Staff Report to Planning, Zoning and Affordable Housing Committee – Centre Mountain (Z17-0005)

Background

Seamus Brennan of Keycorp Consulting Ltd. has applied on behalf of the following property owners with respect to the following properties to rezone these lands for industrial/business park uses and for residential uses in accordance with the plan attached to this report as Appendix “A”.

Table 1: Site Data

• Owner: Oakcrest Park Estates Ltd
  Civic Address: No Civic Address
  Legal Description: PID: 001-703-374
  LOT 10, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817

• Owner: Oakcrest Park Estates Ltd
  Civic Address: 3021 Sooke Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 1, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817, EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP522

• Owner: Oakcrest Park Estates Ltd
  Civic Address: 3005 Sooke Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 2, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817, EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP52253

• Owner: Raymond Mew, Gilbert Chew, Wai Yuen
  Civic Address: 2961 Sooke Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 5, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817, EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP522

• Owner: Ronald Kenneth Westwood
  Civic Address: 2983 Sooke Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 3, SECTIONS 98 AND 99, METCHOSIN DISTRCT, PLAN20923 EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP51472

• Owner: Mew Properties
  Civic Address: 1261 Cogan Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 6, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRCT, PLAN 1817

• Owner: Mew Properties
  Civic Address: 1241 Cogan Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 7, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817

• Owner: 429176 B.C. Ltd
  Civic Address: No Civic Address
  Legal Description: PID: 018-034-187
  LOT 6, SECTION 94, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN VIP54839

• Owner: 429176 B.C. Ltd
  Civic Address: No Civic Address
  Legal Description: PID: 018-034-195
  LOT 7, SECTION 93, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN VIP54839

• Owner: 429176 B.C. Ltd
  Civic Address: No Civic Address
  Legal Description: PID: 018-034-209
  LOT 8, SECTIONS 96 AND 97, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN VIP54839

• Owner: Roberta Hilda Young
  Civic Address: 2965 Sooke Rd
  Legal Description: LOT 5, SECTIONS 98, 99, AND 100, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 20923 EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP52592

• Owner: Ridley Bros Development Co. Ltd.
  Civic Address: No Civic Address
  Legal Description: PID: 001-668-374
  SECTION 92, METCHOSIN DISTRICT

• Size of Property: Approximately 154 ha (380 acres)

• DP Areas Proposed: Potential Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity; Interface Fire Hazard

• Zoning

  • Existing (District of Metchosin): Commercial Recreation 2 (CR2) and Upland (UP);
  • Proposed: NEW Business Park 8 (BP8 – Centre Mountain); Cluster Housing 5 (CH5) and Rural Residential 4 (RR4);

• OCP Designation

  • Existing: (District of Metchosin): Rural
  • Proposed: Business or Light Industrial and Hillside and Shoreline

Site and Surrounding Area

Table 2: Surrounding Land Uses

Commentary

The Province of British Columbia has amended the City of Langford’s Letters Patent to increase the size of the municipality by approximately 154 ha (380 acres) (as shown on the map attached as Appendix “A”). The applicant now wishes to rezone a portion of these lands to a business park zone, and rezone a portion of these lands to a cluster housing zone, and rezone a portion of these lands to a rural residential zone. The applicant intends to develop the cluster housing and business park portions of these lands. The owners of the portion of the land proposed as rural residential zoning has not indicated development plans at this time.

Official Community Plan

As the subject property is new land to the municipality, an amendment to the City’s Official Community Plan is required. This can occur concurrently with zoning. Staff have prepared a draft OCP amendment which includes revisions/updates to all of the mapping in the OCP so that it reflects the new municipal boundaries.

Zoning – Business Park/Industrial

The BP8 (Business Park 8 – Centre Mountain) zone which has been drafted and is attached to this report is a broad-ranging business park/industrial zone based on the two other Business Park zones on Sooke Road (Slegg Lumber and Glenshire). It allows for a broad range of industrial uses. The actual uses for this property are yet to be determined, and will be dependent on site servicing (sewer and water) as well as market conditions.

Zoning – Cluster Housing

The applicant also wishes to develop a portion of the lands for one-and two-family residential uses as well as townhouse uses. The Cluster Housing 5 zone which has been drafted and is attached to this report outlines these uses.

Council may wish to note that the applicant has, through a covenant agreement with the District of Metchosin, agreed to park, open space and buffer areas that exceed 50% of the total area to be zoned for residential development. The applicant would like to have these green spaces, where provided to the City as Park, count as an off-set to Park Acquisition DCCs.

Proposed lot dimensions in the Cluster Housing zone

*minimum of 3 townhouses per lot.

Overall, this should provide the look and feel of larger, estate-type lots, while allowing some townhousing on challenging terrain where clusters of townhouses would result in less clearing and blasting. Overall, development in the CH5 zone would be limited to 312 dwelling units (all types).

Zoning – Rural Residential

A portion of the lands that have been added to Langford are owned by Ridley Brothers Development Corporation. These lands do not form part of Keycorp’s rezoning application, but are sandwiched between the lands that Keycorp does wish to rezone, and lands that were previously within Langford’s boundary, that are also owned by Ridley. Council may wish to rezone these lands to the same RR4 (Rural Residential 4) zone as the adjacent lands owned by the same landowner, rather than adopting the existing Upland zoning of the lands from the District of Metchosin (a zoning designation that is not directly comparable to anything currently in use in Langford).

The applicant has also acquired a right to purchase parts of three properties that are in Langford and were not part of the Centre Mountain properties that were recently added into Langford from the District of Metchosin. These properties are:

• Ronald Kenneth Westwood
  2983 Sooke Rd
  LOT 3, SECTIONS 98 AND 99, METCHOSIN DISTRCT, PLAN20923 EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP51472

• Roberta Hilda Young
  2965 Sooke Rd
  LOT 5, SECTIONS 98, 99, AND 100, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 20923 EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP52592

• Raymond Mew, Gilbert Chew, Wai Yuen
  2961 Sooke Rd
  LOT 5, BLOCK 3, SECTIONS 89, 97, 98, 99, 100, 100A, 101, AND 101A, METCHOSIN DISTRICT, PLAN 1817, EXCEPT PART IN PLAN VIP522

The applicant wishes to subdivide the residential development that exists on these properties (directly adjacent to Sooke Road) and rezone the undeveloped, remaining, southerly portion of these parcels for business park/industrial uses. The existing residential land would continue to have Rural Residential 4 (RR4) zoning. At the present time, the minimum lot size that may be created by subdivision in the RR4 zone is 40 ha (100 acres) unless the property is served by municipal sewers (which these lots are not). In order to allow for the subdivision, as proposed, Council may wish to write an exception into the RR4 zone to allow for the creation of lots that are a minimum 2000 m2 (0.49 acres).

Amenity

It is Council’s policy that development in South Langford should contribute $1000 per single-family equivalent (SFE) towards the City’s Affordable Housing Reserve Fund, and $6000 per SFE towards the City’s General Amenity Reserve fund. Council has, on occasion, diverted from this policy under certain circumstances. As an example, the amenity contribution for both Bear Mountain and South Skirt Mountain were recently amended to $2500 and $2000 per SFE respectively, and that this contribution would go to the General Amenity reserve fund (which could also be used to fund affordable housing initiatives). In both cases the fact that the development would preserve and dedicate 40% of the land as an amenity was presented as an alternate form of amenity.

The applicant is proposing a per SFE contribution of $1000 towards the City’s General Amenity Reserve fund. Council may wish to consider this as adequate, considering that the applicant is obligated through a pre-existing covenant agreement preserve over 50% of the land as park or greenspace and given that these lands never previously existed in Langford’s tax base, and will contribute to municipal taxes far in excess of the one-time amenity contribution.

Industrial/Business Park development is not required to make an amenity contribution per Council’s policy.

Financial Implications

None.

Legal Implications

None.

Options

Option 1:
That the Planning and Zoning Committee recommend:

1. That Council give first reading to Bylaw No. 1674 and 1675 as presented;

Option 2:
That the Planning and Zoning Committee recommend:

1. That Council give first reading to Bylaw No. 1674 and 1675 as amended;

Option 3:
That the Planning and Zoning Committee recommend:

1. That Council take no action at this time with respect to Bylaw No. 1674 and 1675;

Respectfully submitted,

Submitted by:
Matthew Baldwin, MCIP, RPP Director of Planning

Concurrence:
Mike Leskiw, Parks and Recreation Manager

Concurrence:
Michelle Mahovlich, P.Eng, P.Geo, Director of Engineering

Concurrence:
Steve Ternent, Director of Finance

Concurrence:
Braden Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services

Concurrence:
Jim Bowden, Chief Administrative Officer

Concurrence:
Darren Kiedyk, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer

:mgsb