SODC Planned its Own Gondola

By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: May 11, 2013

It was the Big Idea that wasn’t, at least not in the way Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) initially thought.

SODC was planning its own gondola, one that would connect the Oceanfront to the second peak of the Squamish Chief Mountain or to the Shannon Falls Overlook, documents obtained by the Reporter reveal.

“A gondola was certainly one of the ideas we discussed, but we finally decided it won’t be feasible,” SODC chair Bill McNeney told the Reporter last year.

Still, SODC was serious enough to do a detailed feasibility study on the gondola, even breaking down the capital costs ($14-16 million), and estimating yearly revenues ($6 million gross).  

In 2009, the board talked about bringing forward a ‘BIG IDEA’ to Squamish.

They talked about an iconic “natural” attraction on the site that could be a “must-see” or a “must-do” attraction for tourists when they visit Squamish.

“This could be a facility, a place, or an event. Let’s try and provide the answer for, “The Squamish Oceanfront is famous for…”

As an answer, more than a dozen attractions were debated: West Coast Marine Exhibit, Great Wolf Oceanfront Park, Zipline from the Malamute, Giant Eagle Monument, a permanent marine film set, Goats on the Roof, and then finally, a gondola up to the Chief.

SODC finally settled on the gondola proposal, and paid for a feasibility study, conducted for nearly $15,000.

The study proposed an aerial route from the Oceanfront to the pedestrian bridge on the west side of the Highway.

Visitors would then walk to the base station, take a gondola up to the second peak of the Chief, or up to the Shannon Falls overlook.

The current gondola proponents, David Greenfield and Trevor Dunn, were working for SODC in 2009 when the idea was first proposed.

Dunn, however, says a clear distinction must be made between the gondola proposed by SODC and the current, private proposal put forward by him and Greenfield.

“This is a completely different proposal and we are quite proud of it,” Dunn says.

McNeney agrees, saying the board issued a letter to the duo, agreeing they don’t see any ‘conflict of interest’ in their plans.

SODC chair Bill McNeney said the gondola proposal was rejected by SODC because it was considered financially unviable.

For one, charting a route over the power lines along Loggers Lane would have posed a practical and an expensive problem, McNeney said.

There was also the issue of clearance over the Mamquam Blind Channel, exposure to high winds, and the prohibitive cost of a tramway type lift from the Oceanfront.

“It seemed like a good idea, but it didn’t work out in the end,” McNeney added.