Former Sechelt mayor John Henderson was back in the council chamber April 18, the first time since his 2014 election loss, to offer a critique of the proposed Spectrum of Care official community plan (OCP) amendment, which was up for public hearing.
The push to add Spectrum of Care definitions and rules in the OCP came, in part, out of the Trellis Seniors Services application to build a long-term care home on Derby Road, in a residential zone, and at least two other developments targeted at seniors that offered various levels of assisted living and support.
The Trellis proposal remains an active file, despite an announcement earlier this year that the company was going to work with the shíshálh Nation to build the facility on band lands. One other proposal, Wesbrooke by the Sea, has since been withdrawn.
The OCP amendment will add policies on where care facilities should be built.
It says, “Medium to large scale Spectrum of Care facilities should be located near transit, recreational opportunities, and other services, such as shopping and medical centres. Ideally, a Spectrum of Care facility should be integrated with transit, recreational opportunities, and other services, such as shopping and medical centres” and “small scale Spectrum of Care facilities serving a limited amount of clients are supported in the residential land use designation or where they can be sensitively integrated in existing buildings.”
Henderson, who was the only person who spoke at length at the hearing, opened by explaining he has a personal interest in the OCP change because his 89-year-old parents are in failing health and he’s been looking into facilities for them.
“They need, and many people in this community of Sechelt need, a much better availability of care. I’ve been looking for two years in Vancouver … and I’m here to tell you that based on those findings, this OCP amendment is flawed,” Henderson said. “It fails to consider the practical requirements for creating things that people like my parents and so many others need now and in the future.”
He said those requirements include affordable land, reasonable construction costs and the need to be able to operate sustainably.
Henderson also said he thought the focus on having facilities in or close to downtown was unnecessary, as most facilities should be in other settings, and pointed out that most of the facilities he looked into in Vancouver were residential neighbourhoods.
“I don’t understand why the staff report proposes that areas, including the eastern edge of Sechelt as far as Camp Olave, are considered acceptable locations, while properties in East Porpoise Bay are not mentioned,” he said.
According to Henderson, a better approach would be to allow developers decide where they wanted to build a facility and treat each application on its merits.
“This is too complicated, too complex an area for a simple sweeping analysis. We need to be ready to adopt and accept different solutions,” he said. “Being overly proscriptive now about where it’s permissible, particularly based on size of the facility only, will prevent the best and most creative options from being brought forward.”
Although few people spoke at the public hearing, the district has received several written submissions.
The Spectrum of Care OCP amendment will likely come back to council for final adoption in May.
