麻豆社国产

If you are in the market for a townhouse in Squamish, shovels may soon be in the ground on a new development of interest.

An application for a townhouse development on Raven Drive is well on its way to becoming a reality following a public hearing.

On Jan. 24, elected officials voted unanimously in favour of granting third reading to the project after residents were given a chance to voice their concerns about the project.

The application seeks to rezone the 1005 and 1009 Raven Dr. properties from their status as RL-1 Rural Residential to a CD-103 Comprehensive Development Zone.

Now past the third reading, the rezoning is expected to be adopted at a future council meeting.

After adoption, the proponent, will be able to move forward with a 35-unit townhouse development. Two of those units are expected to be affordable housing.

An agricultural space for a community garden and playground area is also proposed.

Pond and odour concerns

During the public hearing before the council's vote, the two features of the development that were the most significant cause for concern were a stormwater detention pond, and a waste enclosure.

The stormwater detention pond is proposed for the southeastern area of the development.

"We have a water problem in that area, generally, and any additional modification of the terrain will negatively affect all three of our properties," said Hans Schaer, one of several residents neighbouring the proposed project.

He said it was unclear where the water would come in and out and feared it would turn into a dump. Since the area is agricultural, the fertilizer could wash into the water.

Schaer also expressed concern that the detention pond could turn into a haven for mosquitoes.

"They'd be loving it there," he said.

Christina Walsh, another resident neighbouring the property, expressed concern about the potential for the mass spawning of mosquitoes.

Another central point for her was the location of the development's waste enclosure, which would be where garbage and recycling is stored.

"At this point, it is designated to be right directly next to what would be our property line," said Walsh. "We all know it can get pretty warm here in the summer. And that is going to be quite a large smell. And we have a lot of active wildlife in the neighbourhood. We already deal with an aggressive bear with only three garbage cans on the street. And so I think that would just multiply, and we all have young children."

Noise and light covenant added

Paul Greening of the was present to request a covenant be put on the development.

Greening requested that the covenant make clear to prospective owners that a firing range is relatively close by and will generate noise and light. Some residents may find it disturbing.

"We feel this is really important to have open dialogue and complete transparency with our new neighbours, and this restrictive covenant would be a good vehicle to promote that," Greening said.

Council agreed to include this covenant on the property.

Proponent addressing concerns

A representative for the project's proponent also had a chance to speak.

Michael Oord, representing the applicant, addressed comments about the pond.

"The reason it's proposed to be there is to assist with the groundwater, and it will be fully engineered, and that will be dealt with our [development permit] and building permit," Oord said.

Development and building permits are addressed after zoning applications are finished. They go into greater detail about how and where facilities are built.

If the project proceeds further, its development permit is expected to appear before council, where it will be deliberated by elected officials.

Oord also said that the developer is interested in moving the waste enclosure to a different location on the property, but it has to work things out with BC Hydro, which has a right-of-way in the area.

"The reason it is where it is is because of the hydro line," he said. "[BC Hydro] did not like the metallic material of any metal, garbage and they're also concerned about the lifts that actually lift the recycling bins and everything like that."

It's unclear if and where the utility would allow the enclosure to be relocated. Oord said they would be working on it.

Community garden support

A representative of was also present. The District plans on leasing the agricultural zone to the non-profit for a nominal fee.

Krystle tenBrink voiced her support for the community garden.

She said that the calls for the expansion of agricultural and food production land.

Some of the top concerns from the farm community have been accessing land, capital costs, long-term leases and access to housing, tenBrink said.

"This development specifically does remove the barriers for local urban farmers to access the land, receive a long-term lease [and] have some overall guidance and management by 麻豆社国产CAN," she said.

TenBrink said it's a similar model to the school farm by Howe Sound Secondary and the Easter Seals camp.

Council weighs in

After the public hearing, elected officials expressed their support for the project.

Mayor Armand Hurford added stipulations that the development incorporates a restrictive noise covenant as per the gun club's request. He also asked that the design and location of the waste room be designed to the satisfaction of the District before it comes before council for a development permit.

All on council supported this.

"I think, overall, we heard concerns from the public today that could be addressed," Hurford said.

He said the concerns were valid and hoped more work on odour mitigation could help with this.

Coun. John French said the project is consistent with the Loggers East Neighborhood Plan. Much-needed housing and food production land will be part of the project.

He said he hoped this — especially the two affordable rentals — would help address the ongoing housing crisis.

Coun. Lauren Greenlaw said she supported the project.

"I think, overall, it looks like a very interesting project," said Greenlaw.

"Again, it's been really positive interactions with the developer. Very responsive. I think with the exception of some fairly minor issues, the project's in a good place."