A slice of Tamarisk to be sacrificed for Valley Trail: Whistler

Whistler is taking a tiny, 0.391-hectare nibble out of an Alta Lake Road property to make way for plans to close gaps in the Valley Trail and link Function Junction to Creekside.

According to public notices posted at the Tamarisk property at 1400 Alta Lake Road, and in letters sent to property owners, the municipality will expropriate a 0.391-hectare parcel of common property from the Tamarisk strata.

The parcel of land is separated from the main body of the strata by Millar Creek and Alpha Lake, and bounded to the north by the CN Rail right-of-way.

While the piece of land is undeveloped, it is host to some informal walking trails and allows access to the Alpha Lake shore. Though it is signed as private property, it, along with neighbouring pieces of land on the shore, is well-used by Whistler residents.

Property owners at the Tamarisk strata received letters from solicitors on behalf on the RMOW in May, alerting them to the municipality's intentions to expropriate the parcel permanently.

According to those letters, the signage at the strata and on the parcel intended to be expropriated, and a statement from the RMOW, the parcel is part of plans to expand public access to Alpha Lake.

The municipality has previously reported on wider plans to close a gap in the Valley Trail along the north shore of Alpha Lake, with feasibility studies being carried out on the path of the proposed extension and impact on surrounding environment.

When the extension was last discussed at a public council meeting in March as part of an update on works underway, staff said the intent was to set up a "shovel ready" project by 2025 and 2026.

That project would include segments of boardwalk or floating trail along the shore of Alpha Lake and through Pine Point Park, though it is currently in the "conceptual stage," according to staff.

The expropriation of the 0.391-hectare slice of the Tamarisk strata is associated with that project.

According to a communications official with the RMOW, the overall cost of taking ownership of the land for the municipality cannot be revealed.

“In terms of the cost, this is confidential and cannot be shared, as per the Community Charter. The value of the land is based on fair market value as determined by a third-party property appraiser,” they said.

Negotiations on the expropriation are underway, and expected to conclude in late 2025.

Currently, without the link along the north shore of Alpha Lake, users of the Valley Trail turn south at Alpha Lake Park to skirt the eastern shore of the lake and cross the highway at Bayshores Road to connect with the southern portions of the Valley Trail.

Though there is a path that connects Alpha Lake Park to Pine Point Park, it is not acknowledged on official Valley Trail maps as it encroaches on the CN right-of-way. According to staff at the March meeting, it was their intention to negotiate the use of this path as an official portion of the trail.

There is no connection from Pine Point Park to the parcel being expropriated without encroaching on the railway again, meaning that portion would likely be a boardwalk or floating trail.