Who can figure out what happens to developers when they hit the rarified upper Howe Sound air? First they make nice. Then they make strange. Pretty soon they begin to make really bizarre.
Back in September of '07 Allan De Genova, the marketing manager for Aqua at Coastal Village, told The Vancouver Province the project was "hugely popular with buyers and investors seeking value, location, and solid durable construction It's a great combination of natural surroundings and urban convenience."
Three months later De Genova referred to it as the fastest-selling development in Squamish, a town where "little shops are being sold, made over and re-opened. They are smart and sophisticated and cater to those who live in Squamish as well as those enroute to Whistler; it is all happening here."
Just getting to the place was an "exciting journey", according to one ad for the Coastal Village development: "Don't be surprised if you see eagles, bears, deer and numerous glacier-peaked mountains."
In other words, Squamish was becoming nothing less than a jewel waiting to be discovered by savvy investors and discerning homeowners.
Now, a short two years later, according to Coastal Village kingpin Thomas Ivanore, this little gem of a town is "rather depressing." After he cruised up and down Cleveland Avenue with a couple of investors, he said their main response was "Why would you do anything here?"
Let's face it folks, the downtown has not degenerated radically since '07 when Coastal Village marketers tripped over their own tongues in search of superlatives to describe it.
You have to wonder how a bout of knee-jerk rezoning to fast-track the construction of 55 high-density condos would remedy the downtown's suddenly glaring image problems.
There are even bigger issues here. Should council act like a constantly-shifting weather vane and make decisions about rezoning to simply accommodate the fickle housing market? And should those decisions be driven by the need to pump more profits into developers' pockets?
Down-on-their-luck developers dicing the town won't help remedy a housing market that has been hit hard by the recession. Frankly, this is a classic case of business-bullying by the Aqua proponents, including layoffs, and a heart-wrenching tale of woe, right out of Dickens, about construction workers and their families facing a bleak, cashless Christmas.
Nobody on this council wants to see jobs disappear, but Coun. Bryan Raiser is on the right track by pointing out that he would be "hard pressed to find a reason to support having high density on our estuary. Maybe there is one, but I have yet to hear a good argument for it." According to Coun. Corinne Lonsdale, this would be the highest density in the municipality and "it's not in the interest of the community at this point."
Muni hall needs to send Mr. Ivanore and his associates a short note that reads: "We appreciate and fully understand your predicament, but a lack of due diligence on your behalf does not constitute an emergency on our part."
