Opinion

Central Saanich’s OCP:

More than meets their eye

Helping out business in Central Saanich is not the only
reason, aS the Times-Colonist implies, that some people
Support moderate growth in the community’s official
community plan. A Friday editorial criticizes Chris Pike of
the Central Saanich Business Association for citing the
struggles of business as a justification for growth.

The editorial makes a good point. It asks that a balance be
struck in Central Saanich, and that input from the public
determine that balance.

But the editorial oversimplifies the situation. First of all,
Pike commented for the business association. Of course his
comments reflect the desire of businesses to have more
people use their services. The association stance is part of
finding the balance.

Other issues are being considered by Central Saanich and
the planners it has hired. Take, for example, a regional
housing need.

Vacancy rates are extremely low in the entire Capital
Regional District. That's been detailed in the pages of both
The Review and the T-C. New housing not only supplies the
buyers’ market, but it should open older housing for rental
units, too. That can help meet the regional need.

The need is not likely to be met in North Saanich, which
recently approved an official community plan that calls for
no removals from the ALR. Some of it can be met in Sidney,
where condominium and seniors’ housing units are being
built. But Central Saanich — the Peninsula’s closest
neighbor of the core — must accept some growth.

Right now it can’t. Serviced residential lots simply aren’t
available. (it should be remembered, too, that market
conditions like high demand and low availability have a nasty
effect on everyone’s tax assessment in Central Saanich.)

The Times-Colonist editorial ignores one of the major
difficulties in removing land from ALR. A paradox faces
Central Saanich council. Growing onto the ALR removes
pressure from Mount Newton Heights, but sacnfices agricul-
tural land. Yet some consider the heights an ecologically
sensitive area. And furthermore, its development could put
pressure on Mount Newton Valley, another treasure of the
municipality.

So Central Saanich is attempting to balance those
concems.

The Association for the Protection of Rural Central
Saanich is doing its best keep the official community plan
from infringing on the ALR. That group’s vocal opposition
to growth is well-documented, and it’s input is certainly part
of finding the balance.

The current draft of the plan would forecast 198 acres of
land eventually being removed from the ALR, as need grows.
We hope a plan with less removal anticipated is approved.
And, as a story on our front page this week notes, the
approving body — the Agricultural Land Commission —
isn’t in favor of 198 acres of removal.

Yes, a balance must be found. And that is what the people
of Central Saanich are trying to find — with the input of
individuals and special interest groups.

Volume 76 Issue No. 1

TheReview

Wednesday, January 3,1990 — A6

~—

THANK You, SAANICH PENINSULA!
YOUR GENEROSITY MADE THE REVIEW/LIONS
CLUB CHRISTMAS HAMPER FUND AND THE

REVIEW/KIWANIS Toy DRIVE A
RESOUNDING SUCCESS !

Vou

The editorials in this space, the left-hand
side of Page A6é, are those of the
newspaper. They are written by the editor
or under the editor's direction, and the
opinions expressed are independenily
developed by the editor and The Review's
editorial department.

TheReview

Serving The Saanich Peninsula
Since 1912

9781 2nd Street

Sidney, B.C V8L 4P8

or PO. Box 2070

Sidney, B.C V8L 3S5

Second Class Mail Registration #0128

656-1151

Editor: George Lee

Publisher: Vic Swan

Valley
threatened

Editor:

The Mount Newton Valley, one
of the most beautiful valleys in
British Columbia, is under threat.

The first draft of the community
plan of Central Saanich shows that
the Mount Newton slopes devel-
opment is likely to go ahead. It
provides in three stages for a
community of 4,400 people (more
than the present population of
Brentwood Bay).

The first draft of the plan sug-
gests that unless there is an appli-
cation for development by land-
holders within the slopes that
development of the slopes is five
years away. However the plan also
advocates the development of agri-
cultural land reserve acreage close
to the present centres of Saani-
chton and Brentwood Bay. There is
considerable opposition within the
community to any release of ALR
land for development.

This in tur increases the pres-
sure to develop the slopes, which
is not within the ALR.

The slopes roughly takes in the
land bounded by John Dean Park,
the Saanich Inlet, Mount Newton
Cross Rd, and Saanichton. (The
tree farm on Mt. Newton is within
the ALR). In addition approxi-
mately one half of the land owners
within the Phase 1 on central part
of the slopes have recently peti-
tioned for development of their
land. The Central part of the
slopes lies on and north of Mount
Newton Cross Road between St.
Stephens Church and Ravenhill
Herb Farm.

This development threatens the
whole character of this wonderful
valley because Mount Newton
Cross Road is shown on the draft
plan as being the main road access
(as well as sewer) for 4,400 peo-

le.

: This will profoundly change the
character of the road and the
valley, and will lead to further
developmental pressure. This
threat to the valley should concem
everyone in the Victoria area. The
threat would be lessened by choos-
ing an alternate route to service all
three stages of the slopes develop-
ment.

This route is shown on the Mt.
Newton Heights Development
Plan and ignored by the draft
community plan. This other route,
if chosen, would prevent the
destruction of heritage trees along
Mt. Newton Cross Road and
reduce pressure on the valley.

Quite apart from the specific
problem of Mt. Newton Crossroad,
there are serious inadequacies in
the draft community plan which
prevent it from being of any value
to people really concerned about
the future of the Peninsula. There
is no mention of the taxation and
environmental consequences of
allowing further growth.

We recommend that the process
of drawing up a community plan
be suspended until an adequate
study has been made. When the
study has been completed then the
people of Central Saanich will be
in a position to decide on what
sort of growth rate, if any, they
wish to see in their community.

The cost of an adequate study is
probably beyond the resources of
Central Saanich. Surely the
urgency of the situation, the value
to the community at large of the
Mt. Newton Valley and the inade-
quacy of the draft community plan
justifies the intervention of a level
of government which can consider
the Saanich Peninsula as a whole.

Noel C. Richardson
Andrew Yeoman
Central Saanich

Minority’s voice
dismays

Editor:

As a long-term resident of Cen-
tral Saanich, I am dismayed at
some of the statements and actions
of a small group of protectionists
who seem to think they represent
all of the municipality’s residents.
Anonymous community plan
update leaflets being distributed
do not represent the majority of
residents in Central Saanich.

I understand that about 1,000
questionnaires were handed out at
the last public meeting and shortly
thereafter, and with a total popula-
tion figure of over 12,000 people,
those questionnaires represent
some eight per cent of the total
possible people who could have

expressed their tacit approval,
because they believe their elected
officials and the professional plan-
ners they have engaged have
achieved the best balance possible
after looking at all the possibili-®
tes/ :

I sincerely hope that council _
will not allow some imagined

been involved. .
I suggest that the people who

neither attended the open house

nor filled in the questionnaire have

political short-term problems with

a minority group to deter them
from proceeding with implementa- _
tion of a long-range plan which
will ultimately benefit all seg-
ments of the municipality.

Those concerned about
increased property taxes should
consider that tax dollars raised
from such a development would
offset the increased demand ory
community services.

W.N.P. Mcllwraith
Brentwood Bay

Clouds of bias

Editor:

Possibly I should be heeding my
heart saying: “mind your own busi-
ness,” but it’s about time some of
the headline-hunting politicians of
our Peninsula received some
rebuttal to their grand-standing 4
and self-opinionating over local i
issues. My point is the “don't- ;
confuse-me-with-facts” stand of
North Saanich elected representa-
tives.

I’m glad not to include Art
McKinnon in this group. He c&
tainly has a firm grasp of what the
facts are and doesn’t let personal
bias cloud his view. For the resi-
dents of North Saanich it is indeed
a pity their municipal council has
too few like him.

Yes, I’m harping on the Aylard
Farm/Patricia Bay Golf Club con-
tinuing feud.

The latest release as reported in
a recent Review is of course nega-
tive. I would suggest anything
initiated by other than Mayor
Linda Michaluk’s minions cannot
come out as anything but negative,
as far as the affairs of North
Saanich are concerned.

But it’s not just the golf club
issue. What about the “you’re-on-

Continued on Page A8

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