Overview

The District is working to make Squamish neighbourhoods more walkable by creating small-scale neighbourhood nodes where residents can meet their daily needs close to home. The goal is to make it easier for people to walk or bike for everyday errands, while also creating welcoming gathering places in each neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood nodes are designed to be the heart of the community. They are places where you might bump into a neighbour while picking up a coffee, grab a few groceries on foot, or take your child to a nearby childcare centre, and all without needing to get in the car. The intention is for these nodes to be small and local, complementing daily life more conveniently, rather than replacing larger shopping areas.

To bring this vision to life, the District is exploring changes that would support new or expanded small commercial uses in select residential areas. These could include cafes, medical offices, small grocers, childcare centres, or professional services. In some cases, these spaces might be part of a mixed-used building, with shops or services at street level and homes above, creating vibrant, people-friendly hubs that fit within the character of Squamish neighbourhoods.

What is a Neighbourhood Node?

A Neighbourhood Node is a compact, mixed-use area that includes a blend of residential units, small-scale commercial shops and services, and public gathering spaces to serve the neighbourhood (and nearby areas) for day-to-day needs.

Typically, neighbourhood nodes are easily accessed by foot, bicycle, transit or car, and they function as destination anchors for the surrounding areas.

Why are Neighbourhood Nodes Important to Community Planning?

Neighbourhood nodes are an important component of the Official Community Plan (OCP). They are intended to include a range of services in proximity to housing and transportation options; they offer numerous benefits to residents and the community, such as:

  • Walkability and Accessibility

    More destinations within walking distance increase walkability, accessibility, age-friendliness, and social equity.

  • Efficient Infrastructure

    Services and amenities are clustered, allowing for greater efficiency in servicing and infrastructure.

  • Environmental Sustainability

    Fewer car trips mean lower transportation-related GHG emissions and improved air quality, supporting climate action goals.

  • Reduced Sprawl

    By providing local amenities, neighbourhood nodes help preserve the natural environment and green space by reducing the pressure of suburban spawl.

By fostering compact, mixed-use areas, neighbourhood nodes make communities more sustainable, resilient, and connected, supporting Squamish’s long-term vision for livability and climate action.

What is being proposed?

The District of Squamish is proposing the following zoning amendments to permitted uses that support commercial activites in existing and potential future neighbourhood nodes:

  • Zoning amendment to modernize the Local Commercial (C-1) and Liquor Primary Establishment Commercial (C-6) zones to expand permitted commercial uses and improve the viability of commercial development
  • Zoning amendment to allow for small-scale neighborhood commercial uses on Garibaldi Highlands properties currently zoned residential (R-1) with frontage on The Boulevard.

Policy Alignment and Community Benefits

The Official Community Plan (OCP) calls for creating complete neighbourhoods where residents can meet daily needs close to home. Neighbourhood nodes provide a focal point and identity for each area, while reducing the need to drive for every errand.

Our Transportation Master Plan reinforces this vision by highlighting how shorter trip lengths support walking, biking, and transit. Updating zoning to allow neighbourhood nodes also helps modernize parking rules, encourage walking and biking, and reduce reliance on cars. Offering services within residential neighbourhoods can also help ease congestion and parking pressue in commercial centres by reducing the number of trips people need to make.

Neighbourhood nodes also advance our Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) by promoting compact, complete communities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create vibrant, people-oriented places.

How to Engage

Neighbourhood nodes are about creating convenient, walkable, and welcoming gathering places close to where people live. Learn more about this initiative and share your input on how neighbourhood nodes can best serve your community through the following engagement opportunities:

Frequently Asked Questions

Complete communities are neighbourhoods where daily needs can be met within a short walk or roll from home. In complete communities’ people have easy access to grab groceries, see a doctor, place in a place, get to work, and more. Complete communities allow residents to save time and resources, which ultimately leads to a better quality of life for everyone.

A Commercial Centre is a larger area of the community with numerous retail and institutional services, along with public gathering spaces, located along key vehicle, transit, and active transportation routes. Commercial Centres are generally built in close proximity to or integrated with a range of residential land uses. They offer everyday services along with more specialized offerings to meet a broad range of resident needs, and serve as a central hub for residents of the community and surrounding areas.

In Squamish there are two Commercial Centres: Downtown Squamish (primarily along Cleveland Avenue) and Garibaldi Village (along Highway 99).

Several neighbourhood nodes already exist across Squamish, offering local services and gathering spaces for nearby residents:

  • Brackendale: The Crabapple Café and Brackendale General Store & Café development along Government Road
  • Eagle Run: Bean & Co and the Beehive Salon development at the corner of Government Road and Eagle Run Drive.
  • Tantalus Neighbourhood: The Wildfred and The Galleries developments, containing Garibaldi Pharmacy and Garibaldi Health Clinic along Tantal Road. There is also The Alpenlofts development, containing Atwell Dental and Alpenloft Veterinary along Tantalus Road.
  • North Yards: The North Yards 1 and 2 developments, containing Tiny Tots and Daytime Cycling along Government Road.
  • Valleycliffe: The Backyard Pub and Smoke Bluffs House development at the corner of Westway Avenue and Maple Drive

In addition to these nodes, Squamish also includes two major commercial centres:

  • Downtown Squamish, primarily along Cleveland Avenue
  • Garibaldi Village, located along Highway 99

Over the coming years, several additional Neighbourhood Nodes are anticipated as Squamish grows. These new nodes are expected to be developed in tandem with proposed future residential projects in their areas, including:

  • Brackendale (Ross Road area): A potential node as part of the Cheekeye Development near Ross Road in Brackendale.
  • Helfand Way (Capilano University area): A node envisioned near Helfand Way, in proximity to the Capilano University campus.
  • Garibaldi Highlands (Pia Road at Condor Road): A small node planned around the intersection of Pia Road and Condor Road in the Garibaldi Highlands.
  • Centennial Way at Loggers Lane: A mixed-use node proposed near the intersection of Centennial Way and Loggers Lane.