Build confidence and solve the traffic and parking problems.
That’s the message sent to Port Side Marina owner Dale Cotton as Central Saanich declined his application to expand and redevelop the Brentwood Bay marina.
“If parking can be addressed, I would look at some aspects of the proposal,” said councillor John Garrison, just prior to council’s unanimous decision to deny the application.
About 70 people filled the fire training centre hall during the public committee meeting of council to consider the proposal Monday night (Sept. 12). While some were in support, many residents of the neighbourhood known as Moodyville, spoke against the proposal, with traffic and parking being a primary concern.
Many a council member said they’d visited the site, including Saunders and Norman lanes, recently to scope out the situation. Most commended many ideas behind the proposed redevelopment, but couldn’t come to grips with the traffic and parking aspects. Committee chair Alastair Bryson said he sat there and had a coffee, reading his agenda, the morning of the meeting.
“The proponent has done a significant amount of studies and homework,” Bryson said, noting that the goodwill factor with neighbours just isn’t there.
The proposal was to expand the existing pier and replace the mooring floats with new docks anchored by piles, and open it to the public. The marina would extend westward fronting Saunders Lane and accommodate larger vessels. A series of smaller commercial buildings and floating commercial enterprises would include studio, retail and food services space. The reconfiguration of docks would allow for 49 slips, of which 15 were to be allotted as live-aboard which would also have required rezoning as an allowable use. The live-aboards were referred to as an affordable housing portion to the proposal. Upgrades to showers, laundry and new storage lockers for kayak gear were also included.
Parking in the proposal showed 30 sites on Saunders Lane and rezoning of a property on Norman Lane from residential to commercial to allow for a second lot. Cotton explained the lot was purchased to mitigate foreseen parking concerns.
The application described how marina owners would take an active role in managing the parking.
“I will be able to monitor, regulate, enforce (parking),” he said.
Bryson suggested the owner, with the project denied, move forward with some of the parking management such as drawing lines and assigning spaces to build the confidence of neighbours. “This is some work that could be done with the current configuration,” he noted.
The concern of confidence was one presented by resident Patrick McLaren earlier in the meeting.
“We have a problem with cars in Moodyville,” he said in starting his short presentation that included three concerns.
The second was also vehicular in nature, with a residential lot becoming a car park, the worry is that the “quaint” Moodyville style homes would go down in value.
The third was the confidence concern.
“The present owner has seemingly antagonized residents,” he said, pointing to garbage and car concerns. “There is a lack of confidence (among) Moodyville residents.”
Cotton noted that the garbage system at Port Side Marina was recently changed to a tote system so a large garbage truck isn’t required to access the lanes in the area.
Resident boat owners were also among the crowd to support increased services in the community.
“I’m concerned about the lack of facilities in this area,” said Dennis Watkins, also a Central Saanich resident. While he would like to see community run facilities, Watkins noted that’s not likely to happen. Changing his hobby to tennis, cycling or water sliding aren’t considerations for him, he said, though the district has funded those ventures recently.
“I’m not asking for one dollar of taxpayer money,” he said. “The bay is going to fill up with boats … the car parking is going to be spread out on every nook and cranny in Brentwood Bay.”
Central Saanich council unanimously denied the application.