This report has been written to provide a broad overview of the Planning Departments role and to provide insight on the work of the Department in the following areas:

• Customer service and community engagement
• Major policy work
• Development activity for the period 2005-2008
• Goals and objectives for 2009

2008 was a very dramatic year in many sectors. Global economic downturns and the resulting lending crisis saw development slow considerably mid-year. These changing times will allow the Planning Department to shift the workload to a more desirable balance from predominantly processing development applications, to a mix that includes focusing on developing and implementing much needed policies.
Customer service and community consultation remained a core priority for the Department in 2008 with a steady flow of citizen and developer inquiries and consultation processes related to planning policy work. A number of open houses and public presentations, as well as professional presentations were held to inform and elicit feedback on the work of the Department.
As outlined in the Major Policy section, the Department spends a significant portion of their time deriving policies and strategies for building the community. From the Official Community Plan, Oceanfront Planning Process, and Downtown Neighbourhood Plan to the innovative work on Community Energy Action Plan, the Planning Department is currently working on many crucial policies, that once complete, will help to guide the future of Squamish.
Though development slowed in mid-2008, the period from 2005 – 2008 Squamish has seen a drastic increase in the amount of development, both residential and commercial. Throughout this time 2988 new residential units have been approved in addition to over 370,000 sq ft in Commercial, Industrial and built Public Space combined. Indicative of Council and Staff’s successful policy work, the Downtown was hottest area for residential development during that period whereas the Industrial Park has seen the most approved development for the Commercial/Industrial sector.
Looking forward to 2009 the Planning Department will be focusing on the completion of many of the major policy pieces currently underway. The Department’s Strategic Plan also prioritizes community engagement and communication through innovative means, improving customer service through an efficient and effective development process, and managing major externalities such as the Garibaldi at Squamish project.

To learn more about this report or to contact the Planning Department on any planning related issues, please use the contact information below:
General Enquiries:
604.815.5002
planning@squamish.ca
www.squamish.ca
Hours:
Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.