EJQ3 - Winter 2025 - Journal - Page 37
In addition to residential and commercial property, the redevelopment
plans included a park, protection of the shoreline’s ecological values,
boat launches and safe public access to the shoreline.
Jump ahead two decades and a remarkable transformation is taking place
at this former brown昀椀eld site. The project is called Oceanfront Squamish,
a 60-acre project that is a collaboration between developer Matthews West,
Squamish Nation, and the District of Squamish. A vibrant extension of
downtown Squamish, the master-planned development pushes past the
typical de昀椀nition of mixed-use to bring residents and businesses together with shopping, light industry, o昀케ces, maker spaces, public parks and
trails. The development will eventually bring 2,500 new homes for 7,000
residents and 2,500 jobs to the former brown昀椀eld site.
August 2024, Oceanfront Squamish reached its inaugural milestone with
the grand opening of Sp’akw’us Feather Park. While this major milestone has been achieved, it was not without decades of planning, starting with a strong foundation of community engagement, consultation,
and policy work.
Sp’akw’us Feather Park
At 11 acres and with an integration of Squamish Nation art and culture,
Sp’akw’us Feather Park is built over the newly reclaimed peninsula shoreline. The transition from a brown昀椀eld to new park took years of dedicated
collaboration between a team of environmental consultants, the municipality and other stakeholders. The District formed the Squamish Oceanfront
Development Corporation (SODC) to create a master plan for the redevelopment
of the plant area. Through a community
envisioning process, a Sub Area Plan was
created speci昀椀cally for the Oceanfront
Peninsula that would guide redevelopment of the former industrial lands.
The 昀椀rst initiative of the redevelopment was the creation of a waterfront
park to inde昀椀nitely protect long-awaited access to Howe Sound, and in
The SODC formed a steering committee of land development experts, which
In 2024, Sp’akw’us Feather Park was awarded a Brownie Award in the
category of Restrategize: Partnerships and Community Engagement.
TAKE A TOUR OF
SP’AKW’US FEATHER PARK
E N V I RON M E N T J OURN A L QUA RT E RLY RE PORT • W I N T ER 2 02 5 • P AGE 3 7
