A large crowd gathered both inside and outside the Central Saanich Municipal Hall on Sunday, June 22, for the final open house on the district's proposed civic redevelopment project.
Residents seized the opportunity to engage directly with staff and council members, reviewing designs and plans for the new municipal hall, police station, Fire Station 2 and municipal yard.
Three concepts were presented: Concepts A, B and C involve constructing a new municipal facility on Hovey Road, at 1903 Mt. Newton Cross Rd. and renovating and expanding the existing municipal site, respectively.
Jennifer Maratos appreciated the in-person presentation of different concepts for the redevelopment.
"Good to see the different options, and we’ll see what happens," she said.
The ambitious project, aiming to replace aging facilities, has drawn both support and criticism.
"This is the biggest project the municipality is going to undertake and we want to make sure that we’re getting it right,” said Christine Culham, chief administrative officer.
Brentwood Bay resident Brian Eng praised the open house format, appreciating the opportunity to engage with staff and council members directly.
While he agrees with the need to replace the existing facilities, he stressed the importance of minimizing financial impact on the community.
Mayor Ryan Windsor acknowledged the expected criticism, particularly on the $33.5 million loan required for the project.
“People see, 'Oh you’re gonna be borrowing potential $33.5 million’, but we have to remember that’s over 25 years,” he explained.
The mayor defended the district's financial position, stating that even with the loan, debt servicing would remain a manageable portion of the district's revenue.
Outside the hall, a group of protesters voiced concerns about a lack of transparency in the process.
Cyril Hume, a protest organizer, criticized the district's previous public engagement efforts, stating they rarely yielded tangible results.
"About a month ago, we asked council if we could see the results from the online poll they did on the civic redevelopment," Hume said. "They said they would have it sometime in June. We’re still waiting."
The protesters also oppose the sale of public land to private developers, advocating for construction on existing municipal land instead.
Windsor addressed the criticisms, stating, “We welcome them and if some folks feel they haven’t been consulted enough, who am I to say that their perspective is wrong?”
He maintained the district had conducted extensive consultations throughout the project's development.
Central Saanich council is scheduled to discuss the approval of Bylaw No. 2240, the municipal facility redevelopment project loan authorization, at their meeting on Monday, June 23.
Further "pop-up" engagement events are planned throughout July.
