Although the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) doesn’t have the authority to approve or deny it, directors are sending strong concerns to the Crown about a massive private moorage facility proposed for Middlepoint.
Directors were asked to comment on a Crown Land referral for a proposed 232.1 metre squared (2,498 square foot) dock with two 288.6 metre squared (3,106.5 square foot) break-waters during their Jan. 8 planning and development committee meeting.
The dock and breakwaters are planned adjacent to 11329 Sunshine Coast Highway.
“It’s new for the area and not something anyone’s seen before,” noted planning technician Lesley-Ann Staats.
She explained that while the SCRD was being asked for comment, it didn’t have authority over the waterway. All directors could do was forward their comments and concerns to the Crown for consideration.
Staats noted the advisory planning commission (APC) was against the plan.
“The APC does not support this application because of the size, the location, the impacts to the marine habitat, the marine animals. It’s in a marbled murrelet feeding ground habitat area. It’s also in a rockfish conservation zone and the APC feels that insufficient effort has been made by the proponent to contact the adjacent owners in the community,” Staats said, noting she also received 10 letters from nearby neighbours against the plan. “So there have been a number of concerns with this application.”
Gibsons director Silas White said that he found the proposal “rather outrageous” and asked that the concerns “go forward to the Crown quite strongly.”
Pender Harbour/Egmont director Frank Mauro thanked members of the area APC for their work to review the referral and give their comments.
“This has been a complex referral. It’s the first of its kind that I’m aware of in the regional district and it’s really generated considerable discussion,” Mauro said, before moving several amendments to the proposed list of comments.
Comments were lengthy and included that the facility should not be used for commercial purposes, that all eelgrass beds and meadows be protected, that nearby residents be contacted for comment, that setbacks be looked at closely, that visual impacts be addressed and that the dock appears to be larger than the limits set for private moorage facilities.
The Sechelt Indian Band has also been asked for comment.
