Saanich residents can weigh in starting Wednesday on whether the municipality can borrow up to $150 million to redevelop its operations centre at McKenzie Avenue and Borden Street.
Under the alternative approval process, which is open until June 25, if more than 10 per cent of eligible electors — 8,735 residents — submit an elector response form opposing the initiative, the loan authorization bylaw cannot be adopted.
At that point, the district would have two options — put the project on hold or seek permission for the borrowing via referendum.
Saanich chief administrative officer Brent Reems called the process a “fiscally responsible and efficient tool” to ensure the community has a voice in the operations centre project.
Council voted 8-1 in favour of the process two weeks ago. Only Coun. Nathalie Chambers voted against it, saying she would have preferred the district go to a referendum to gauge public support.
The $172-million operations centre project has been identified as a district priority, as the aging site has been deemed unfit to handle future growth. The buildings are 40 to 70 years old, don’t meet building-code requirements and have been determined to be past their useful life, the district says.
About 300 staff based at the operations centre look after transportation, parks, water, sewer and solid waste in Saanich.
Council has already directed district staff to start work to identify a private-sector partner who will develop a master plan for the site at McKenzie Avenue and Borden Street in collaboration with Saanich.
The district would expect a single payment of about $30 million from a developer for the development lands while retaining ownership of the entire site in perpetuity.
The hope is that the redeveloped site will include facilities for municipal services as well as rental housing and commercial spaces, with buildings that could be up to 18 storeys. Ten per cent of the new residential units could be available at below-market rates.
Part of the redevelopment will see Saanich move its parks maintenance group to a three-acre industrial property it bought from Don Mann Excavating in the 4000-block of Lochside Drive. A date for that move has not been set.
Saanich staff estimate the total annual debt servicing costs for the $150-million loan would be $9.5 million.
If it’s approved, residents would see a 0.85% tax increase on average per year for four years.
In addition, the average homeowner would see a $3.60 per year increase over four years to their water utility bills, a $4 per year increase over four years to their sewer utility bills and a $1.70 per year increase over four years to their solid waste services utility bills.
The elector response forms and more information on the process are available at Saanich’s website, at saanich.ca/aap.
Residents have until 4:30 p.m. June 25 to submit a form in person, by mail to Saanich Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Ave. Victoria V8X-2W7, or via email to [email protected]
The district will be holding a drop-in information session May 24 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Saanich operations centre at 1040 McKenzie Ave.
