A public hearing will be held on Jan. 23 for community input on a proposed 15-unit light industrial-use development on a vacant parcel on the corner of Gibsons’ Venture Way.
At a Dec. 5 town council meeting, elected officials passed staff’s recommendation to give the first and second readings for the application’s required changes to the Official Community Plan (OCP) to expand the service commerical/business centre land use designation, and a zoning amendment to expand the Light Industrial zone to the whole site, removing the Single-Family and Two-Family Residential 3 (R-3) zone. The property is currently split-zoned. A development permit application for form and character will come later in the process, staff noted.
The latest council meeting followed a Nov. 21 committee of the whole meeting, during which council received a presentation about the project from staff.
The property owner was present at the Nov. 21 meeting and said they had been working on ideas for the property for quite some time. He cited challenges with the shape and elevation of the property. Ultimately, they came up with a “light industrial” idea for a total of 15 units in two two-storey buildings that could include businesses such as a gym, climbing walls, warehouse distribution, retail space, brewery, office, commercial kitchen or filming/production studio. The property owner noted similar developments in Squamish.
At that meeting, Mayor Silas White said he thinks the proposal is “awesome” and asked about access to Gibsons Way. Coun. Christi Thompson also commented on the “beautiful looking building” and Coun. Annemarie DeAndrade voiced her support for the project, saying she believes the town has lost a lot of land for light industrial use and thinks the project is well-designed.
The Advisory Design Panel (ADP) was scheduled to meet on Dec. 6, but due to a change in the meeting time was not able to meet quorum and its meeting was rescheduled for Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. The Jan. 23 public hearing will take place at 6 p.m.
