The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria says selling nearly half its 98-acre property in Metchosin will help fund services to meet the ever-increasing needs of youth and families in the capital region.
The non-profit organization sparked an uproar in the rural community when it announced its intention to carve off 40 acres to sell on the open market, potentially as a residential subdivision.
Metchosin’s mayor expressed disappointment, citing thousands of dollars in tax relief for the organization over the years. Area residents say the sale eliminates green space and undermines what they believe was a long-time understanding that the land, which contains a conifer forest, Garry oak meadows and a pond, would remain in its natural state.
The Boys and Girls Club has used the property for young-offender programs, adventure camps for youth and family outreach services since 1984. It acquired the 98 acres from the provincial government in 2004 for $1.63 million. The assessed value of the property in 2002 was $1.1 million, including land and buildings.
Now, the organization says it needs to sell off a chunk of the property to finance new programs and hire personnel to address increasing homelessness and mental-health and substance-use issues.
At the time of purchase, the organization said, there were no covenants, agreements or commitments placed on the property to keep it intact in perpetuity.
The group added the municipal tax exemption was “based on the merits of our programming for children and youth and was not based on a condition that the land remain in its current configuration in perpetuity.”
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria supports between 1,200 and 1,600 families a year at several locations across the region, providing everything from after-school care to drop-in centres, shelters, counselling services and programs to assist young mothers and babies.
The society’s executive director, Dalyce Dixon, said in an interview Thursday that pressures affecting youth and families are only being amplified as the region deals with losses and the effects of isolation during and after the pandemic.
“We have a role to play, and it’s always changing, in helping families and youth in the region,” she said.
The club has not yet listed the property for sale, nor suggested a selling price, but it has hired Devoncore as its agent. The organization said it will not be a partner in any potential development.
The 40-acre parcel is zoned for residential use, with lot sizes set at five acres each, allowing a maximum of eight homes. The proposal to sever the parcel can bypass council and go directly to the municipality’s chief administrative officer for approval. It isn’t immediately clear when that might happen, although the club hopes council will endorse it.
The Boys and Girls Club said it has been upfront about its decision to sell off a portion of the property, alerting Metchosin council of the plan early in 2020 and again last September when discussing tax credits on the property.
The non-profit said that in recent years, adventure and summer-camp options for children and youth across the region have grown exponentially, and it has been increasingly difficult to attract children and youth to Metchosin’s outdoor adventure programs.
“Our Metchosin club is our only location that is no longer at capacity, unlike our other programs that have considerable waitlists,” the organization said.
Rebecca Lang, president of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria, said in a statement to the Times Colonist that the non-profit plans to continue to offer programming in Metchosin on the remaining land. “We hope people will look at our long track record of serving the community and see that we are, as always, putting the needs of the region’s young people first.”
Lang said demand for support is at record levels across the region.
Some Metchosin residents are not happy with the proposal to sell off the 40 acres — two petitions circulating on social media urge council to reject it.
They say Metchosin’s park and trail systems are already under strain from the growing populations of Colwood and Langford, and once green space is developed, it’s gone for good.
Dixon pointed out that the non-profit’s only goal is to get market value for its land to finance programs, and the land does not have to be redeveloped. There have been suggestions that the Capital Regional District or Metchosin could buy it as a park, or it could be acquired by the Land Conservancy of B.C.
Of the 58 acres that will remain with the organization, 48 are in the Agricultural Land Reserve, while the rest is zoned for institutional use. The club said it has no current plans to utilize that zoning for any new infrastructure.
The Boys and Girls Club receives funding from all levels of government.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
