On Thursday August 11th, more than 100 people attended the Public Hearing for Furry Creek. It began as a raucous affair because some residents disagreed with SLRD’s decision to hold the hearing in a nearby community hall at the Britannia Beach mine, rather than in the Squamish District Council Chamber where it could have been videotaped or zoomed.

While I too thought it should have been zoomed or videotaped, I suspect that if the meeting had been held in Squamish, many would have argued that it should have been held closer to Furry Creek, especially since all but one person in attendance was from Furry Creek. A hearing in Squamish might have also raised other concerns.

The meeting was chaired by Tony Rainbow, the SLRD director for ‘Area D’ in which Furry Creek is located. Director Rainbow is also a resident of Furry Creek. In attendance was SLRD’s Chief Administrative Office Craig Dalton and three members of the SLRD planning staff. Unfortunately, none of the other nine directors were in attendance. However, each was provided with a copy of the presentation material and will be receiving detailed notes of the meeting as prepared by staff.

55 written submissions: At the start of the meeting, Kim Needham, the Director of Planning and Development Services reported that 55 written submissions had been received. 43 were in support of the zoning bylaw amendment, 8 were opposed. 4 were seeking additional information.

Some letters were written on behalf of more than one person, including a letter from the president of the Oliver’s Landing strata where almost all 56 households supported the rezoning application.

Another letter was written on behalf of 13 Ocean Crest bare-land strata households who all opposed the application. Some of these residents retained a lawyer to speak on their behalf since English was not their first language.

While the meeting was not videotaped, each of the SLRD planning officials could be seen taking detailed notes and some presentations included prepared texts. Later in the meeting it was reported some audio recordings were being made. However, as one resident pointed out, privately recorded tapes can easily be edited so cannot be totally relied upon.

Claire Dewar, the Furry Creek planner provided a very comprehensive 45-minute presentation outlining the existing zoning, the proposed CD-3 zoning, and detailed zoning requirements. As I listened to her presentation, which included such minutiae as details of the mix of affordable housing unit sizes, I could not help but think about Furry Creek’s most outspoken resident who claimed at a recent Public Information Meeting (one of eleven that has been held over the past four and a half years) that this zoning application was nothing but nice words and platitudes, but completely devoid of details.

Relocation of the Village Centre. Notwithstanding the myriad of details in the zoning application, three main concerns were raised at the meeting. Some questioned the rationale for relocating the Village Centre from a small, mixed-use site within Oliver’s Landing to a site along Furry Creek Drive below the Ocean Crest development. 

It was noted that the Oliver's Landing location was not financially viable. Furthermore, the new location was much more central, and the commercial space can be combined with the community centre and childcare facility, close to the proposed transportation hub, creating a ‘heart’ for the community.

The second concern related to the proposal to replace 170 two and three storey townhouses, previously spread out along the waterfront, with six midrise buildings. Five of these buildings, up to 10 storeys, will be hidden from upland residents by a row of substantial existing trees. The sixth building, which is more exposed to public and private views, was previously reduced from 12 to 6 storeys in response to residents’ concerns. The new plan will also result in more green space and improved floodproofing given rising sea levels.

The third concern related to traffic. Even though the revised development is smaller than that approved by the Ministry of Highways in 1991, some residents feared the development will negatively impact highway traffic and create unsafe conditions on ramps to and from the community.

While these concerns were well articulated, as evidenced by the number of letters, the majority of residents in attendance were supportive of the rezoning. Some noted that for decades, other developers made many promises that were never kept. However, since Fine Peace acquired the property almost five years ago, the company had demonstrated a genuine commitment to the community. Many spoke highly of their openness during the planning process, the quality of the architectural plans, and the thoroughness of the technical studies. Some hoped to see a high-quality five-star resort within the community.

Many were excited that Furry Creek may now realize its original vision, namely a complete recreational, resort-oriented, residential community. Some residents just hoped they will live long enough to see this vision realized. I must confess, I have the same thought.

The SLRD will soon be provided with a detailed account of the meeting and will hopefully vote in favour of Third Reading of the OCP and Zoning Bylaw Amendment at its forthcoming board meeting in September. This will then be followed by Fourth Reading and a start on construction next year. The first phases will include completion of Oliver's Landing, the fire hall, and the first phase of the affordable 'workforce' housing.

Mixed reaction at public hearing for a nearly 1,000-unit residential-hotel-commercial development at Furry Creek