District has unleashed a speculative frenzy in Garibaldi Estates

PAUL KINDREE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 10:56AM

Like many of my neighbours in Garibaldi Estates, I was shocked and dismayed when a solicitation from London Pacific, a property broker, was left on my doorstep.

The solicitation said that London Pacific was, “engaging several of my neighbour’s with the goal of supporting growth and density.” They continued: “Your support and feedbacks in this critical matter is necessary.”

The solicitation was alarming, aggressive and disingenuous.  I checked with my neighbours and none of them support growth and density. In fact, of the 379 respondents to our petition to council, 98.4% have said no to infill and density.

I think the District of Squamish has unwittingly unleashed a speculative frenzy in the Garibaldi Estates by acting upon a revised Official Community Plan that drew a flawed conclusion.  This conclusion was that the larger (VLA) lots in the Garibaldi Estates were intended for farming and were “not being used for their intended purpose and therefore were suitable for infill and densification.”

In fact, the (VLA) lots were never meant to farmed, and I can assure none have ever seen a plow, a farmer or a COW.  Instead the larger lots were supposed to support subsistence gardening.

Of the petition respondents 76% of them have vegetable gardens, 57% have berry bushes, 45% have fruit trees and 84% have flower gardens.  Precisely what their intended use was for.

So it begs the question, Why has the Municipality taken it upon itself to decide if a property is being used for its intended purpose; what metrics they are the using to determine this, and will this now extend to every property in Squamish?

The battle is in Garibaldi Estates right now but it will move to Garibaldi Highlands, and to other local neighbourhoods as well.

See full article at the Squamish Reporter