Armed with a new report he says confirms his long-held contention that that a small university development near Alpha Creek in Whistler can be done in an environmentally sensitive manner, the main proponent of a project known as Whistler U. is launching a new offensive to get the project approved.

Dr. Doug Player, a retired former school administrator who has been leading the Whistler U. charge for the past four years, on Tuesday (Aug. 24) said a 16-page report prepared by University of Victoria geography professor Dr. Philip Dearden confirms that any impacts of the development on the nearby Alpha Creek/Millar Creek can be rendered “negligible” through “state-of-the-art engineering techniques” used to control of run-off from the site.

“These techniques are well known and should not present any technical problems,” the report states.

The 77-acre site alternately known as the Alpha Creek or Zen lands (so named for longtime owner John Zen) have been the subject of a number of development plans over the years. In 2006 Player came on board as a spokesman for a university that he says would both diversify and complement Whistler’s tourism-based economy.

No formal development permit application for a university has ever gone to the municipality for its consideration, largely because of environmental objections expressed by Mayor Ken Melamed and others.

The site slopes down toward the wetland, and while proponents have said they planned to develop only about one-third of the property, opponents of the project point out that run-off from the development would cause irreparable harm to the sensitive wetland.

Sara Jennings, then and current president of the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE), in 2008 reiterated her group’s position opposing the project on the grounds that the wetland would be harmed both during construction and by an increase in human use after the development is complete.

Jennings was on holidays and unavailable for comment this week.

Even before receiving Dearden’s assessment, Player said proponents had three separate environmental studies supporting the view that by developing only 26 acres in the “upland” portion of the site and controlling run-off into the wetlands, a university could be built there with minimal environmental impact.

Dearden, whom Player described as a leading expert in the establishment and management of protected areas, spent several days on the site in June and July and produced the new report.

In addition to segments dealing with environmental mitigation efforts, the report states that a university in Whistler can be a leader in environmental research in support of several of the aims of the Whistler 2020 comprehensive sustainability plan.

As for the potential environmental impacts, “There will be no development on the most environmentally sensitive areas of the site, and state-of-the-art architectural and engineering solutions will be used to mitigate any hydrological impacts,” the conclusion states.

“Whistler University will, though its ongoing research and monitoring, enhance the environmental sustainability of the Alpha Lands and the whole region.”

The landowners recently received the municipal go-ahead to build four large houses on the property and have cleared roads to access those four locations, Player said. John’s son Roger Zen, who has been Player’s main contact with the family, is happy with that news but would like to be able to do something to boost Whistler’s knowledge base and diversify the resort’s offerings, he said.

Player said he thinks the four homes could be incorporated within the university plans and used as housing for administrators and/or visiting professors.

Player cited the examples of Prince George and Kamloops, whose economies and communities have been greatly enhanced by the opening of new universities over the past couple of decades.

He said he hopes to get a development proposal together to present to Whistler council sometime this fall.

He added that Dearden’s report “is just confirmation that this can be done, and we think it would be of great benefit to the community.”