Login / RegisterSea to Sky Gondola rezoning gets second reading at Squamish-Lillooet Regional District
A proposal to build a sightseeing gondola through Stawamus Chief Provincial Park in Squamish has taken another step forward in the approvals process.
On Monday (March 26), the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board of directors gave the second of four required readings to rezoning and official-community-plan-amendment bylaws needed for the gondola's upper terminal.
The SLRD board also voted to schedule a public hearing, which will take place at the Britannia Beach Community Centre (60 Copper Drive) on April 19, starting at 7 p.m.
Sea to Sky Gondola Corp. is proposing to construct a gondola rising 820 metres from a base between the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls to the ridge northwest of Mount Habrich. The project would see a two-hectare corridor—one kilometre long and 20 metres wide—removed from the Class A provincial park and reclassified as a protected area.
According to SLRD planner Ian Holl, the proposed bylaws could come back for third reading at the board's April 23 meeting. Then SLRD directors could consider giving final approval as early as their meeting on May 28.
In February, the District of Squamish gave the go-ahead to the gondola project, which still requires approvals from the B.C. government for Crown land tenure and the park-boundary change.
Sea to Sky hopes to start construction in the fall and open the gondola in summer 2013.
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