District of Sechelt councillors at the May 24 planning and community development committee meeting were against moving the Trellis seniors’ development forward and instead asked staff to draft new policies to guide long-term residential care development in Sechelt.
The seniors’ development being pitched by Trellis Seniors Services in cooperation with Vancouver Coastal Health is envisioned to replace the current seniors’ facilities at Totem Lodge and Shorncliffe.
It’s proposed to contain 128 long-term care beds, four hospice beds and an adult daycare on a 1.2-hectare site in West Sechelt.
On May 24, the Trellis application was before Sechelt’s planning committee for a first look and consideration of the official community plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw amendments needed for the project to proceed.
Planner Aaron Thompson told councillors at the meeting (Alice Lutes, Noel Muller, Darnelda Siegers and chair Mike Shanks) that staff had some concerns around servicing and location of the proposed development.
Thompson also said there was a “lack of policies dealing with this type of facility in the official community plan” and noted from “initial and unsolicited” public feedback, “it is clear this is a controversial project.”
“The proposal could be tried to be made to fit our official community plan but it would be, I like to use the metaphor of like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole that doesn’t quite fit but you could almost try to make it work,” Thompson said.
Councillors said they instead wanted to develop district policies around residential care that would make the requirements clear for Trellis and other seniors’ facilities eyeing Sechelt for a location.
“I think that discussion of long-term residential care and our official community plan needs to be discussed as to where, when, how – all those things have to be discussed by the community,” Lutes said.
“I can’t see us going any further without doing that work first.”
After unanimously agreeing on a recommendation to “further develop policies regarding long-term residential care,” councillors were split on whether or not to recommend having staff draft an OCP and zoning bylaw amendment for Trellis.
Siegers argued it was necessary so that the full council could discuss the issue at its next regular council meeting.
Shanks noted the minutes from the planning committee would come to council and the issue could be discussed again at that time if council so wished.
In the end Siegers’ motion to allow staff to draft an OCP and zoning bylaw amendment was defeated, with only her in favour.
“At some future time when the applicant is more ready, I’m sure we’ll see it back here,” Muller noted.
