To address aging municipal facilities requiring replacement, the District is currently exploring options to redevelop property and better use land to not only address the needed replacement, but benefit the community by creating new housing, services and amenities. The facilities include the Municipal Hall, Police Station, Fire Station 2 and Municipal Yard.
This is an opportunity that only comes around once every 50+ years to reimagine public spaces and design multifunctional sites that enable us to provide more amenities and integrate space for needed services in our community.
Key points to note
- The project is ready to take shape and we want your input. Initial community input was saught in the summer and fall of 2024, and draft concepts will be developed and shared in early 2025. Pleas subscribe for project updates on this page or email MunicipalHall@CSaanich.ca if you have questions or feedback.
- Minimizing costs to taxpayers is a top priority of this project. Cost estimates will be shared as concepts are defined.
- This project is still in the early stages and no concepts are determined yet. The Hovey site will contain some municipal facilities and hopefully recreation, and there are general principles for the Saanichton Village site to work through with the community.
- The redevelopment is about more than municipal facilities. The community can leverage this rebuild to add housing and amenities, such as recreation, daycare space, commercial or medical offices. It’s also about ensuring 1903 Mount Newton, the largest site in Saanichton Village, contributes to a vibrant community.
Updates
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In an effort to ensure the community's questions are answered, the District has published a FAQ document for the second time to note the recent questions staff and Council have been receiving.
If you have further questions, please email municipalhall@csaanich.ca and staff will be happy to get back to you.
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We want to say thank you to all those who have participated in the first phase of the Civic Redevelopment engagement process.
We are grateful to those who listened, learned and shared input and feedback on this multi-faceted project. Your input helps staff and Council make informed decisions, and will shape future concepts.What did we hear?
How can you get involved: Subscribe for project updates and get involved in early 2025 when draft concepts and financial estimates are ready!
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The District of Central Saanich has begun the process of purchasing ‘Lot A, Hovey Road’ for the full appraised price of $4.64M. This is significant milestone in the District’s civic redevelopment project, which is a comprehensive plan to update aging District facilities to ensure they meet the current and future needs of Central Saanich’s growing community. The project includes plans for the District’s municipal services, including police and fire, to move to a new site on Hovey Road and reimagine the current site at 1903 Mt Newton Cross Rd in the heart of Saanichton Village.
Purchase Price for ‘Lot A’
In April 2024 the District issued a Notice of Expropriation for ‘Lot A’, which is key to the civic redevelopment project, both financially and from a land-use perspective. Before taking the significant step to expropriate, the District first made multiple attempts to purchase the property for more than the appraised value at the time of $3.1 million, but negotiations came to an end without an agreement on a price for the property.
The full appraised price of $4.64M is being paid to the landowner, based on an updated appraisal that was recently completed. The land value has increased due to a recent adjacent land sale, increases in other land prices and changing market conditions. It is anticipated that the $4.64M price may be disputed, which would result in a standard legal process wherein a judge would determine the final market value.
What’s next for this property?
‘Lot A, Hovey Road’ will officially be transferred to the District this summer regardless of a potential challenge to the price. The anticipated project timeline prioritizes time for community engagement and concept development while being efficient to ensure construction cost estimates and financial models are affordable and current.
July-October 2024
- Community Engagement
- Set initial directions for draft concepts and financial models
- Hire architect and construction manager for Hovey site
Early 2025
- Develop and share concepts, options and financial strategies with community for feedback
- Refine concepts
Mid 2025
- Voter process (Alternative Approval Process or Referendum), if required for financial borrowing
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A series of open house events is planned for 2024 (with more to come in 2025 when concepts and financial models are developed).
The District is excited to be able to invite community input. Join us to learn more and share your ideas about redevelopment.
Central Saanich Centre for Active Living 50+Jul 30, 2024 4:30pm - 7:30pm
Central Saanich Municipal Hall, 1903 Mount Newton Cross RoadAug 22, 2024 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Central Saanich Municipal Hall, 1903 Mount Newton Cross RoadSep 15, 2024 10:00am - 12:00pm
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The District of Central Saanich has commenced the process of acquiring a critical parcel of land on Hovey Road to support the goals of redeveloping civic facilities, including municipal offices, fire and police facilities, and possibly other community and recreation amenities. The District considers this strategic acquisition of ‘Lot A’ Hovey Road (no address) as key to moving forward with civic facility development. The approximately 2.2-acre property is currently zoned A-1 (is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve) and is in the Urban Containment Boundary.
Through the Municipal Facility Feasibility Study, a significant land analysis was completed of bare land in the District. This acquisition was determined to be financially necessary for the project.
The District is expropriating the land, however before taking this significant step, the District first made multiple attempts to purchase the property for market value. The District’s appraised value of the property is $3.1 million.
“With limited bare land within the Urban Containment Boundary, the District determined this property is a critical acquisition for the future of the community,” Mayor Ryan Windsor.
Due to the central location and proximity across the street from Centennial Park, this property is a rare parcel in a key community location. In addition, it is on a main roadway serviced by transit.
Considered a last resort, ‘expropriation’ is the legal process by which a government is permitted to take private interests in land for a public purpose when the government and owner are unable to reach an agreement. The process is governed by BC’s Expropriation Act and the process and timelines for notices, approvals, payments and possession dates are directed by the Act.
This is the first step in a long-term approach to redeveloping facilities. The District will be engaging partners and the wider community as it develops concepts for future facilities.
Background
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Since 2006, the District of Central Saanich has been exploring the feasibility of redeveloping civic buildings. The building that contains Municipal Hall, Fire Station 2, and the Police Station (located at 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road) and the facilities at Municipal Yard (located at 1703 Keating Cross Road) require replacement in the near future to address seismic and accessibility deficiencies and meet post-disaster standards. The sites are large and do not meet the best use of land for the community. These facilities are identified in the District’s Facilities Long-term Asset Management Plan (FLAMP) as requiring major rehabilitation or replacement in the next five years.
The 2021/22 Strategic Plan highlighted the need for a study (see Documents) to explore redevelopment. The study seeks to find ways the sites can best contribute to the vision for the growing community by providing needed community amenities and diverse housing opportunities, in addition to municipal facilities.
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- 2006: District begins to review options for the Municipal Hall redevelopment, which included the Fire and Police Stations.
- 2009: Fire Station rebuild prioritized at the new location at 1512 Keating Cross Road; it was completed in 2013. (Fire Station #1 debt will be repaid in 2026.) Siesmic review and property condition assessments completed.
- 2012: Open house held to present redevelopment plans for 1903 Mt Newton.
- 2014: Council considers options for 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road, including the sale of approximately 3 acres for market residential and mixed-use commercial. Council directs an expedited repayment of Fire Station #1 debt and postpones further work on redevelopment of the Municipal Hall site until the Fire Hall debt closer to being paid off.
- 2021: A feasibility study for replacement or renewal was identified in the District’s 2021-2022 Strategic Priorities.
- 2023: District begins a study for the replacement or renewal of key municipal facilities: the Municipal Hall including Police Services and Fire Hall #2 and the Municipal Works Yard. The approach is based on the principles of:
- ensuring the project has the lowest financial impact as possible on the District, and
- utilizing District properties to their full potential for the community, consistent with recent plans, such as the Official Community Plan.
- 2024: Preliminary financial estimates developed and Council to determine land decisions. Community engagement to take place summer/fall 2024.
- 2025: Concepts and refined financial estimates will be developed and shared with the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Central Saanich’s civic redevelopment project? The civic redevelopment project is a comprehensive plan to update aging District facilities to ensure they meet the current and future needs of Central Saanich’s growing community. The project includes plans for the District’s municipal services, including police and fire, to move to a new site on Hovey Road and reimagine the current site at 1903 Mt Newton Cross Rd in the heart of Saanichton Village. The approach will create opportunities to enhance the village, while improving services and facilities and meet current accessibility and safety standards. It will also ensure that District properties are used to their full potential to serve the community, including the potential for new recreation facilities.
Why does the hall, police and fire station require replacement? The multi-service building at 1903 Mount Newton houses critical District services: Central Saanich Municipal Hall, Police Station and Fire Station #2, and is at the end of its useful life. The building has
- accessibility deficiencies (there are no ramps or elevators between the two floors in addition to many other accessibility challenges),
- seismic deficiencies and does not meet post-disaster standards,
- long ago outgrew operations (space for the public at Council meetings is limited, there are no additional workspaces, and meeting space is extremely limited), and
- consistently requires an array of increasingly larger necessary repairs.
It was built in 1965 to serve a population of 5,000; today, we serve a population of 18,000 and growing, and our services have expanded. For fire response, while we now have Fire Station 1 on Keating, Central Saanich requires some fire vehicles closer to Saanichton to meet emergency response times.
A new building would be designed to be accessible, customer-service oriented, energy efficient, and safe; this would ensure District staff, vehicles and facilities will be available to best support the community during emergencies. Additionally, the District wants to create spaces in the facility for community use, such as recreation or space for community programming.
Why is this project needed now? Many of the District’s critical facilities, as well as other infrastructure, was built in the 1960s and replacement is needed. Almost 20 years ago, the District began closely looking at several municipal facilities approaching the end of their useful lives. This project has spanned many Councils and has been incorporated into long-term asset management and financial plans. The project began by prioritizing building Fire Station #1 on Keating Cross Road (completed in 2013). There remains a critical need for replacement of Municipal Hall, the Police Station, Fire Station #2 and the Municipal Yard facility, as noted through facility assessments as part of the District’s Facilities Master Plan. All of the buildings require replacement in the near future to address accessibility and safety deficiencies, meet legislated standards, and meet the growing operational needs of the District.
The District’s recent Strategic Plans have included looking closely at redevelopment and has taken an approach based on the principles of:
- ensuring the project has the lowest financial impact as possible on the District, and
- utilizing the properties to their full potential for the community, consistent with recent Official Community Plan updates.
The District has used community input from the Official Community Plan and other guiding documents to shape the initial direction, and is now reaching out to the community to help guide the next steps.
This project is in the very early stages and the District is committed to moving it forward in a timely manner. The project needs to be done now, not later, due to rising construction costs, the condition of the buildings and to meet the growing needs of Central Saanich.
What community amenities/partnerships are being explored? Residents have clearly and consistently shared their requests for more green space, more connections between key areas in the District and routes for active transportation, childcare spaces, additional access to recreation, and support for healthcare and housing for our growing region. The District will be working to determine how recreation facilities could potentially be included at the Hovey Road site given this site’s proximity to Centennial Park and the need for more public recreation space on the Peninsula. The Peninsula Recreation Commission supports exploring recreation facilities in the District of Central Saanich as part of a broader sub-regional facility planning process starting this year.
How does the redevelopment align with the Official Community Plan? The Official Community Plan envisions a community with rural and small-town character, a strong sense of community pride, and neighbourly residents that welcome diversity. It plans for a built environment that supports a healthy, vibrant community and diverse housing stock located within walking distance to services and public transit.
The redevelopment is about more than rebuilding municipal facilities, it’s about leveraging this opportunity to create more space for needed civic amenities, such as recreation, daycare, medical offices, housing and commercial space. It’s also about ensuring 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road, the largest site in Saanichton Village, contributes to a vibrant village as we work to envision the future of Saanichton for decades to come.
Redevelopment is key to improving accessibility of facilities, having more services in our community, and enabling residents to have smaller environmental footprints by building within the Urban Containment Boundary, which enables active forms of transportation and access to local services.
Why does the municipality require the Hovey Road site? In looking at scenarios for redevelopment, finding a piece of bare land in the Urban Containment Boundary (and outside the Agricultural Land Reserve) was key financially. This site has the added bonus of being a great location to include a recreation facility, if possible. Having an ability to add civic space, including potential recreation and other community amenities to the location has many benefits, and a civic building is well suited for being on the perimeter of the village.
If the civic building was rebuilt on the current site, a large municipal operations building would take up prime land in the core of the village centre that could instead be used for housing, services, shops, green space, and other aspects of a walkable and vibrant village. The Mount Newton Cross Road site also has a much higher land value than the Hovey Road site, meaning the overall project cost would be more at that location and adequate space for recreation would not be as feasible.
The Hovey Road property also offers the District, and taxpayers, the cost benefits of being able to build on bare land while operations continue without temporary space rentals or service interruptions at the current location.
About the site: Hovey Road Lot A is the only sizeable piece of bare land within the Urban Containment Boundary (the 18% of the District where development is focused) and this piece has been vacant for approximately 18 years. It is approximately 2.2-acres situated across from Centennial Park, the District’s most popular park, and is currently zoned A-1 but is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve. The location is central to the community and on a main road and transit route; it is a good location for municipal services including emergency service access.
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Why isn’t a part of 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road being used for the future civic building site?
1903 Mt Newton Cross Road is a rare parcel of land that’s the largest site in the heart of Saanichton Village. The Official Community Plan and Saanichton Village Design Plan envision a village with more vibrant public spaces for residents to enjoy as they relax or socialize, commercial frontages that beautify and liven the village core, pedestrian and cyclist facilities that encourage active transportation, and multi-level housing to meet the most pressing housing needs in our community. This site plays a critical role in realizing that potential for the future of the Village and entire community. In addition, this site has a high land value and its use will provide an economic benefit to the community, while improving the financial model for the overall project. The District has been engaging with the community about the future of 1903 Mt Newton and will be using community input and ideas to create project direction for further community feedback.
Why doesn’t the District rebuild of the current site (1903 Mount Newton)?
The District estimates an ability to save up to 30% on development costs by building on the Hovey Road site, and at the same time make better use of our limited land supply within the Urban Containment Boundary and create a more vibrant Saanichton Village (following further consultation with the community).
The project as envisioned will have additional and significant community benefits including:
- Exciting new opportunities for the revitalization of Saanichton Village.
- Cost savings and operations continuity related to offsite construction as relocating Police and Fire operations would be very challenging and costly.
- Increased opportunities for recreation and/or space available for community use at the Hovey Road site in a location more central to all Central Saanich residents.
Additionally, 1903 Mount Newton Cross Road aligns with our goals for a vibrant village core. This site is the largest parcel in Saanichton Village, and the District’s vision includes more green spaces, gathering areas, commercial and needed amenities, and much needed multi-level housing to meet community needs. It can be zoned for higher density and is a valuable piece of property at over 4 acres in size. This site is key to the success of the project financially and it also offers long-term economic benefits to the community through tax revenue.
What will the development of the Mt Newton site look like?
As the site is the largest in Saanichton Village and in located in the core, there are elements of the redevelopment that are priorities based in the Official Community Plan and Saanichton Village Design Plan. The District sought the community’s input from July to October 2024 during the public consultation on the redevelopment, as well. Those elements are:
- Housing
- Greenspace
- Restaurant/cafe
- Medical/dental
- Childcare
(See the What We Heard report from Oct 2024 at LetsTalkCentralSaanich.ca/CivicRedevelopment)
Once Council determines direction for the site, the vision will be part of the next phase of public engagement (early 2025); following public input, a publicly available formal document requesting development proposals (Request for Proposal) will outline the project's requirements, scope, and criteria for selection, and allow any interested parties to submit their proposals detailing how they would meet the project's needs and their proposed solutions. The District expects a successful proponent to present multiple concepts to the public in 2025 for input before a sale is finalized. This process would also include a rezoning, as the property is currently zoned Institutional, which would include an OCP amendment and public hearing.
What is happening with the Municipal Yard redevelopment?
The Municipal Yard, at 1703 Keating Cross Road is also past its useful life; the main building was built in 1973 and no longer functions efficiently as operations have long outgrown the building. In addition, the building has seismic and accessibility deficiencies and does not meet post-disaster standards.
The site is larger than is needed and is ‘industrial’ designated land, which is currently in high demand and of high value. The property has more land than required and unused market potential. We are looking at the best way forward to complete the redevelopment of the Municipal Yard with the optimal financial outcome for taxpayers. The District is looking at rezoning it ‘light industrial’ (I-1 instead of the current I-2 zoning) as it is a suitable use, and there are synergies with other adjacent lands, including the Butler pit, which are seeking a light industrial zoning, as well. This will enable the District to complete a comprehensive analysis of the west section of the Keating Business District, and, if the area was to transition to light industrial, a coordinated installation of site servicing, storm water management, road access and frontage improvements, active transportation enhancements, and overall site design could be planned.
What will the development of the Hovey site look like?
The District is in the process of hiring an architect to design concepts that will be presented to the community in early 2025 for input. The municipal building will include offices, a police and fire station, and potentially community amenity space. The site fronts onto the District’s largest multi-use park and any buildings must respect that and shouldn’t detract from the park’s natural and outdoor aesthetics. The District asked the public to weigh in on priorities for the community amenity space and heard that the most important amenities to try and include were:
- Recreation
- Plaza/courtyard/greenspace/public space
- Community space for rental
- Childcare
- Small-scale food service
(See the What We Heard report from Oct 2024 at LetsTalkCentralSaanich.ca/CivicRedevelopment)
What land options were considered for the municipal facility site?
The District looked at all District-owned land, as well as other parcels. This included, but was not limited to Fire Station 1 on Keating; Municipal Yard site on Keating and Municipal Hall, Police and Fire Station on Mount Newton.
These and other options were not the best choice because they were not in the Urban Containment Boundary, not central enough for emergency response, or were of too high land value to be feasible. (The Urban Containment Boundary ensures development is focused in areas that make sense for the community. It helps protect and enhance the rural and small-town character of Central Saanich. About 18% of the land in Central Saanich is in the boundary.)
A summary of this land analysis and the District’s Feasibility Study is available at LetsTalkCentralSaanich.ca/CivicRedevelopment it includes an overview of the District parcels
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What will this project cost tax payers? Do we have room to take out more debt?
The District has set out to ensure the Civic Redevelopment project has minimal impact on taxpayers. This was one of the main reasons the lot on Hovey Road was acquired—it is much more affordable to build on bare land outside the Village core than to rebuild at 1903 Mt Newton. Because 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road is prime real estate in the heart of Saanichton, if it is rezoned from Institutional to a combined commercial and residential use, it will have significant land value and therefore the sale of this property will offset a substantial amount of the project cost.
Financial strategy: Because this project was identified as coming due almost 20 years ago, we are in a strong financial position based on the following actions over the past decade. In 2017 the District implemented an Asset Management Plan (updated 2022) and adopted financial strategies to increase funding to targeted levels for future replacement of our aging infrastructure, which includes the facilities in discussion. An "Infrastructure and Debt Levy" was added to taxes and will contribute towards the funding required. It is forecasted that the annual funding in 2027 from this plan could fund about $20M of debt for the facilities. The District has the capacity to take out more debt, however, depending on the District’s future debt requirements, obtaining $20M of debt may require elector approval.
The District will be actively exploring opportunities around capital reserves, District-owned land, partnerships, grants and more. Property taxes will be a piece of the puzzle, but we plan for it to be a small piece. The full financial details of the project will be determined alongside concepts and shared in early 2025.
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Will there be community input on this project? There will be numerous opportunities for input, including a series of open house events in 2024 and 2025. The District is excited to be able to invite community input.
In addition, community input that's already been received to date has been considered and incorporated in the project. As background, within the last five years, the District has adopted a number of important plans based on significant public engagement. This included the Official Community Plan, Saanichton Village Design Plan, Economic Recovery Plan, Central Saanich Recreation Needs Assessment (CRD), and more (all available at CSaanich.ca/plans); we also recently held the 2023 Community Satisfaction Survey. Based on these plans, financial estimates, conversations with local service providers and what we hear from the community over the coming months, the District will have concepts developed in 2025.
What is the timeline and status of the project? The project began in 2006 and has started and stopped over the years. We are now running out of time to be able to redevelop before it’s no longer affordable due to rising construction costs. The timeline for the next year is to work with the community to determine plans for the sites, ensure solid financial estimates and plans minimizing the impact on tax-payers and hold a process for voters to approve debt, if required. At this time the anticipated timeline would ensure the project prioritizes time for community engagement and concept development while being efficient to ensure construction cost estimates and financial models are affordable and current.
July-October 2024
- Community outreach on project
- Set initial directions for draft concepts following community outreach
- Hire architect and construction manager for Hovey site for concepts
Early 2025
- Develop and share concepts, options and financial strategies with community for feedback
- Refine concepts
Will there be a chance to vote on the project? Elector approval is anticipated to be required to approve borrowing for this project. The District anticipates a referendum (where residents can vote) or Alternative Approval Process (where residents only note if they are opposed) in 2025. Much more information on that approval process will be shared as the project progresses.
How can I stay informed and share ideas and feedback? The District will be using many channels to keep residents informed – both print and online! We encourage you to keep visiting this site where you can find lots of information and subscribe for email updates.
Information can also be accessed from our website, CentralSaanich.ca or our Facebook or Instagram pages. In addition, please watch for updates in the lobby at the Cultural Centre/Library, in the Community Focus newsletter mailed to all homes, advertisements in the paper, posters and signage around town, regular project newsletters (made available online, at the Cultural Centre and at Municipal Hall) and project ‘open houses’ through the summer and fall.
Public input is vital, and Council and staff are looking forward to now being at the stage of the project where early directions can be explored. Please get involved!