A public hearing to consider amending a Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) bylaw for the BC Ferries terminal at Langdale is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Eric Cardinal Hall in West Howe Sound.
On Jan. 11, at the first SCRD planning and community development meeting of 2018, directors met to hear recommendations from a staff report by David Rafael, SCRD senior planner, in regards to amending the bylaw, which would see four lots at the Langdale ferry terminal property amalgamated.
Last year, BC Ferries submitted a rezoning application that would allow for the creation of a Marine Transportation Zone by consolidating four lots at the terminal. Doing so would allow for storage of marine vessels, emergency float plane and helicopter services, a transportation centre for foot passengers and cyclists, retail and food services including mobile vendors, parking and a park area.
The staff report read at the Jan. 11 meeting included BC Ferries’ request to remove “vessel personnel accommodation” as a permitted use from the zoning amendment. SCRD staff suggested that before the board considers the adoption of the zoning amendment, BC Ferries’ use of part of the parcel for parking, as well as access to the Langdale Well, be resolved.
Water for the terminal comes from the Langdale reservoir, and the supply is metered. The Langdale Well is located on land in the overflow parking area, which is why the staff report recommends the SCRD and BC Ferries establish an access agreement. By linking the agreement to the rezoning amendment, staff said the issue could be resolved more quickly.
The staff report also recommended removing the lease area that contains overflow parking, which is owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, from the rezoning based on the ministry’s stated interests in the land.
During the meeting, Roberts Creek director Mark Lebbell raised concerns that the terminal development plan will not be ready in time for the hearing. “The more BC Ferries can share in the process, the more likely and effectively the process will move forward. I don’t want to hang things up necessarily, but I also don’t want to be making incomplete decisions,” he said.
Ian Winn, director for West Howe Sound, raised similar concerns. “Do we need to have the community see a development plan from BC Ferries before we go forward with a public hearing on this? It’s a chicken and an egg problem.”
Rafael said a more detailed plan is likely to come in spring or early summer. “I think the timeline changes a little bit every time I speak with BC Ferries because things change with their operations,” he said at the meeting.
According to the BC Ferries website, the ferry corporation hopes to complete redesign options by the end of winter 2018. Construction is expected to start in early 2019.
A public information meeting was held on Oct. 26, 2017 to get public input for the design of the new terminal and was attended by 28 people.
The committee recommendations are expected to go to the board for final approval at the next meeting.
