Sechelt councillors praised a new action chart produced by staff that gives a snapshot of where developments were at as of March 15 in the district.
The action chart lists dozens of applications currently at some stage of rezoning, subdivision or development in Sechelt. It includes the last date of action on each file and what that action was, along with an expected date of further action.
“I am extremely impressed on a personal basis with the report,” said Coun. Mike Shanks, who chaired the March 22 planning and community development committee meeting where the chart was presented.
“It shows us where things are and we won’t be confronted out in the community now, not knowing what’s happening in different neighbourhoods. So for me this is excellent.”
Coun. Noel Muller agreed the chart was “fantastic … This is more information in one place than I think we’ve had to date,” he said.
Muller noted some of the items on the action list had been sitting dormant for a long time, like Vanta Pacific, a resort development on Ripple Way in West Porpoise Bay that got to third reading in August 2013, but never to fourth reading and final adoption.
“I see here that different phases of that are still with the developer, so I’m just curious what’s the state of that,” Muller said.
Planner Aaron Thompson said both the development permit and the rezoning are being held up on hammering out “the design works for Ripple Way.”
“It’s quite significant and it, of course, also has a stream crossing, so it’s under a lot of engineering reviews.”
Shanks asked about the 170-hectare SSC development on Sechelt Inlet Road, which got to first reading in April 2016, but council later rescinded first reading and asked staff for another report on the project. That move was made in October last year.
“We have a consultant working on the project now who’s reviewing the file and working on seeing what needs to be done before it is brought back to council for consideration of first reading and then public hearing,” Thompson said.
Shanks asked if there was any timeline for that as the “expected date for next action” was listed as “unknown” in the report and “there seems to be some urgency by the petitioners.”
Staff suggested it could be back in May, assuming “the issues are worked out.”
Other developments of note in the action chart include the three seniors’ facilities planned for Sechelt.
Spani Development’s Rockwood Ocean Stories and Clayton Family Lands’ Wesbrooke by the Sea development are both at third reading and waiting on conditions of adoption to be fulfilled by developers before fourth and final reading by council.
The other seniors’ facility pitched by Vancouver Coastal Health and Trellis, Silverstone Care Centre, has yet to receive first reading from council and is currently waiting on referrals to come back to the district.
The next expected date of action on the Silverstone file is “possibly April 26.”
The entire action chart is viewable online at www.sechelt.ca
The planning department expects to update the list once a month and keep it available online for the public to view.
