A large housing development with as many as 161 units is being proposed for Mill Bay.
The Purdey Group, which is a partner in the Mill Bay Marine Group, is looking to build two apartment buildings, which could be five or six stories, that would contain up to 139 units adjacent to four blocks of three-storey townhouses, with 22 units, within the Mill Bay Village.
The 1.2-hectare site where the project is proposed is adjacent to the Mill Bay Marina.
The project was presented at the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s electoral area services committee meeting on Feb. 5.
Yuli Siao, a senior planner in the the CVRD’s development services division, told the committee that the location of the proposed project is suitable, but identifying a new water source for the development is critical for it to proceed.
He said the Purdey Group is currently working with Brentwood College to drill a new well and they are applying for a new water licence, which requires the Mill Bay Waterworks District to sign on as a co-applicant, as well as an agreement to expand the water system.
Cowichan Bay director Hilary Abbott said Mill Bay’s aquifer is currently considered at an "extreme deficit" and asked if there are any solutions being discussed to deal with that.
Siao said the proposal is still in its early stages so there’s not a lot of technical details to share at this point.
Cowichan Lake South/Skutz Falls director Ian Morrison said the region is still in a serious housing crisis, and all that is being asked of the committee at this time is to send out referral questions on the proposed project to a number of external agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, and a number of local First Nations.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me that we would hold back and wait,” he said. “The project won’t get the final zoning until we know about the water, and we will get important information back from the referrals.”
Shawnigan Lake director Sierra Acton said she thought the site was a good location for the project, but raised concerns about parking.
Purdey Group spokesman Daniel Behrens acknowledged that the biggest concern so far is the water, and the group had been working on it for a long time.
He said the water licence has been applied for, the well has been drilled and tested and the group’s hydro-geologist has been working with Brentwood College’s hydro-geologist to ensure there is enough water capacity for the project to proceed.
“As for parking, we have a marina and a restaurant right there so the last thing we want is to blow up that parking and cause a bunch of issues,” Behrens said.
Kate Segall, the director for Mill Bay/Malahat where the project is proposed, said the proposed development is well situated; it’s within the CVRD’s growth containment boundary; it’s within service areas for water and sewer and it is close to transit and essential amenities.
She said she thinks it’s exactly the kind of thoughtful densification that would benefit the Mill Bay community.
“Increased housing options in Mill Bay will ease the pressure on the housing market and contribute to a more sustainable tax base,” Segall said.
“That said, as we’ve heard around the table, there’s some significant concerns that need to be addressed, so I really look forward to seeing what the external referrals come back with and how this can move forward in a sustainable way.”
