A new sewer local area service has been adopted for Havies/Nestman Roads near Selma Park and Davis Bay, after a property owner petitioned to establish the new service for a proposed 99-lot subdivision.
The previous Sechelt council gave three readings to the bylaw in July 2022, but the Jan. 11 meeting was the first time the new council has seen the application. Staff noted that the application has been on file for a number of years before it was revised last year. The subdivision approving officer, Ian Holl, has issued the preliminary layout review letter, which requires traffic analysis, geotechnical hydrological analysis and more. Staff said the servicing agreement is being worked on.
“We would need this bylaw to be adopted to include this area in our sewer service area so that the servicing agreements can be executed and issued and have the developers start construction in earnest. And so we are moving along through the process and it's not at the end…” staff said. Holl added that the sewer service area is a necessary condition to approve the application, because of the lot sizes.
Holl also noted the previous application for the property, which proposed 66 lots, also proposed a sewer line, adding that the infrastructure has been designed to accommodate not just the proposed lots, but also future expansion to other areas.
“If we thought that it was unreasonable and simply could not happen due to topographic issues or potentially financial issues, we would report that to council. But I don't believe that would be the case here,” Andrew Allen, the director of planning for Sechelt, told council.
Coun. Dianne McLauchlan and Coun. Darren Inkster were opposed. McLauchlan said she objects to such a large development because of Sechelt’s “severe water issue,” pointing out that sewer systems use water.
McLauchlan also asked about Sechelt’s capacity to include current approved development as well as the nearby shíshálh Nation subdivision in the sewer system. Staff said a sanitary sewer modelling and master plan is in the works, but the proposed Havies development would result in an approximate one per cent increase in flows into the Water Resource Centre.
The Havies/Nestman road area is currently not serviced with sanitary sewer, and was not included in the District’s existing sewer local service area. The costs of the design, construction and commissioning of the sanitary sewer works will be paid for by the property owner, Homei Group’s petition to Sechelt states in the agenda. Costs to service each home will be paid by the future owners of those lots, at an estimated cost of $3,000 to $5,000 each.
Aside from the proposed subdivision, around 80 existing residences along Highway 101 between Nestman Road and Selma Park Road will have the option to connect to the new sewer system. Those service connections are estimated to cost between $5,000 and $25,000, depending on the restoration and location of homes on steep slopes.
Homei Group also estimates annual sewer tax revenue from the property to be approximately $920 per lot.
