The proposed destination resort hotel connected to the redevelopment of the Sechelt Golf and Country Club moved one step closer to reality after Sechelt council approved second and third reading of a zoning amendment bylaw last week.
At its final council meeting of the term on Nov. 19, council voted unanimously to move forward with the project.
The approval followed on the heels of a public hearing held at the Seaside Centre on Monday, Nov. 17 where initially it looked as if no resident would speak for or against the proposal.
Then resident and recent council candidate Jon Bell stood up to say he is opposing the rezoning for a number of reasons — the main one being flawed decisions regarding the proper use of the agricultural land reserve (ALR).
“If you put in a large hotel, you can never go back to this being agricultural land again,” Bell said. “We have a lot of food security issues on the Coast and we need to keep our agriculture viable on the Coast. This is not the way to go about that.”
Other residents also raised concerns about possible food security issues, which then prompted other residents to voice their approval, saying the hotel and overall golf course redevelopment is vital for tourism and economic growth.
Resident George Goudie, a member of the Club, said he wholeheartedly supports the project.
“The new owners, as you know, are wonderful people,” he said. “This project is very much needed for the course. And I know if you speak with the owners they would be happy to take a look to see if there is land for a lovely community garden for the food bank or whatever.”
In speaking to the motion at the Nov. 19 council meeting, Coun. Darnelda Siegers acknowledged the concerns raised about the ALR at the public hearing, but was very much in favour of the hotel and golf course plans.
“While we did hear concerns regarding the ALR, the community is in favour of this as golf courses are typically not doing well, not just in our community, but in a lot of communities,” she said. “So they would like to see the hotel, to increase tourism and increase the profile of the course.”
