After time to ponder, reflect and wonder what’s next, we, the residents of Garibaldi Estates, are still feeling gutted by the District of 撸奶社区neighbourhood planning process. The recent vote by Council to accept the Planning Department’s recommendation for Garibaldi Estates was 5-2, with only councillors Eric Andersen and Lauren Greenlaw voting against the “densification” motion.
For more than two years, the District has been engaging the neighbourhood and greater community in order to collect data to determine how to move forward with the housing plan for our neighbourhood. Throughout the process, we have been promised by council that they are listening, that gentle density is all they were looking at, and told that if the neighbourhood doesn’t want it, it won’t happen. We were also told it isn’t going to be all four-storey condos as we were fearing.
At the council meeting on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023, our greatest fears came true. The District planners brought forward a plan that flies in the face of all of the data collected and all of the reassurances uttered. “Scenario C for all zones except Estates East.”
Despite the enormous negative feedback gathered from the surveys, the small group meetings and the open houses, it has all fallen on deaf ears. This process has cost taxpayers and the DOS an enormous amount of time and money. The plan brought forward by the District planners was exactly the same as before the two-year sojourn.
In addition, key issues, such as the traffic delays currently facing commuters at the intersections of Garibaldi Way and Mamquam Road and Highway 99, will not be addressed until further larger projects go through.
The two main rationales given by council members who were in favour of densification were:
- The need to create affordable housing.
- Limited involvement of those living outside the neighbourhood, specifically those under 30 and the most vulnerable of our citizens.
While we are all concerned about the affordable housing crisis, the high land costs in 撸奶社区make it nearly impossible to develop any free-market affordable housing. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. The only opportunity left might be affordable housing created within the 撸奶社区housing authority.
Currently, the taxpayers of 撸奶社区have little or no influence on the development of the neighbourhood plans. Our concerns are conveniently ignored and dismissed. We have already lost so much, and while change is inevitable and acceptable, poorly planned change needs to be challenged. Have a look around and see if you don’t agree with this.
To the residents of Squamish, we all need to sit up and pay attention.
All we ever wanted was a fair process, and instead, all we got from the DOS was lip service and empty promises.
We collectively have elected a council that does not listen to its residents’ feedback and does not listen to the people in 撸奶社区most affected by their decisions. It is time to take a stand against what is going on in this town. Let us flood Municipal Hall with letters, emails, phone calls and placards. Do whatever it takes to be heard. If we do not, we will not only lose the town that we love, we will lose our voices as well.
Gioia Irwin
Squamish
