Qualicum Beach officials have laid out a plan for the future of the historic St. Andrews Lodge.
Luke Sales, director of planning for the town, presented staff recommendations for the restoration of the lodge to council on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
The same staff recommendations initially went before council during the Dec. 9 meeting, but were deferred to allow the formation of the St. Andrews Lodge Historical and Cultural Society (SALHCS).
The recommendations include: bringing the structure up to B.C. building code standards; provincial flood hazard area land use management guidelines; the town’s seismic evaluations policy; and the town’s green building policy.
READ MORE: Qualicum Beach lays out requirements for renovation of historic St. Andrews Lodge
“One additional item I would like to add, is their (the SALHCS) interest in getting a heritage designation for the building,” said Sales, adding it didn’t need to be addressed “at this time.”
He said if council was interested in getting heritage designation, the next step would be to draft a statement of significance with the SALHCS and a heritage consultant.
The BC Register of Historic Places, which exists as a statutory requirement of the Heritage Conservation Act, is the provinces’s official list of historic places that have been formally recognized by the province or by a local government. It is considered a formal recognition to build awareness of the province’s shared heritage.
“The only reason we would look, or even entertain the idea, would be if it would change the requirements that they would need,” said Mayor Brian Wiese, referring to the heritage status designation and the staff’s restoration recommendations.
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While council considered all four recommendations, Coun. Scott Harrison said he believed the B.C. building code, the provincial flood hazard area land use management and the seismic evaluations policy were “hard-wired” and non-negotiable.
“We don’t really have a choice on that. That’s just basic due diligence for a town-owned building,” he said.
Harrison, Weise and Coun. Teunis Westbroek deemed the town’s green building policy “not a requirement” for the lodge.
Weise moved for council to vote on the building code and the seismic evaluation, and requested staff report on any implication on heritage status. Council voted unanimously in favour of adhering to the building code and seismic evaluation and requested staff look into whether a heritage status would change either recommendation.
