Squamish nation’s Kitsilano development promises to be transformative
The Squamish Nation’s proposed 6,000-unit housing development for Kits Point promising
Randy Shore
The Vancouver Sun
The Squamish Nation’s proposed 6,000-unit housing development for Kits Point promises to be transformative for the band’s members, the city and even local schools.
“Lots of our members are interested in housing options at the site, both in rental and strata ownership,” said Squamish Coun. Khelsilem. Up to 200 units could be set aside for nation members.
Several dozen Squamish Nation members attended the first of eight open houses on Thursday, many of them armed with questions about how the Senakw development will affect their future.
About 3,000 Squamish members are eligible to vote in a referendum administered by Indigenous Services Canada on Dec. 10 to decide whether to proceed with the $3-billion project.
The nation has already let the ministry of education know that Squamish families will likely move into the project and that their children should be considered in any plans to upgrade local schools, he said.
“Henry Hudson Elementary is due for an upgrade, but if they are going to build a new school, the province should work with us,” said Khelsilem. “Indigenous people have the right to have control over the education of our children.”
Senakw will offer mainly rental units and “no more than 30 per cent” strata-titled homes.
“That decision will be made as we evaluate the market, as each phase is built,” he said. “That will allow us to adjust to what the market has an appetite for, so we won’t lock ourselves into those decisions.”
The entire project could take 20 years to build.
Senakw is proposed as a 50-50 partnership between the nation and developer Westbank, and its rental-heavy mix is designed to generate long-term revenue.
“There were some questions about the partnership with Westbank and how we came to that split,” he said. “People were interested in how the revenue would be spent once it starts coming in and what the process would be in making those decisions.”
Attendees were also interested in the nation’s efforts to secure jobs for their members in the construction and operation of the development, “which has been a part of the conversation with Westbank from the beginning.”
People were generally supportive of the size and design of the project, sentiments that were generally echoed in the larger community and the media, he said.
“This is a story about land-use and city-making decisions, but it’s also about the expanding power of First Nations in our territory,” said Khelsilem.
The Squamish were forcibly removed from the site of the project in 1913 and won the land back through a lengthy legal battle.
“The media covered some of the high-level concepts around the density and parking, things that people are concerned about,” he said. “People understand this isn’t a typical development, it’s a First Nations government taking control of that land and doing it for the benefit of an Indigenous community.”
More open houses are scheduled for Seattle and locations around southwestern B.C. in the coming weeks, including sessions for youth and elders and a Facebook Live interactive event.
If the referendum is successful, the nation will begin consultations with the neighbouring community next year.
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