News TheReview Wednesday, June 17,1992 — A19 SEawTlTETE EE s.. “Long wait for Keating motel proponent by Valorie Lennox The Review Time is running out for a pro- posed heritage-style motel at the comer of Keating Crossroad and West Saanich Road — a project first envisioned four years ago’ by Garry Bentham. “T wanted to start construction at least by September and I would prefer to start in August,” Ben- tham said. “I’m frustrated because timing is important for financing and for exposing this project to the world in 1994.” Bentham’s frustration is with the delays caused by Central Saa- nich’s continuing saga of com- munity plans. He notes the project, tentatively called the Country Lane Motor Inn, would be constructed beside an existing restaurant. A majority of the surrounding residents are in favor of the 75- room motel in the area, which also contains a visitor attraction, a gas station and acarlot Bentham began drafting plans in March 1988 and had obtained options on the three properties comprising the 2.75 acres required for the project. In September 1989 he submitted an application to Central Saanich — but was told no applications would be processed until the offi- cial community plan review was completed. He was told the delay would be no more than six months — so he kept the options on the property and waited. - The community plan was finally approved in July 1990. Bentham went to London, Ontario, to arrange the financing for the motel, then applied to Central Saanich to approve the project, which met. community plan requirements for the area. In August 1990, he was told the application would be delayed until the local area plan for Brentwood was completed — then he was told no work would be done on a local area plan until after the November 1990 municipal election. “Tt was referred to the local area plan — ker-plunk, full stop.” Electors returned a new mayor and three new alderman in November, 1990, changing the composition of the council. Instead of initiating the Bren- twood local area plan, council members decided to re-draft the official community plan. Bentham renewed his options on the property and waited out the latest revision, which continued until the fall of 1991. One proposed change to the plan would have altered the urban designation on the proposed motel site to rural, Bentham said. Alarmed by the proposal, Ben- tham devoted $500 and a week of his time to conducting a survey of residents. He notes 75 per cent of the area’s residents returned the sur- vey and 82 per cent of those were in favor of retaining the urban designation. The designation ended up being changed from urban to residential in the revised community plan, Bentham noted. “T waited for council to process the start of the local area plan for Brentwood,” Bentham said. Ald. Bruce Tobin suggested a survey of residents on the motel project would help council. Bentham prepared a question- naire, distributed it to 80 property owners in the Brentwood area and received responses from 70 per cent of those surveyed. . Of those responding, 80 per cent supported the motel project, Ben- tham said. ~ Six months ago, he made a full presentation on the project to council, including an artist’s rendition of the heritage-style building. The project would cost $8.5 million to build and provide a dozen full-time jobs in Brentwood, Bentham said. ‘Ji was referred to the local area plan — ker-plunk, full stop’ Council received Bentham’s presentation and referred the infor- _ mation to the local area plan file. No further action has been taken and Bentham is still waiting to see some progress on the local area plan. “Tt would be easier if they justified why they’re just sitting there.” In the meantime, Bentham must renegotiate the financing for the motel. He has let the formal options on the land lapse, although he still has an agreement with the - land owners. “With the council’s delays and delays and delays, we decided to let it sit,’ Bentham said. “The delay has added $602,000 just in GST,” he added. There is also another problem. In 1990, Bentham had confirma- tion from the municipal engineer that sewer service was available for the motel. Now council has passed a bylaw halting all rezoning applications because the sewer system is over capacity. “We're blocked there,’ Ben- tham said, adding that he would like to review the engineering reports on the sewer system. For the motel to proceed, part of INTRODUCING THE 2 FLOORS OF FURNISHINGS LA-Z-REST ROCKER RECLINER The Islands largest selection. The same comfort and quality you have come to expect from LA-Z-BOY: 100’s in stock. , Famous lifetime mechanism warranty. § An unbeatable $ 3 47 00 Cy 5Y | A-Z-BOY 4 colours) FREE DELIVERY AND SET UP SOUTH OF CAMPBELL RIVER, INCLUDING THE GULF ISLANDS A> SIDNEY 655-1010 Across from Safeway Ce A STANDARD FURNITURE Call Tollfree 1-800-667-1314 | Setting the Stondeed tor your Lifestyle / the site will have to be rezoned from estate residential to commer- cial. Some of the property is already zoned commercial, Ben- tham said. An architectural technologist and construction estimator by trade, Bentham graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Tech- nology. He currently works in real estate and says he has worked with every council on lower Vancouver Island since 1971. “This council is different -_ because of their indecisiveness, ” he observed. “T think the council is caught between being elected on a no- growth policy and being required to consider development applica- tions which are a normal part of the wheel of commerce in our community.” He estimates he has put $65,000 worth of money and time into the motel application. He concedes he hopes to make a profit from the motel development — and adds that he also hopes to put that profit into another project which will provide affordable housing for seniors. The grandson of Peninsula pio- neer farmer Glen Atkinson, he became aware of the shortage of affordable seniors’ housing on the Peninsula when he tried to find an apartment which would allow his mother to remain in the commun- ity. Bentham understands council’s political reluctance to deal with development applications and feels the municipality is hampered by the lack of an on-staff munici- pal planner. But delaying consideration of applications is not the solution, he says. “Waiting and waiting and wait- ing and waiting will just make the pressure back up further.” _ Saanich North and The Islands Constituency CLIVE TANNER M.L.A. 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