As the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) looks ahead to the long-term future of Whistler’s original ski village, one underlying theme from recent engagement with residents emerged.
“'Maintain what makes Creekside, Creekside' was really the key piece of feedback I heard,” said Mayor Jack Crompton.
The municipality has been seeking locals’ input on its Whistler Creek West Neighbourhood Plan, a 25-year vision that will be used to guide any future proposed land-use and development changes.
Crompton said the message was loud and clear from residents that Whistler’s need for more affordable housing should be balanced with efforts to preserve the community’s character.
“I think people understand that density, where it’s well served, can really benefit the community. Creekside is an extremely well-serviced location that could absorb additional density,” he said. “I didn’t hear as much resistance to add density as I heard expressions for maintaining Creekside’s character.”
The home of Whistler’s first gondola when it opened in 1966, Creekside has evolved into a mixed-use neighbourhood with residential zones, shops, restaurants and recreational facilities. In Whistler’s Official Community Plan (OCP), the specific stretch of Lake Placid Road between Creekside and Nita Lake Lodge was identified as an area for study for further densification. The RMOW has homed in on Creek West because of its proximity to the Creekside Village commercial area, Highway 99, frequent transit, the Valley Trail, and nearby parks.
“If you look at Vail, Aspen, Chamonix, a ski base with as much uphill terrain, and as many services with as little housing, it doesn’t exist in the same way,” Crompton noted.
While it’s still early in the engagement process, the mayor said “it’s not too early to say that significant density could be a part of Creekside.”
Creekside resident Laura Wallace wants any new housing in the area to be limited to three storeys, and new accommodation on Lake Placid Road to be designated exclusively for staff housing, provided onsite amenities such as daycare and retail are available. She also said parking and traffic flow need to be addressed before any new housing is considered.
“I don’t see this working for traffic flow unless there is more underground parking,” she said. “We already see a lot of traffic congestion.”
Asked about possible improvements to traffic flow, Crompton said he would leave that to the experts at this point but conceded the need to “improve the infrastructure we have in Creekside to deliver additional density.”
The RMOW held two in-person engagement sessions this month on the future of Creek West attended by a combined 150-plus people, and had at press time received 199 responses to an online survey that will remain open until Dec. 1.
Wallace feels the municipality needs to consider different ways of getting the word out to residents, as she said most of her neighbours were unaware of the Creek West neighbourhood plan altogether. The RMOW posted about the recent engagement opportunities on its website, twice in its weekly newsletter, its social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, posters around Creekside, and through two ads in Pique.
“I want to make sure the communication tools provided are keeping people informed,” Wallace said. “You have to hit every different avenue … and figure out where the different groups are.”
Crompton stressed the process is still in its early stages, with staff planning to return in the spring with a report summarizing the public’s feedback and presenting potential land-use scenarios for the community’s consideration. The RMOW is targeting summer 2025 for a draft plan and bylaw amendments, which would precede the official public hearing process.
Engagement has been a thorny issue at municipal hall for years. The RMOW regularly scores low around issues of engagement and transparency, with less than half of respondents to the 2024 Community Life Survey saying they were satisfied with opportunities to provide input on municipal decision-making.
“I think people care a tremendous amount about their town and they feel strongly about what happens in their town, so in a lot of ways I think [the low scores are] a sign of the desire for us to be better. I share that,” Crompton said. “That’s why we’ve started processes like these because we want to be better than we’ve been.”
Learn more, and fill out the Creek West survey, at engage.whistler.ca/wcw.
