A public hearing for the Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood Plan is on the way.
District of Squamish councillors might not have been ready to go to a public hearing the last time the plan came to council in December, but it seems now things have changed.
After receiving the results from the Mashiter Creek Overland Flow Hazard Assessment, councillors almost unanimously supported giving the plan its second reading and moving ahead to public comment.
The Mashiter Creek Overland Flow Hazard Assessment
Council gave the Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood plan first reading on Dec. 17, but requested staff to address the outcome of the Mashiter Creek Hazard Assessment.
District planner Matt Gunn said that the study—which examines a hypothetical flood risk in the Garibaldi Estates caused by a blockage of Mashiter Creek—was completed in February.
“The situation this hazard represents is related to Columnar Peak which is above Elfin Lakes. It’s composed of volcanic material similar to [Mount Garibaldi] Nch'岣礱y虛 and in the scenario, material would collapse off Columnar, flow down Mashiter drainage and be added to from the creeks and rivers along the way and create a blockage near the bridge at Paco Road,” Gunn said.
“That could direct Mashiter Creek towards the golf course and the estates neighbourhood.”
The results of the study showed that “most of the water would flow across the golf course and head into the Mamquam River and a small amount of water would pond in the southwest corner of the estates neighbourhood.”
As such, the one metre flood construction level in Management Area 1— which covers most of the Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood Plan area— was found to be higher than necessary.
The recommendation instead is to construct a flood construction level of 0.3 meters.
A brief history
The Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood planning process started back in 2021, and is part of the municipality's ongoing efforts to create blueprints for future development in each major neighbourhood in Squamish.
The plan includes; the supported increase of residential densification between Mamquam Road and Diamond Road, employment and services in multi-storey buildings within the Garibaldi Village and throughout the neighbourhood as accessory commercial units, and additional public open spaces.
From the start of the process years ago, some residents in the area have vigorously objected to the proposed plan to densify the area.
The District’s own engagement on the project showed this clearly.
“A majority of participants in Stage 3 feel the neighbourhood should remains at its current density or see a limited increase in the future. Participants expressed mistrust in the planning process and feel that the proposed scenarios do not reflect input the neighbourhood has provided in earlier stages,” reads the District’s engagement summary from back in 2023.
“Participants believe development will have negative impacts on issues such as neighbourhood character, environmental values, transportation, parking, infrastructure, and amenities.”
Councillor comments
All councillors except Coun. Lauren Greenlaw voted in favour of giving the plan its second reading and moving ahead to a public hearing.
Coun. Andrew Hamilton said he was looking forward to hearing the public’s input after such a long planning process.
“This has been a very long process, and I haven’t even been here for all of it. It really clarified for me a lot of the challenges that exist in neighbourhood planning because we are taking homes that people hold dear … and they see the District planning for changes to their neighbourhoods and I think that’s challenging. But it’s also very important because if we don’t plan these changes, [they] will happen in ways that we don’t plan,” Hamilton said.
“We’ve consulted the community very deliberately, very deeply, and I think that on the balance, we’re making a decision that’s best for both the existing community and the people who want to live here in the coming 10, 15, 30 years.”
Coun. Eric Andersen said the event could be one of the most important public hearings in recent years.
“This upcoming public hearing … will be an important one and in fact, I doubt that we’ve seen such an important public hearing and opportunity for the public and for us to consider our input in a long while,” Andersen said.
“I hope that we can all approach it with an open mind and listen carefully to what comes before us at that event.”
Coun. Greenlaw said she wouldn’t support the motion to show solidarity for the local residents who were against the plan.
“I look forward to the public hearing, but I’ll still be speaking against the motion for concerns that I've stated before. I just feel like there’s too much opposition in the community about this, and I feel that has not been adequately incorporated,” she said.
“But again, we’ll see at the public hearing how the public feels about it.”
The public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 27 and will likely be held at Brennan Park Rec Centre.
For more information on the plan visit the
