Even before preliminary negotiations were complete, Metchosin Mayor John Ranns knew there were many ways that the proposed boundary change with Langford could fail.
“Given the complexity of this and the fact that it’s not been done before … there were many things that could have derailed it. I’m very happy that it’s gotten this far,” he said.
There is one less concern in play for Ranns following the Capital Regional District Board’s unanimous approval of an amendment to the 2003 Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) bylaw. The amendment allows for the extension of the urban containment boundary and is directly related to Metchosin’s proposed land swap with Langford and Beecher Bay First Nation.
“The role of the region in this land swap is to consider how the exchange of land from a rural to an urban municipality might impact matters related to growth and development; the extension of services like water and sewer and other regional issues like housing and economic development,” stated CRD board chair Barbara Desjardins.
“This is a unique request, as it is related to the treaty process, and I am pleased with how quickly the CRD and municipal councils were able to respond to the request.”
There were a few concerns raised by the CRD board regarding urban sprawl, namely from Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt. Ranns personally addressed those, explaining that the three treaty parcels within Metchosin will be developed by Beecher Bay if the boundary swap ultimately fails.
“Once I explained to (Isitt) that it was actually preventing urban sprawl, he was okay with that,” Ranns said.
Other directors praised the deal’s ingenuity prior to the unanimous vote.
With that procedural hurdle in the rear view mirror, Ranns sees three more instances where the deal could fall apart over the next couple of months.
First and foremost, there’s the matter of the Jan. 28 referendum.
In advance of the vote, the District held a town hall-style meeting on Monday night, which fell after the Gazette’s print deadline (look for a report online and in Friday’s issue).
While there have been dissenting voices from Metchosin residents, particularly from those living near the boundary shift with Langford, Ranns is still confident that the referendum will pass.
Should that be the case, the proposal will face two more obstacles; securing final approval of the deal from all three parties and getting the green light from the province.
Ranns told the CRD board he expects to get provincial approval because of the plan’s resolution of treaty negotiations, and the tone of his conversations with MLA Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.
In Langford, the City has gone through an alternate approval process in regards to the boundary swap.
“No one has spoken against it,” noted chief administrative officer Jim Bowden, adding that the results of the process would be presented to council at its next meeting. Alternative approval requires a certain number of votes against for a proposal to fail, while a referendum requires a majority of supporting votes for a proposal to pass.
The agreement would free up some land within Langford that is being eyed as a site for an industrial park. Bowden stressed that the City has nothing to do with the creation of a specific business park, but is merely facilitating the opportunity to explore that possibility.
Jim Hartshorne, president of Keycorp Developments, said his company registered to purchase the roughly 300 acres in three parcels of land involved in the boundary changes near the end of 2015, to explore residential and commercial potential.
That led to discussions with Beecher Bay, Metchosin and Langford regarding the proposed boundary changes that include property currently owned by Oakcrest Park Estates, and would allow for a business park that accommodated everyone’s requirements, Hartshorne said.
Keycorp project manager Seamus Brennan, who has been involved in the process from the beginning, said it is a complex, multi-faceted agreement involving all levels of local government.
“It will benefit all parties and provide economic opportunities and tax revenue for Beecher Bay First Nation that don’t currently exist,” he said.
The goal for all parties is to have a final approval in place well in advance of this May’s provincial election, in order to avoid having the process tied up while awaiting a new cabinet.
– with files from Rick Stiebel
