Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Mountain Town News


By ALLEN BEST - MTN TOWN NEWS SERVICE

Whistler Olympics nab 'offset' sponsor

WHISTLER, B.C. --- Organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler will be claiming that direct emissions caused by the event will be carbon free, at least in spirit, and contribute toward offsetting indirect emissions from air travel.

The foundation for this claim will be the purchase of carbon offsets through a British Columbia-based firm called Offsetters, which intends to create a portfolio of projects that will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases elsewhere.

Some of the projects include installation of fuel-cell technology in transit buses, energy efficient systems and biomass gasification, reports Pique Newsmagazine.

Such claims will no doubt be viewed with skepticism by some students of offsets. One study coming out of Stanford University last year found that even two-thirds of well-vetted high-quality offsets failed to measure up to their claims.

Olympic organizers, however, insist that all projects in the portfolio will be "high-quality offsets" consistent with the standards applied by the new greenhouse regulations applied by the British Columbia provincial government. As such, they are designed to meet or exceed the highest international standard for carbon accounting and offsetting.

Growing Banff looks for denser housing

BANFF, B.C. -- Unable to expand, because it is an inholding within Banff National Park, the community of Banff has been looking to increase density as a way of accommodating its 8,000 residents, with more babies being born all the time. The community's birthrate has been 25 percent higher than the national average.

The town staff has many ideas, including reduced setbacks from lot lines, which would in turn accommodate larger buildings and, in some cases, secondary apartments or even small cabins of 300 to 900 square feet. One proposal calls for up to 40 percent of a lot's space being occupied by buildings, compared to the current cap of 30 percent. Building height in some areas would be increased, such as from two stories to two-and-a-half stories.

Those taking up more lot space would also need to take certain mitigating measures, such as creating porous parking surfaces, which allow runoff to better percolate through the soil instead of creating more runoff into the Bow River.

Taking stock of these proposals, the Rocky Mountain Outlook likes what it hears. With so much public elbow room available in the surrounding national park, the paper argues, individuals shouldn't need that much personal space.

Whistler hunts for real estate's bright side

WHISTLER, B.C. -- Real estate sales have been down 35 to 60 percent in Whistler this year, and those sales that have occurred typically have been for less than last year. For example, the price of chalets declined 9.5 percent and townhomes 32 percent.

But agents tell Pique newsmagazine that they find room for optimism. "Things are starting to improve," said Drew Meredith, a former mayor.

Part of the optimism comes from the real estate scene in Vancouver, 115 kilometers, or 71 miles, to the south. There, sales volume has been up, even if housing prices have come down.




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