Pemberton’s mayor and council gave its assent to a development variance permit this week that will allow reduced road sizes to facilitate construction of a 32-home development.
The proposed Parkside housing development at 7362 Farm Road East will include duplexes, triplexes and houseplexes.
The developer said the steep land makes it hard to build standard-sized roads because of the topography. The proposal, approved at the March 25 council meeting, would reduce the width of Sabre Way, the main road in the area, from 9.5 metres to 6.8 metres. The main road through the development will also be narrowed, along with two smaller lanes.
A staff report said the narrower roads would make the project viable while limiting damage to the land and remaining accessible.
Housing remains a key priority for the growing village. In November 2024, council received a housing scorecard tracking the number of building permits issued for 2024.
Scott McRae, manager of development services, told council the scorecard is meant to help the Village keep track of its progress under its official housing strategy. The strategy, passed in November 2024, aims to permit the building of “almost 100 new housing units above the current growth trends,” using $2.7 million from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund.
In 2024, the Village issued permits for four multi-family housing units, six small-scale multi-units, three single-family homes, 12 single family-homes with a secondary suit, and one new secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit like a carriage house. The village also secured 19 purpose-built rental units and 44 non-market housing units.
Grants for growth
Council also motioned to have staff pursue grants for several new projects and amenities.
First up, an application to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund’s (CEPF) Evacuation Route Planning funding stream, “to update and improve the evacuation route plan for the Pemberton Valley, integrating new information and considering social factors that affect evacuation during an emergency.”
An evacuation plan was completed in 2020 through a previous round of CEPF funding. The new update plans to integrate current census data and “shift from a ‘traffic management' focus to a broader emergency management perspective that takes into consideration social factors at play during evacuations.”
CEPF awards a maximum of $40,000 per applicant. The VOP is currently partnered with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, for a total of $80,000. Staff are awaiting a response from the Lil’wat Nation that could bring the total budget up to $120,000.
Council later motioned to support an application to the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities’ application-based grant funding for Next Generation 911 (NG9-1-1)—a mandatory Canada-wide upgrade to emergency dispatch services.
“The existing 911 system was designed in an era of landline telephones and assumes the calls are coming from fixed, known addresses,” read a staff report. “Today, most emergency calls originate from smartphones and IP devices, often while away from home. These changes are driving this historic evolution to NG9-1-1.”
If successful, the VOP could secure up to $100,000 for the NG9-1-1 system.
Lastly, council moved ahead with a plan to apply for short-term equipment financing with the B.C. Municipal Finance Authority to pay for a flat deck truck for use by the parks team. The Village has seen new park spaces open up—notably the multi-modal transportation hub and Den Duyf Park—and needs the new vehicle to maintain service levels.
The Village is seeking $75,000 for the flat deck truck.
Council also motioned to proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, in response to a letter from PearlSpace Support Services Society.
The Society has reached out to Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish to raise awareness of the recently passed B.C. Intimate Images Protection Act and “the availability of the Third Party Reporting Option for victims of sexual assault who wish to remain anonymous.”
