December 12, 2006
The booming Sea to Sky corridor has experienced unprecedented growth over the past 10 years. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is effectively “built-out” with all its allocated bed units within its Official Community Plan essentially constructed. Current major projects still to reach completion include the Olympic Athletes’ Village at Function Junction, the 2010 Sliding Centre on Blackcomb Mountain and the $60 million 2010 Nordic Centre in the neighbouring Callaghan Valley.
The $600 million Sea to Sky Highway upgrade is well underway and should significantly reduce travel time from Vancouver to Squamish and Whistler. The project, being delivered as a public private partnership, was recently awarded the “Best Global Project to Reach Financial Close” at the Public Private Finance Awards in London, England. The Government of BC estimates that increased economic activity along the Sea to Sky corridor will create some 6,000 new jobs throughout the province and the provincial GDP will increase by $300 million over the period of 2010 to 2025.
Squamish has transformed from a forestry/railway-based economy to become the self proclaimed Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada. Recent community projects include the spectacular Squamish Adventure Centre and the new RCMP/Squamish Emergency Program facility, both of which have raised the local standard of architectural design significantly. The Quest University project is under construction and will be open for its first students in September 2007. The 70 acre Squamish Oceanfront Development on the former BC Rail/Nexen lands is currently in master development planning and will revitalize the downtown core through its connection with the waterfront.
With the recent opening of Wal-Mart and Home Depot in the Squamish Business Park, Squamish is slated to be the shopping hub for the surrounding areas. Marcus Leyland, a senior architect with Omicron who lives in Squamish, observes that although the residents had mixed feelings on whether “big box” was the right addition for their community, it appears that the downtown stores are benefiting from additional shoppers coming in to town. Previously most shoppers travelled to the Lower Mainland to fulfill their shopping needs, so these dollars are now staying in Squamish.
For more information, contact:
Norm Laube, B.Comm.
VP, Business Development
Omicron
604 632 1172
nlaube@omicronaec.com
Beverley Attfield, BA
Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Omicron
604 632 4353
battfield@omicronaec.com
