Saanich hopes to expand Blenkinsop Lake Park after purchasing a 13-hectare parcel of land last year.
The park and trail system would connect the Beckwith Park neighbourhood to the Lochside Regional Trail, said Mayor Frank Leonard, following council’s approval of the plan on Monday.
The proposal also includes adding a portion of the property to the Agricultural Land Reserve, to be forwarded as an application to the Agricultural Land Commission later this month.
“We’ve had this proposal on the books at least 30 years,” Leonard said. “My predecessor flew over top of this property to figure this out. But we never had the right landowner.”
The Mann family sold the parcel to Saanich in 2013 after the municipality promised to expand the park and build trail connections around ALR property.
A 1.6-hectare Garry oak ecosystem would also be protected under the proposal, and an area would be designated as protected wildlife and bird reserve.
For more information, see saanich.ca and click on agendas and minutes.
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