The bylaw to allow Peninsula Co-op to build a grocery store in Central Saanich will go to the Capital Regional District after passing third reading Monday night.
Central Saanich council passed third reading of the bylaw to amend the Official Community Plan to allow the development of a supermarket on three acres of non-ALR land on West Saanich Road near Brentwood Bay.
In a May meeting, councillors Adam Olsen, Susan Mason and Alastair Bryson voted against approving the bylaw, while councillors Terry Siklenka, John Garrison and Ron Kubek were for it, leaving mayor Jack Mar with the deciding vote. He opted to defer but made his decision clear Monday night.
“I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he said to a full-house at municipal hall.
He cited three proposals in the history of the district where land was removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve to build. He noted that when Bayside middle school was built, land was removed from the ALR for the school and a nine-lot subdivision; near five acres was removed to build Gateway subdivision. His third example he called a “bailout not so long ago” for a single individual that he didn’t name specifically. The bylaw to allow for the proposed Vantreight development in Central Saanich passed third reading late last year and was preceded by an ALR land swap.
“The Co-op proposal is something a large number of people support,” Mar said.”You can do it for the farmer, you can do it for the developer, you can do it for the school …”
Mar then cast his vote in favour. The bylaw includes a Land Use Bylaw amendment that will be forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation and an OCP amendment that will be forwarded to the CRD, to gain approval, before consideration of final adoption by council.