World-class surf park resort in Squamish could begin construction in 2024 | Daily Hive

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

The proposal to build a world-class surf park attraction and resort community just south of Squamish promises to be one of British Columbia’s single largest new standalone tourist and recreational attractions in decades.

The vision for South Britannia, the name of the project, is to capture the same type of surfing culture that Tofino has long been known for, almost as if they are “sister villages,” says Tony Petricevic, head of development for Tiger Bay Development.

Daily Hive Urbanized first covered the proposal in 2019, and since then, it has gone through various major regulatory hurdles and reviews. This includes Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s first reading on their application in late 2021 and then the second reading in July 2023. The public hearing for the application is scheduled for September 6, 2023.

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South Britannia will be located right on the Sea to Sky Highway, immediately south of Britannia Mine Museum on the other side of the mountain — covering the area on either side of Highway 99, with remediation of 116 acres of brownfield area including a large gravel site that is currently frequently used by film productions.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized earlier in August 2023, Petricevic says there have been a number of improvements to the concept since it was first publicly unveiled in 2019.

Existing condition of the future South Britannia development site on the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish. (Tiger Bay Development)

Location of the future South Britannia development site on the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish. (Tiger Bay Development)

Existing condition:

Existing condition of the future South Britannia development site on the Sea to Sky Highway near Squamish. (Tiger Bay Development)

Future condition:

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

After receiving earlier input, the project will now incorporate 150 below-market rental homes — an affordability improvement from the original proposed mix of 100 market rental homes and 50 below-market rental homes. This affordable housing could be subsidized rental, workforce rental, co-op or micro-apartment rentals.

The affordable rental housing component forms nearly 15% of South Britannia’s overall total of 1,050 homes, with a combination of low-rise buildings and ground-oriented townhouses and duplexes. The remaining homes will be for ownership uses.

Petricevic says construction on the residential community, including the rental housing component, will not begin until the second phase of the development.

Other changes to the concept since 2019 include the inclusion of an internal pedestrian pathway linking South Britannia’s neighbourhoods and a publicly accessible waterfront trail, the provision of a childcare facility with a capacity for up to 76 kids, and setting aside about four acres of land for a future neighbourhood school and community centre with a playfield.

The overall development will offer at least 3.8 acres of community public parks and playgrounds and 24.7 acres of publicly accessible natural parks, including about 13 acres for Minaty Bay Park with facilities and safe access.

The first phase of the development focuses on building the surf park, which will be an artificial lagoon spanning an area of six acres, using the “Cove” surf park technology of Spanish company Wavegarden.

Starting with the surf park first, he says, sets the tone of the project, effectively establishing a culture and hub for the project’s other commercial, hospitality, and residential uses.

“We’ll build the surf park first. That will generate not only jobs for the area, but we’ll commit amenities to the area. Sometimes, developers promise a sports amenity, but it doesn’t happen for quite some time. We’ve committed to building the sports facility at the start so that it generates more business in the area,” he said.

“We’re excited because there is an opportunity to develop a whole new culture, which will fit within the ethos of the Sea to Sky Corridor. By bringing surfing to the area, we’re checking off on one of the few adventurous sports you can’t do in the area right now.”

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

Revised site plan for the South Britannia surf park and community. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Tiger Bay Development)

The surf park will have an estimated capacity of about 80 people per hour, with the potential to deliver 150,000 surf sessions on an annual basis.

During the winter months, Petricevic says, it could see a short seasonal closure at times, but the intention is to keep it open year-round — as long as the wave mechanisms work and the water does not freeze, with potential discounts for the wetsuit-wearing surfers.

Wavegarden’s technology uses a minor amount of chlorine, but nowhere near the levels of a swimming pool, as the aeration from the constant motion of the water from the waves enables the unheated lagoon to naturally clean itself, which is supplemented by advanced water filtration equipment. If there is ever a need to drain the lagoon, he says, there will be retention ponds that will allow for the chlorine to evaporate.

The machinery can generate a wide range of wave types and heights for different surfing experience levels. Up to 1,000 waves can be generated each hour.

When Petricevic’s team first revealed their proposal four years ago, 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 six locations, including in Melbourne in Australia, Siheung near Seoul in South Korea, Sion in Switzerland, and near Sao Paulo in Brazil.

At least six more Wavegarden surf parks are set to open over the coming years, including another location in Brazil in Fall 2023, Sydney Olympic Park in Australia in 2024, and Atlantic Park at Virginia Beach in 2025.

South Korea Siheung Surf Park Wavegarden 1

Siheung Surf Park in South Korea. (Wavegarden)

South Korea Siheung Surf Park Wavegarden 2

Siheung Surf Park in South Korea. (Wavegarden)

Urbnsurf Melbourne Australia Wavegarden Surf Park

Urbnsurf Surf Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Wavegarden)

Accompanying South Britannia’s first phase of the surf park will be a skate park, pump track, mountain biking and hiking trails, initial food and beverage offerings, and 20 cabins for visitors to stay overnight.

Future phases achieving the majority of the overall mixed-use development — including the residential uses — will take more time due to more complex site preparation and infrastructure needs. Moreover, construction on the residential uses will not begin until a housing agreement is finalized.

This includes the buildout of a town centre next to the surf park — a pedestrian-oriented village with community-serving retail, restaurants, a brewery, and services.

Three overnight visitor accommodations are planned for up to a total of 190 guest units. This includes a Surf Hotel building immediately adjacent to the surf park lagoon with 50 rooms and a Minaty Bay lodge hotel — on the west side of the highway, immediately adjacent to the Howe Sound shoreline — with 60 rooms. The number of cabins will also grow to up to 80 as part of a “Cabin Resort.”

Revised site plan for the South Britannia surf park and community. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Tiger Bay Development)

Between the first two readings with the regional district, the details surrounding the amenities and phasing of the project were hashed out, including the developer’s commitment to invest $1 million in a bus hub to support bus public transit services, which was a direct request of the regional district.

The developer has also been working with BC Transit to ensure additional options for regional bus stops on the highway and are exploring options to provide direct shuttle bus to link the attraction with Vancouver.

Petricevic says one of the most common concerns with the project is how it could potentially greatly increase vehicle traffic volumes on the increasingly strained highway. But the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is satisfied with their detailed traffic impact assessment, which was a five-year process to approval.

The traffic demand of the first phase necessitates only one highway access point to South Britannia on the north end of the site, where the surf park and town centre will be located, while the second phase will create a second larger highway access point to the south serving the bulk of the residential uses. The second phase’s highway access point will have on- and off-ramps for both directions, including accelerating and decelerating lanes, and a two-lane vehicle tunnel under the highway to provide an internal direct road link between the north and south parcels of the development.

Over the years, especially after Greyhound’s exodus, there have been various calls for the provincial government to launch interregional public transit bus services along the Sea to Sky Corridor, linking Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton. TransLink’s long-term strategy also prioritizes the Sea to Sky Highway for new interregional express bus services.

Additionally, as part of the traffic impact assessment conditions with the Ministry, the developer has set aside an 80-metre-wide corridor for a potential future direct highway bypass — a straight re-routing of the Sea to Sky Highway to replace the existing horseshoe-shaped highway configuration wrapping around South Britannia’s southern end. This strip of buffer area for the potential future highway improvement project spans an area of 26 acres.

Revised land use plan for the South Britannia surf park and community. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Tiger Bay Development)

Revised open space, park, and transportation plan for the South Britannia surf park and community. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Tiger Bay Development)

Another major step was the completion of a risk assessment for flooding, mudslides, and rockslides, given that South Britannia is located at the base of a mountain. But the in-depth engineering report concluded there are no major risks or concerns.

Petricevic says the project has earned significant support from Squamish residents and businesses, as well as the First Nation and the local sports community.

“Britannia Beach locals are supportive, especially from the younger side of the community,” he said. “Everyone just wants to see it happen.”

If all goes as planned with the current Official Community Plan and Zoning application and the subsequent simpler development and building permit applications, and other final approvals, Petricevic notes that construction on the first phase could potentially begin in the second half of 2024.

It will take about two years to build the surf park and other first-phase features, which means the attraction could potentially make its first waves for its first surfers in 2026. The cost of the first phase is estimated at over $70 million.

It will take 15 years over multiple phases to build out the entirety of South Britannia.

The regional district has indicated the overall Britannia Beach area — not just Tiger Bay Development’s South Britannia development — will see up to 2,000 homes upon its complete buildout.

The surf park is the largest new standalone attraction within the Sea to Sky Corridor since the 2014 opening of the Sea to Sky Gondola. Other major attractions that have opened in BC more recently include the Malahat Skywalk on Vancouver Island and the Golden Skybridge near the town of Golden.

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