The developer behind a plan to transform the Sandown Park lands into a shopping centre says response to test marketing is strong and the matter will be put before North Saanich council in two to three months.

Peter Laughlin of Omicron said that while a similar application for the former horse racing track was turned down by the council last year, more details have been provided that should result in a more positive outcome.

“There were a lot of unknowns,” Laughlin said of the earlier attempt.

The plan is to develop five hectares of the 38-hectare site, with the District of North Saanich taking over the remaining agricultural land.

An online advertisement posted by the marketing firm Cushman & Wakefield states the racetrack lands “will be converted to a shopping centre... [with] up to 80,000 square feet of commercial retail, with potential for residential.”

Laughlin acknowledges that while the advertisement pitches the project as a certainty, its fate is up to North Saanich council. “The reality is, unless they’re optimistic, they’re not going to get any response,” said Laughlin. “Elected officials are always trying to get the best for their communities.”

He would not discuss specifics about the plan, other than to say the investment is in the tens of millions of dollars.

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