The proposed redevelopment of the former Gilligan’s Pub site beside the Trail Bay Centre drew little comment at a Dec. 4 public hearing on the rezoning for the property, which is now owned by 5770 Teredo Holdings Ltd.
The zoning amendment would be site-specific and allow the part of the property zoned “park, recreation and public assembly” to be used for retail and service businesses. The current proposal is for a restaurant and retail store and tenants have already been secured.
“We’re excited to keep a pub in the original footprint, as it’s been a meeting and a gathering place for 34 odd years. We were excited to be able to keep it locally owned,” Paul Meyer, one of the people working on the project, told the hearing. “It brings more vibrancy and workability to the downtown.”
Meyer also said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is ready to approve the plans to close one of the entrances to the lot off of Teredo Street/Highway 101 to improve safety and traffic flow, which the ministry made a requirement of approval.
The developer also plans to change the building’s façade, add new roofs, and “update the form and character of the building.”
The project could come back to council for final approval before the end of the year.
Acorn subdivision
Councillors in Sechelt have passed second reading of Official Community Plan and zoning amendments for a four-lot subdivision on Acorn Road in West Sechelt.
The proposal would create a new rural residential zone, RR-3, that would allow a minimum 4,000-sq.-metre (0.99 acre) parcel size.
The district’s planning department recommended one change to the RR-3 zone as proposed at first reading – adding the possibility of adding an accessory dwelling, in the form of a cottage, for an additional cash amenity contribution of $2,500. A cottage, as defined in Sechelt’s bylaws, is a home of less than 55 sq. metres (592 sq. feet).
When the amendments were up for first reading in September, Coun. Tom Lamb expressed the concern that the cash contributions for affordable housing and other amenities would be too high for a small subdivision and could drive up the costs of homes on the new lots.
At second reading, Lamb said he found the $22,500 ($7,500 for each of the three new lots that would be created) “respectable,” but felt it should be specified how much of that amount would go to affordable housing and how much to other amenities. “Once you say $7,500 per lot, that sets a precedent as we move forward, and I’d really like to see the funds broken down as to how it’s allocated.”
The original recommendations from planning staff also called for the applicant to provide a $150,000 security to cover the cost of potential future paving of Acorn Road from Gowland Road to the western edge of the property, which council opposed. Instead a covenant will be put on the title “to restrict further subdivision and identify the expected service levels for the area around the properties … and ensure clarity about road standards.”
A public hearing on the proposal has been set for Dec. 18.
Water governance
Sechelt council voted Dec. 4 to approve the appointment of Coun. Brenda Rowe to a “regional watershed working group” being spearheaded by the Town of Gibsons to start laying the groundwork for regional watershed management and governance.
Darwin Kutney, the district’s director of operations and engineering, will sit on the technical advisory committee which is being set up to “provide technical support to the working group, create a comprehensive inventory of existing watershed data, Indigenous knowledge, relevant plans and advise on priorities for [a] watershed action plan/strategy.”
The Town of Gibsons proposed creating a regional governance structure earlier this year, as the Sunshine Coast Regional District was embarking on a search for new groundwater sources.
