The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) has officially approved the rezoning and development agreement for the South Britannia master-planned community, a mixed-use neighbourhood project anchored by a first-in-小蓝视频 surf park
During its May 28 meeting, the SLRD Board gave the Tiger Bay corporation's development its fourth and final reading, concluding a process that began more than a decade ago and.
“South Britannia will offer a world-class surf experience, tourism accommodations and new commercial spaces that will create economic opportunities and outdoor adventure amenities,” said Tony Petricevic, Tiger Bay’s head of development, in a June 25 press release.
The approved plan paves the way for a phased development that includes the surf park, a skate park and pump track, 20 surf cabins, and, eventually, up to 1,050 residential units—including 150 affordable housing units—along with parks, a community centre and a maximum of 190 tourism accommodation units.
Discharging amenities
At the May 28 meeting, Squamish Director Jenna Stoner raised concerns over the development agreement’s reliance on external agency approvals for key public amenities.
In particular, the agreement as originally presented on May 28 allows the developer to be “relieved of its obligation” to build certain amenities—like wetland enhancements and waterfront walkways—if required approvals from third parties such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Transportation or CN Rail are not obtained.
“This language is not in protection of [the SLRD], this board or the future community,” Stoner said during the meeting. “Why would we grant them the discharge if [a ministry] decides the plan is not supportable?”
SLRD contract planner Eric Vance acknowledged the worry but said this approach is typical in development agreements where multiple external agencies are involved.
“With all those parties, there's been discussion over a number of years… but all those agencies have said, ‘Look, we're generally comfortable with where this is going, but in terms of formal approvals, formal review of the more detailed work, that cannot happen till after the bylaws are approved.' So there's no reason to believe that any of these agencies will not follow through," he explained to the board. "But we can't, in a development agreement, guarantee that they will approve all these things.”
The final development agreement passed by the Board was amended to remove the conditional discharge of Tiger Bay’s responsibility to deliver the promised amenities. If third-party certification from other governments fails to materialize, the development agreement will come back before the SLRD.
The passed agreement also added “cooking” as part of a list of excluded uses under the new development’s prohibition on fossil fuels and natural gas infrastructure, alongside heating, cooling and domestic hot water.
Opposition remains
Squamish Director Chris Pettingill expressed concerns about a gap in amenities that might lead to new South Britannia residents putting pressure on Squamish services. He noted the development agreement doesn’t have any provisions to offset that increased demand on the District.
Another implication of that lack of amenities, said Pettingill, is that South Britannia risks becoming a car-centric community where residents have to travel for work and other daily needs—contributing to emissions and traffic congestion on Highway 99.
“I think we are designing a car-dependent community at a time when that's exactly what we're trying not to do,” he told the board. “I would have needed to see more employment space in the plans, or a broader plan that includes employment space that matches the housing so we aren't forcing people to commute to the city.”
The board passed the necessary re-zoning and development agreement, 10-1, with Pettingill the only holdout.
A long road to approval
The South Britannia project has undergone years of planning, public engagement, and environmental review. Originally proposed as a residential development, the project gained momentum in 2019 when the Wavegarden surf park was added as a central feature. The surf park is designed to accommodate up to 80 surfers at a time across a six-acre lagoon.
The SLRD gave the project third reading in December 2023, pending Ministry of Transportation approval, which has since been granted.
SLRD director of planning and development Kim Needham noted May 2025 marked 18 months since that third reading. Under the SLRD’s development protocol, if a bylaw is not adopted during that 18-month window, “that bylaw is null and void.”
Tiger Bay has said the project will prioritize outdoor recreation, with a community-oriented commercial district, pedestrian connections and parks at Minaty Bay and throughout the development area.
Phase 1 of the project, which includes the surf park, surf centre with various surfing amenities, 20 surf cabins, and the skate park and pump track, is expected to begin in 2026 and be complete in 2029.
