Pemberton Real Estate Nearing Biggest Housing Subdivision Ever
The Village of Pemberton could soon approve a real estate subdivision that will put 462 units on land adjacent to Signal Hill Elementary School – the biggest real estate property Pemberton subdivision it’s ever had, if it goes through including the Glacier Creek, Gateway Park and Tiyata Communities.

A great article from Pique Newspaper by Jesse F on the new rezoning for a housing sub-division in Pemberton real estate market. The new Pemberton neighbourhood will have three components. Glacier Creek Estates Pemberton real estate community, also known as the “Wye lands,” will be located adjacent to Pemberton’s RCMP station as well as the fire hall and municipal hall. The Pemberton Glacier Creek Estates community will have 139 units in total and include a mix of presales Pemberton townhomes, live/work units and condos. This component of the Pemberton subdivision at the Glacier Creek Estates gets its name from its location near a glacier fed creek.

Gateway Park Pemberton real estate community, which will be located adjacent to the railway near the town centre, will have 222 units composed of a boutique hotel, seniors’ centre, townhomes and presales Gateway Park condos.

Tiyata Pemberton community, the third component, will house the real estate projects’ primary residential component and have 1,010 units for sale composed of village homes, presale Pemberton condos and family townhomes. The word “Tiyata” comes form the Lakota word meaning “at home.”

The Pemberton real estate project has been years in the making, according to Bruce van Mook, a partner in the real estate project along with Pemberton resident and developer Garth Phare. “About a year ago, Garth and I strated talking about doing something on those lands to help with some affordability issues,” van Mook said. “Quite literally I think the conversation was about building a small apartment building that I could house staff in, and it sort of morphed from that.” Following that conversation, the two of them met with BC Rail Properties and secured the opportunity to develop two parcels of Pemberton land. From there they met with Don Nicolson an architect who was working for BC Rail and who was the first LEED certified architect in Canada. Once they started talking with Nicolson, they came up with the idea of having a master planned Pemberton community. “Rather than having three pieces of land broken up into kind of hodgepodge real estate developments, we were able to look at a master planned environment,” van Mook said. “Adding our own thoughts and visions, and being able to articulate that to Don, he was able to articulate that into a fantastic plan that you see today.”

The Proposal for the Pemberton Master Planned Community of Presale Condos, Family Townhomes at Glacier Creek Estates, Gateway Park and Tiyata Communities May Become Reality!
Now that the proposal has been filed with the VOP, it has to pass muster with several agencies, among them the Advisory Land Use Committee, the Pemberton Valley Trails Association, the Chamber of Commerce, School District 48 and the Squamish Lillooet Regional District. Once completed, van Mook expects that the Pemberton master planned real estate project could bring about 1,000 bodies into the community, based on multiple bodies per residence being constructed for family sized townhomes and presale condos. The real estate project in Pemberton comes as just the VOP has approved the Squamish Lillooet Regional District’s Regional Growth Strategy (RGS), a vision that ensures property development in and around the SLRD’s boundaries supports compact, sustainable communities.

Van Mook said at the proposed Pemberton subdivision project already meets a lof of the RGS criteria because it’s located near the village centre and promotes a walkable Pemberton village. “I’m not an expert at the RGS, but I know the RGS speaks to compact communities and communities that are easily walkable, that don’t promote urban sprawl,” he said. “We’ve very much, by the nature of where we are… (meeting) a lot of the RGS criteria or wishes.” There’s a common belief in Pemberton real estate that population will continue to grow significantly, if recent history is any indication.

The 2001 census showed a population of 1,637 people in the Village of Pemberton, an increase of 91 per cent since 1996. It therefore makes sense that new Pemberton homes at Glacier Creek Estates, Gateway Park and Tiyata communities be built in the community in anticipation of similar growth. When asked what will happen to his real estate project if population doesn’t keep growing as it has, van Mook said he would have to rethink the community, but he doesn’t seem to think that will happen. “it’s the marketplace telling us (if) we’re not going to be able to sell everything,” he said. “If for some reasons people don’t want to move to Pemberton, then yeah, we’d have to rethink it, but… it’s a lovely community with growth.” Van Mook anticipates that presale Pemberton homes will be in the ground by this time next year and that pre-sales could start around the same time. “If things go well in terms of the governance issues, then we would be legally allowed to start marketing and talking to people about commitments shortly after the municipality gives the blessing,” he said.