Sechelt council voted May 15 to issue the development permit for a restaurant at the Trail Bay Centre to be called El Segundo, after the plans were changed to address concerns raised by the advisory planning commission (APC).
In a written report to council, director of planning Tracy Corbett said, “The proposal as presented to the APC consisted of a white exterior with dark awnings and trim. Staff and APC members were concerned that the façade treatment would reflect a departure from the existing mall appearance and several of the form and character development permit area guidelines.”
The guidelines call for the use of wood and a colour scheme that reflects “traditional Coastal colour palette.”
The application would normally be considered minor and could be dealt with at the staff level, but Corbett said the issues raised by the APC and some residents made it appropriate to bring it to council for a vote.
The proposal approved by council uses exposed brick with trim colour that “provides a more coherent fit with the rest of the mall as well as the developments across the street.”
Yoga on the pier
Local yoga instructor Georgia Cyr is awaiting a provincial decision on whether she can continue to hold classes on the Sechelt Pier this summer.
Cyr, owner of Blissful Yoga Studio, has been using the pier at Friendship Park on the Trail Bay waterfront for the past five years under a special use permit with the district.
This year the permit was turned down when staff realized the district’s lease with the province for the pier includes a clause banning sublets, which the yoga classes could fall under.
After hearing a presentation from Cyr, council voted to follow the staff recommendation that the classes be permitted from “May to October, 2019 with appropriate conditions to not unduly restrict public access,” while the district awaits confirmation from the province that holding yoga classes is not in violation of the sublease clause.
Marsh agreement extended
Councillors also voted May 15 to approve a 20-year extension of the agreement that gives stewardship of the Sechelt Marsh to the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society. The current agreement expires at the end of the month.
The marsh is actually owned by the Nature Trust, which bought the property in 1979 to ensure it was preserved and then leased it to the District of Sechelt for 99 years. The Natural History Society has been doing minor maintenance and stewardship work on behalf of the district ever since.
Parks manager Perry Schmitt told council there is one significant change in that under the renewed agreement, the Sechelt Parks Department would become responsible for the maintenance. “That would allow the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society to concentrate on stewardship and education,” he said.
The 2019 budget included a $10,000 increase to the parks budget for future maintenance and additional safety upgrades of the Sechelt March.
