compared with business as usual.
• Rely primarily on renewable energy for heating and powering buildings.
• Reduce indoor potable water use by at least 30%, and reduce outdoor potable water use by at least 50% compared with business as usual.
• Divert 75 to 90% of solid waste from landfill. Separate 80 to 90% of construction waste for re- use or recycling.
• Build to the equivalent of LEED Silver environmental performance, target LEED Gold or better.
• Ensure that almost all residences are within easy walking distance of an existing or planned grocery store.

Read more about the Oceanfront and Squamish's OCP at WWW.CREATETHEOCEANFRONT.CA