LT Wave Holdings’ proposed housing development at the “teardrop” property at the gateway to Squamish will include a large childcare centre.
Details about the Vancouver developer’s proposal for the odd-shaped narrow property at 38310 Buckley Ave. were revealed at an open house at Howe Sound Secondary School.
The four to six-storey proposal includes 104, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, making up roughly 86,000 square feet of residential space. Commercial units will make up about 18,000 square feet of the planned complex.
“We hope to create a vibrant downtown, a new gateway,” said the project's architect Cheryl Fu, at the open house. “This is the right development for the site.”
The retailers will be service-oriented and mix well with the schools in the area, Fu said, adding a café is imagined for the ground floor retail space.
“If you live upstairs, you can go downstairs and drop your child to the elementary school, as well as your other child to afterschool care,” she said.
A 6,000 square foot Bee Haven Childcare centre is planned for the northwest portion of the property. So far the idea is to have at least 24 infant and toddler spaces, 24 spaces for three to five-year-olds and 30 school-aged spaces, according to Louise Warner, of Bee Haven, which currently operates a centre in North Vancouver and has committed to set up on the site in Squamish, should the proposal go ahead.
The developer is proposing 116 residential parking spots and 48 commercial parking spots as well as plenty of spots for cyclists.
As for traffic and congestion, Fu said those concerns have been considered in the plans as well. Students will be able to cut through the development from Cleveland Ave. through a passageway, internal sidewalks will be wide and the road to and from Squamish Elementary will become dual access, Fu said.
The site also has two bus stops.
The proposal still requires a District of Squamish development permit before shovels can be in the ground.
