World-class surf park resort proposal for Squamish receives approval

2019 artistic rendering of the South Britannia surf park and community. (Tiger Bay Development)

The Sea to Sky Corridor is one big step closer to being a major surfing destination in British Columbia, following last week’s milestone approval of the proposal to build a massive surf park resort.

Proponents of South Britannia received the crucial third reading green light last week from Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, which follows the highly positive response the project earned during the public hearing in early September.

The resort will be built on the area in and around the large gravel site immediately south of Britannia Mine Museum, on the other side of the mountain. The development site is bisected by the Sea to Sky Highway.

You might also like:

The main attraction, of course, is the surf park, which will be a six-acre artificial lagoon that uses the “Cove” surf park technology by Spanish company Wavegarden. Up to 1,000 waves can be generated per hour, with the machinery capable of creating a wide range of wave types and heights based on surfing experience.

There will be up to 1,050 homes, including 560 townhouses and 490 apartments, with 150 secured purpose-built rental homes — 100 market rental apartments and 50 below-market rental apartments.

Tourist accommodation options will entail a 50-unit hotel next to the surf lagoon, a 30-unit boutique hotel, a 30-unit waterfront lodge, 40 cabins, and 40 glamping spots, which include options in the Minaty Bay area.

To support the influx of surfers, overnight visitors, and residents, a commercial town centre next to the lagoon will provide up to 43,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses, including a brewery/pub. A bus transit hub will be built next to the town centre.

Location of the future South Britannia development site on the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish. (Google Maps)

2023 revised site plan for the South Britannia surf park and community. (Tiger Bay Development)

2019 artistic rendering of the South Britannia surf park resort community near Squamish. (South Britannia)

2019 artistic rendering of the South Britannia surf park and community. (Tiger Bay Development)

A significant portion of the property will be dedicated to public parks, natural parks, and other naturalized areas.

Entering the third reading, there were no major changes to the design; the major changes to the application were made before the public hearing. But during last week’s deliberations, the cash community amenity contributions (CACs) paid for the market ownership residential homes were increased from $2,000 to $5,000 per unit.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized after the decision, Tony Petricevic, the head of development for Tiger Bay Development, says the increased CACs rate aligns with the requirements for a similar residential project nearby in Furry Creek.

Also, the planned 6,000 sq ft community centre adjacent to a new playing field will be accelerated, with construction now set to be achieved in the third phase instead of the fourth (final) phase.

“We are just ecstatic that we’re now five years into the process, from the start of the application to now. We are just happy that we’re through all of the hurdles,” said Petricevic.

This now sends his team toward creating detailed designs of the buildings, infrastructure, and engineering requirements for the resort throughout 2024.

The surf park lagoon encompasses the first phase of the project. If all goes as planned, early construction works with site preparation could begin in Spring 2025, which would lead to the completion and opening of the surf park sometime in 2027.

“I think that’s a pretty realistic timeframe as well, now that we’ve got our entitlement process out of the way,” he said.

The residential uses, remainder of the tourist accommodation components, and other public benefits will be built over the subsequent phases. The second phase also includes major new transportation infrastructure, specifically a second interchange-like access point to the Sea to Sky Highway with on- and off-ramps for both directions, accelerating and decelerating lanes, and a two-lane, north-south vehicle tunnel under the highway to provide an internal direct road link between the north and south parcels of the mixed-use development. All four phases could potentially be built within a 15-year timeline.

South Korea Siheung Surf Park Wavegarden 1

Siheung Surf Park in South Korea. (Wavegarden)

Urbnsurf Melbourne Australia Wavegarden Surf Park

Urbnsurf Surf Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Wavegarden)

South Korea Siheung Surf Park Wavegarden 2

Siheung Surf Park in South Korea. (Wavegarden)

Urbnsurf Surf Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Wavegarden)

In addition to the surf park, other components of the first phase include a skate park, pump track, mountain biking and hiking trails, initial food and beverage offerings, and 20 visitor cabins, which will initially be used as on-site accommodations for construction workers.

“We’re working really closely with Skateboard Canada and Surf Canada to develop training facilities for athletes heading to the Olympics, just so that they can get better and actually compete and keep up with all the athletes around the world, as these crazy facilities are being built all over the place,” added Petricevic.

When Petricevic’s team first revealed their proposal before the pandemic, there were just two surf parks in the world using Wavegarden’s proven technology, with both locations in the United Kingdom. This has since grown to seven locations, including in Melbourne in Australia, Siheung near Seoul in South Korea, Sion in Switzerland, and near Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Earlier this fall, a second Wavegarden surf park opened in Brazil. At least five more locations are set to open over the coming years, including Sydney Olympic Park in Australia in 2024, and Atlantic Park at Virginia Beach in 2025.

The South Britannia surf park adds to the growing list of major residential developments and tourist attractions — including the Sea to Sky Gondola — that have been seemingly spurred by the pre-Olympic upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway.

However, it appears the far larger and more complex Garibaldi at Squamish project will not be an addition to the corridor, with the development company behind the proposed massive ski resort and residential community entering receivership this month to sell off its assets.

You might also like: