The former youth detention centre in View Royal will continue to operate as a transitional housing facility until the end of next March, although there are conditions that must be met.
View Royal council has unanimously granted B.C. Housing a seven-month extension for the Choices Shelter at 94 Talcott Rd. until March 31, 2017. Conditions include providing security in the immediate neighbourhood and along the nearby Galloping Goose Regional Trail daily from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. No further extensions will be considered unless through a proper rezoning application and the township expects to continue receiving a grant in lieu of taxes from the province for the property.
“I think Our Place [which operates Choices] has gone out of their way to try and work with the community and the neighbourhood and they are showing that again by offering the security,” View Royal Mayor David Screech said.
He said there have been concerns expressed by some residents worried about people loitering around the site and about leaving their homes empty during the day. But, overall, Choices has been a good neighbour, said Screech.
“There’s been concerns in the very immediate neighbourhood of people adjacent to the Galloping Goose trail and a few houses in close proximity. They have concerns about a change in their neighbourhood,” Screech said. “Arguably, a security presence will give them peace of mind and help the situation. But in the broader community [according to] the stats from the police and the emergency responders, there’s hardly been a blip.”
Regardless of the province’s plans for the site a rezoning will likely be needed as the property was zoned for a detention centre and, technically, that is the only use allowed.
Screech said the grant in lieu of taxes is about $150,000.
Choices was opened in March in response to Victoria’s tent city with 50 spaces providing homeless residents with an option of sleeping in tents outside or being housed inside the facility. The hope is that residents can transition into permanent housing.
