The District of Squamish is reviewing and updating the Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) policy. The policy was last reviewed in 2018. As market conditions change, it is important to review the policy. These changes will guide how the District collects CACs from new developments going forward.

A survey was open from June 8-30, 2022 to collect feedback on these proposed changes. The results from the survey are available here and were presented to Council on October 11, 2022. Click here to view the recording of the meeting.

A summary of what we heard is available here.

What Are CACs:

CACs are cash or in-kind contributions that developers provide to help address community needs that result from population growth.

The District negotiates CACs as part of new development applications (rezoning applications and OCP Bylaw amendments only). CACs help pay for some of the costs associated with population growth that don't have funding through other legislated fees. Some examples of what CACs can fund include recreational facilities and publicly owned affordable housing. Generally, CACs are calculated based on the size of residential development being proposed, with larger developments providing a larger contribution. CACs do not fund infrastructure improvements for a development. Instead, they are meant to help address community needs that result from population growth over and above infrastructure demands.

CACs are different from Development Cost Charges (DCCs). DCCs are charged to new developments to cover the costs of upgrades offsite from the development, such as waste water treatment facilities or new water mains.

Current CAC Policy:

The current CAC policy was created in 2015 and has gone through one major review since then. The current policy directs CACs for new developments as follows:

• Smaller Rezonings (less than 50 dwelling units): Pay cash in lieu of $15/ft². These funds are directed towards critical facilities, child care facilities, and affordable housing.
• Larger Rezonings (greater than 50 dwelling units): Make either a financial contribution of $21/ft² of new residential space or ensure that 10% of all units in the new development are affordable rental housing, plus a cash contribution of $6/ft².
• The current policy also has provisions for cash in lieu contributions of $1.00 per square foot for active transportation amenities and $0.50 per square foot for park amenities (or equivalent construction of park and transportation amenities).
• In the current policy, market rental housing is also subject to lower CAC targets of $5/ft².