About the Oceanfront

Key Facts

The Oceanfront Peninsula is located immediately south of downtown Squamish. The planning area includes the whole peninsula, north to Westminster Street.

Land area: 32.6 ha
Water area: 32.0 ha
Owners: The Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation, BCR Properties Ltd. and Westmana/MOCD (Mamquam Ocean Channel Developments Ltd.).

 

 



Use: Currently the site is mostly vacant, with some light industrial use. Community events such as the Squamish Equinox Rocks Festival use the southern end of the peninsula.

Trails: The Squamish Oceanfront Interpretive Trail follows the waterfront at the Southern end of the peninsula. The trail is used by the community for recreational and educational purposes.

Access: currently provided by Loggers Lane and Galbraith Avenue.

 


Setting

Its natural setting is spectacular: it is surrounded by mountains, the Squamish River Estuary, the Coastal Mountains to the north, and Howe Sound to the south. The Squamish River Estuary provides a powerful, living opening in the valley floor enlarging the sense of both Howe Sound and the valley. The Stawamus Chief rises from the valley floor to the east of the peninsula. This granite dome is an important first nations symbol and a popular area for climbers and hikers. To the west the Squamish Terminals is an active deep water port shipping mostly forest products, steel, break-bulk, and project cargos.

Geology

Native soils are an accumulation of deposits from glaciers and rivers, and include mostly fine silts, sands and gravels.

Starting in the 1900’s and continuing until the 1960s portions of the site have been artificially created by dredging and filling. The shoreline has changed dramatically over the years.

There is currently 3-5 m of fill over the entire site and loose sand and soft silt to a depth of at least 100m.

A high water table exists over the entire site, so any sub surface development must be water tight.

The Oceanfront land is susceptible to liquefaction in a major earthquake. Development will need to be secured to a solid substrate to eliminate the risk of property damage and loss.

Flooding

Flat mountain valley bottoms are prone to flooding and increased flooding can be expected due to increasing extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

Over the years the Town has built up a network of dikes, pumps and other flood control devices. The dikes and protection features need to be extended to the Oceanfront and upgraded to address sea level rise associated with climate change.

Wind

The Oceanfront land is prone to strong on-shore winds from the south as well as occasional evening counter-flow winds from the North West. “Valley winds are a special feature of Squamish and an important aspect of the Town’s character. Powerful on shore winds in the summer create ideal conditions for world-class wind surfing and gliding. However, average wind speeds are surprisingly low – 3 m/s over the last 15 years.

A Brief History

The Industrial Past

Areas near the waterfront have been used for industrial activity since the turn of the 20th century.
Before the construction of the railway and Highway 99 to Vancouver, the Oceanfront peninsula was effectively the “gateway” to Squamish. Boats from Vancouver and other ports were the primary means of bringing people and goods to Squamish. The Galbraith Hotel was located on the peninsula to accommodate boat travellers.

Starting around 1910, rail lines traversed the site to allow the shipment of commodities out of the community including: forest products, minerals, and more recently chemicals used in the pulp and paper industries.
Industrial uses continued throughout the 20th century until the 1990s, when the forestry and supporting industries declined.

Timeline: Industrial Uses and Subsequent Remediation

1965: Chlor-alkali plant built on the Squamish River estuary by FMC Canada. The chlor alkali plant manufactured chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrochloric acid for the local pulp and paper industry.

1970: A waste water treatment plant is built to treat water used in chemical processing.

1973 to 1992: Nexen operates a sodium chlorate plant and the chlor alkali plant on the peninsula. Mercury contamination of soil and groundwater resulted from these processing activities.
1989: Nexen purchases the chlor alkali plant.

1991: The plant is decommissioned and the Ministry of Environment requires that the site be remediated.

1990s: Environmental Site Investigations are completed to indentify sources and areas of contamination.

1999: Ministry of Environment issues a remediation order to Nexen.

2003: Remediation of the Nexen lands is completed.

2004: Provincial Crown transfers the site to the District of Squamish

Today: A Certificate of Compliance from the BC Ministry of Environment for the applicable land use must be obtained before development can proceed. Most of the peninsula has received Certificates of Compliance from MOE for Residential Use. These areas are deemed safe for people to live on. Remediation of the remaining contamination is underway and much of that is anticipated to be complete in 2009.

The Planning Story

2000/2003 (update): The Downtown 2000 Plan is released, offering a direction for how Downtown Squamish could develop with the anticipated growth of the town.

2003/2004: The Fraser Basin Council and the UBC Centre for Sustainable Communities complete the Downtown Waterfront Concept Plan for the Oceanfront peninsula.

2005: Smart Growth on the Ground and the UBC Design Centre for Sustainability produce a Downtown Concept Plan which builds on the work of the Downtown 2000 Plan and the Downtown Waterfront Concept Plan, and focuses on the downtown. Principles, Goals and Targets are established to guide future planning for the downtown and Oceanfront areas.

2006-present: The Official Community Plan (OCP) is revised, building on the Smart Growth principles and covering the entire District of Squamish. It is currently in draft and is expected to be approved by Council soon.
2007-present: The Dowtown Sub-Area Plan for the existing downtown is completed based on this previous work. It emphasises the form and character of new development in the downtown. This plan is currently in draft and is expected to be approved by Council soon (as an amendment to the OCP).

 

Respecting and building on past work

Squamish residents created a strong public vision for the Oceanfront
through participation in planning processes for the Downtown Waterfront
Concept Plan in 2003/4, the Official Community Plan, and the Downtown
Sub-Area Plan. The vision reflects a leading-edge, sustainable
development on the water that supports a sustainable future for
Squamish.

The District of Squamish's goal for this process - Create the Oceanfront - Planning our Community Together,
is to develop a fully detailed plan that will achieve the community's
vision. We're looking to you now to help evolve the vision further and
define the directions so we can take the next step and make the vision
a reality.

The end result will be a "Sub-Area Plan" (a guiding policy document
that will be reviewed and passed by District of Squamish Council) that
will direct and shape land use, building design, parks and open space,
transportation and infrastructure.

We need to hear from you to ensure this plan is shaped by public and
stakeholder ideas and concerns. We will provide many opportunities and
formats for community input over the coming months.