After three public hearings and more than a year before council, Wesbrooke by the Sea was given second and third reading on March 1, leaving just one council meeting to go before the seniors’ development can be built.
The 124-unit independent supportive living and assisted living facility is slated for the Clayton Family Lands development in West Sechelt and it comes with 12 units of affordable housing and a 1,285-square-metre expansion to Clayton Park.
The plan first came to council in January 2016 and was sent to public hearing on April 12 last year. Objections from the community led to some changes to the original plan and ultimately another public hearing on Jan. 17 this year.
Following that public hearing, staff found a procedural error of council that necessitated a reconsideration of the plan and yet another public hearing, which was held on Feb. 16.
Comments from the public throughout the process were critical of the proposal’s situation in a residential development and its height, but there were also many nods of approval from community members advocating for more seniors’ housing in Sechelt.
At the March 1 regular council meeting, councillors decided it was best to allow Wesbrooke to move forward in its currently planned form and location, which requires both Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning plan amendments.
Coun. Noel Muller noted it was one concrete way council could start to prepare for the “Grey Tsunami” that’s expected in Sechelt soon.
“I think it, to me certainly, is an all hands on deck situation and not only are we going to need this but we’re going to need a number of others,” Muller said.
“We’re going to need right across the spectrum a variety of options for aging seniors in our community.”
Coun. Mike Shanks said he had visited other facilities run by the same developer as Wesbrooke and was impressed, which influenced his decision to support second and third reading of the OCP and zoning amendments needed for Wesbrooke to proceed.
One by one councillors went through their reasons for supporting second and third reading, except for Mayor Bruce Milne, who said he was against it.
“I would put on the record that I would have voted against this for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that the report from the planner says we should await a proposal more in line with the policies of the OCP and good planning practice,” Milne said.
“If we’re not going to look long term, we’re always going to do it in the short term and that’s what we’re doing here.”
He noted the developer has done a lot of work on the plan over the past several months, but he would have liked to see a plan more in line with the current OCP for the area.
“This will be an exercise in showing you the mayor has no influence,” Milne said before the vote was called to give second and third reading to the OCP and zoning amendments.
All but Milne were in favour and the motion passed.
Now the plan will have to come back for fourth reading and final adoption before building can get underway.
