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Lantzville gets new waterfront park

Lantzville has a new, eight-acre waterfront park, thanks to a pre-planned arrangement with the former owner of the property. The district has paid $1.4 million to buy 8306 Sabre Rd., the largest waterfront property in Lantzville.
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Pierce Woods Marine Park in Lantzville.

Lantzville has a new, eight-acre waterfront park, thanks to a pre-planned arrangement with the former owner of the property.

The district has paid $1.4 million to buy 8306 Sabre Rd., the largest waterfront property in Lantzville. It will be called Pierce Woods Marine Park.

A trust agreement registered on the property’s title in 1996 set out terms allowing the municipality to buy it at a reduced price provided it was used as a public park.

“Once open to the public, in addition to becoming a family gathering place for the creation of special memories long into the future, the park will provide additional beach access and increase our community’s capacity to enjoy and share Lantzville’s waterfront,” Mayor Mark Swain said.

Money for the purchase came from development cost charges and reserve funds, and will not affect property taxes, the district said.

The park will be the second largest in Lantzville, a community of about 3,600 residents immediately north of Nanaimo.

“Green space is a cherished asset in our community and its protection will benefit the environment,” Swain said in a statement.

The Woods Foundation Trust was established by Audrey Joan Editha Woods several decades ago to support local charities.

Woods owned the Sabre Road property, which she leased to the Pierce family, who she considered family, a statement from the foundation said. The Pierces lived on the site for more than 50 years.

The foundation has now sold the land to Lantzville. Seeing the property become a park was long a goal of the foundation, it said.

“The Pierces are delighted that Sabre Beach will be enjoyed by all for generations to come,” the foundation said.

The park is not yet open to the public. First, the district will check for any existing liabilities, and look at whether improvements are needed for access and parking before getting it ready for public use.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com