The Whistler Athletes’ Village to provide affordable housing Post-Games

 The Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ Village in Whistler is one of the most tangible legacies of the 2010 Winter Games. Not only is it home to more than 3,500 athletes and officials during the 2010 Winter Games, the neighbourhood will provide much needed affordable housing to Whistler residents for years to come.

After the 2010 Winter Games, the Athletes’ Village will become the Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood, which will be home to a vibrant mixture of residents, hostel visitors and athletes. Decades ago, Whistler residents and businesses recognized part of the community’s long-term success depended on retaining a stable, resident workforce: people and families that live, work and play in Whistler.

Cheakamus Crossing goes a long way in maintaining the goal of having more than 75% of the workforce living right in Whistler. It will also be a model for sustainable living for more than 800 residents.

The neighbourhood is one of only 20 Canadian developments designated as a pilot project for LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - Neighbourhood Development), which sets the highest standards in green neighbourhood design practices.

The Whistler Housing Authority will operate the rental apartments in the neighbourhood, as well as the resale of resident-restricted units. Today, approximately 79% of the resort’s Whistler-based workforce resides in resident-restricted housing.

The Whistler Athletes’ Centre, with its lodge, townhomes and high performance centre will become the epicentre of athlete training and development in Whistler.

Bailey is a loyal Whistler youth centre volunteer

Dale Bailey, 19, is a Whistler local who is making a difference as a volunteer for the Whistler Youth Centre. Bailey is the mastermind behind the Initiative, which has motivated local youth to get involved in the 2010 Winter Games.

The Initiative puts local youth behind the camera on the streets. Youth-led video crews are shooting and editing video to show on Whistler Live! screens throughout the village, while others are learning the fine art of street performing.

The performances provide an air of spontaneity. Whether it’s a breakout song-and-dance routine, or a take-away game of Bingo with mini prizes, Whistler’s youth are entertaining visitors.

Thanks to Bailey’s charismatic leadership, over 100 students are involved in the Initative program. His aim is to ensure youth have a good experience.

“Seeing the kids enjoying the Olympic atmosphere and having fun while they learn skills like filming and editing is very rewarding,” Bailey said.

So far the reaction has been positive and the daily performances are recieving enthusiatic applause.

“After our last performance a visitor came down from his balcony, shook my hand, and said ‘good job’. That felt really good,” Bailey said.

The Whistler Youth Centre Cabin across the street from Millennium Place on Blackcomb Way is open for youth 13 to 18 years old, seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the 2010 Winter Games.

Putting the Fan in Fanatic 

Eight days into the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and Whistler’s central, pedestrian oriented village is a stellar success.

Athletes are giving their all on the field of play, but it’s the Olympic fans who give our community real energy and excitement.
Tens of thousands of folks, from dozens of nations are cramming the Village Stroll, public plazas and patios with vibrancy, energy and passion – just as envisioned by the architects and planners who had an Olympic dream over 30 years ago.

The best part – there are no cars.

“We always envisioned a pedestrian village with a human scale so people are a vital part of the scene,” says Mike Vance, Resort Municipality of Whistler General Manager of Policy and Program Development and Whistler’s original town planner.

Along with Landscape Architect Eldon Beck, Vance and a small group of local visionaries fought the 1970s trend of car-oriented development and proclaimed that pedestirans should rule this place.

“I have never seen the village meet this kind of a test,” Vance said. “When the sun comes out and there are views of the mountains throughout the village that connect to the natural environment around us… you can’t escape the interaction and vibrancy of the place.”

From the live music in Village Square and Skiers Plaza to the free to family, arts-oriented programming in Town Plaza, Whistler Village is chock a block with happy humans, oblivious to the fact they are part of a first in North American resort planning – that people come first.

Share your innovative stories of life during the Games in Whistler at kdamaskie@whistler.ca

Example of state-of-the-art engineering 

Just north of Whistler Village lies a massive project that most residents and guests will never see. It’s a new state-of-the-art debris barrier, designed to protect Whistler Village and surrounding areas in the event of a flood.

The debris barrier is a large steel grill approximately eight metres tall and 12 metres wide. It spans Fitzsimmons Creek 400 metres downstream from the Whistler Blackcomb snowmaking pond. It’s anchored with concrete and reinforced earth retaining walls on either side of the creek.

In the event of a flood, the barrier will prevent debris, including large quantities of sediment, rocks, and logs from blocking Fitzsimmons Creek.

Whistler is currently protected by a diking system designed to protect the village from a 1 in 200 year flood event. At normal water levels, the debris barrier will not block water but it will provide more flood protection to the municipality.

With the new debris barrier, Whistler will be protected from a 1 in 500 year debris flood on Fitzsimmons Creek.