The group behind Royal Oak Shopping Centre is asking the District of Saanich to include it in the rezoning process the municipality has started for a swath of land overlooking the Patricia Bay Highway.
Hansbraun Investments, which owns Royal Oak Shopping Centre and has plans to eventually redevelop that 11-acre site, said it would make more sense for the district to consider the entire area for rezoning.
Victoria Shannon, chief operating officer of Hansbraun, said the company supports Saanich’s intention to redevelop its 2.7-acre parcel of land that stretches along the 4500-block of West Saanich Rd. as far north as the Fireside Grill and is sandwiched between West Saanich Road and the Pat Bay Highway.
“Our suggestion to the district is that they include adjacent landowners who have an express interest in rezoning and redeveloping their properties as well for a more cohesive approach to the future of our neighbourhood,” Shannon said.
Niall Paltiel of Island View Land Management, which is acting as project manager for Hansbraun, said the company intends to submit a pre-application for rezoning of the shopping centre in the next couple of months.
“So we said why not look at this together, why not include this whole block in a broader zoning if you’re going to go through it as opposed to focusing on simply your property,” said Paltiel. “Especially if you’ve got a willing applicant at the table ready to go.”
Paltiel said the shopping centre’s existing zoning allows for commercial units, apartments and seniors housing but is limited to buildings up to three storeys high.
Saanich has started engagement with the community about what could be possible on its site across the street.
An early concept suggests as many as 400 residential units, while the Official Community Plan suggests building heights of up to 12 storeys.
Paltiel said zoning the entire area together could be a win-win as there is likely to be the added cost of upgrades for roads, storm water and sewer with any major redevelopment of the area.
The win for the developer could be sharing those costs, while the win for the municipality could be going from rezoning a standalone, predominantly residential project to something that is comprehensive and more cohesive, he said.
Paltiel said it would allow better planning for the sites themselves as well as improved transportation and infrastructure.
All of this is very early in the process — Saanich has only just started public engagement on the rezoning with long-term plans to market the lands for sale or lease to the private sector and find a partnership that will provide a lower-cost housing component.
Still, the mayor of Saanich is not convinced of the synergy between the district’s plans and those of adjacent landowners.
“We’re excited to hear that there’s interest from the neighbouring property owner that has a track record of delivering commercial development,” said Dean Murdock. “We’re hoping to achieve a mixed-use project here that is likely aligned with their future thinking. But this is going to be a market offering and we want to see what that might bring when we eventually take it through and rezone it.
“There’s necessary work to be done in order for Saanich to utilize that property to its full potential and offer it to the market to really achieve something that is consistent with the Official Community Plan.”
Murdock said Hansbraun will be included in what that future property might look like, but he said the market offering opens the door to any proponent to come forward.
The only sure thing, Murdock said, is there will be an affordable housing component either with Saanich holding on to that particular land parcel with a partner or offering it to the private sector with the condition that there has to be affordable homes included.
Paltiel said regardless of whether Saanich includes the Royal Oak Shopping Centre in its rezoning process the projects are a win for the public.
“It’s taking what is a well used, very suburban retail strip and turning it into what hopefully the future vision of the neighbourhood and the community and the district is after,” he said.
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