With the Senakw high-density rental housing project in Vancouver now well underway in its construction ascent, the Squamish Nation is increasingly turning its attention toward identifying how to realize new major developments at its other reserves.
In March 2023, the First Nation publicly announced its strategy to conduct an urban planning exercise to create development master plans at five reserve sites across the South Coast of BC.
This week, the First Nation announced it has reached a milestone in the planning process. The Squamish Nation Council has identified and approved land uses for three major reserve sites in North Vancouver and the Sea to Sky Corridor.
This represents an approval of the first major step for the planning work at these three reserve sites.
Future stages of the planning process will better determine more of the technical aspects of the land use strategy of each of the three sites, such as whether Senakw-sized developments could be established on the North Shore.
For the Ch’ich’élx̱wí7ḵw (Seymour) reserve site in North Vancouver within the area of the northern end of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, the future land uses will focus on “economic development” uses for the industrial parcel with direct Burrard Inlet waterfront access and immediate adjacency to the bridge.
Housing and “economic development” uses would be pursued for the other large parcels of the Seymour reserve site northeast of the TransLink’s Phibbs bus exchange.
“This future community will become a significant economic driver for the Nation with market residential, Nation housing, commercial uses and dedicated communal and spiritual spaces. Redevelopment of the site will aim to renew and restore its environmental connections, through the clean-up of contaminated areas and the reconfiguration back to the water,” states the preliminary plan for the Seymour reserve.
“This village holds great cultural significance and includes areas that must be protected and kept private. The future of the site will aim to strike a balance between economic opportunities and the respect required for its important cultural spaces and the privacy necessary to uphold our practices.”
Ch’ich’élx̱wí7ḵw (Seymour) reserve site, October 2024 concept. (Perkins&Will/PWL/Modern Formline Design/Ginger Gosnell Myers/Livable City Planning/Bunt & Associates)
Marine Drive – Xwmélch’sten (Capilano) reserve site, October 2024 concept. (Perkins&Will/PWL/Modern Formline Design/Ginger Gosnell Myers/Livable City Planning/Bunt & Associates)
As for the Xwmélch’sten (Capilano) reserve site — a narrow strip of land along Marine Drive situated just southeast of the Lions Gate Bridge’s north interchange — there will be mixed-use market residential developments, housing for First Nation members, and a new administrative and community service centre.
TransLink’s plans for a new rapid transit route serving the North Shore and linking with Metrotown in Burnaby would likely open up more development possibilities for the Squamish Nation, with the public transit authority proposing the interim strategy of bus rapid transit (BRT) and the possibility of an upgrade to light rail transit (LRT) or SkyTrain over the long term. Furthermore, a potential new Second Narrows crossing over the coming decades to replace the aging Ironworkers Memorial Bridge is another key consideration.
The third major reserve site under the current planning milestone is Stá7mes, which is bisected by the Sea to Sky Highway within Squamish — located on the east side of the Mamquam Channel across from downtown Squamish, with direct waterfront access.
Stá7mes will focus on First Nation community and housing uses, including an “Elders Village.”
Stá7mes reserve site in Squamish, October 2024 concept. (HCMA/Sky Spirit Studio & Urbanics)
“Over the past year and a half, we have extensively engaged with our People on this work, from Community Working Group meetings to community events, Council meetings, and Elders luncheons,” shares Wilson Williams, Council member and spokesperson of the Squamish Nation, in a statement.
“Redevelopment of Nation lands benefits Squamish People and the greater region; it advances the Nation’s economic autonomy and ability to support new Nation needs. A Nation-led planning process advances our self-determination and right to self-governance.”
To create these land use plans, the First Nation contracted a number of consultancy firms to form multidisciplinary teams to consider a wide range of design, economic, transportation, geotechnical, and environmental factors, including Perkins&Will, HCMA, Sky Spirit Studio & Urbanics, PWL, Modern Formline Design, Ginger Gosnell Myers, Livable City Planning, and Bunt & Associates.
The planning work is also ongoing for the remaining two sites, entailing the second site through acquisition in the Squamish Valley and the Ch’ḵw’elhp reserve in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. Excluding the second site in Squamish, the First Nation’s four reserve sites under the planning strategy have a combined total land area size of about 350 acres.
Additionally, the First Nation has indicated it will extend a self-imposed moratorium on unsolicited third-party proposals for partnerships to redevelop their reserve sites. This moratorium first began in early 2023 and will be extended through April 1, 2025.