The Township of Esquimalt will be holding a public hearing on proposed amendment bylaws for the rezoning of McLoughlin Point site to allow for a wastewater treatment plant. The public hearing will be held on July 8th, 2013 at Archie Browning Sports Centre beginning at 7 p.m. The hearing may continue on the evenings of July 9th and 10th, 2013, if necessary, to incorporate all public comments.
The three amendment bylaws are being advanced to public hearing to provide a public forum so that the Township can hear from residents and the broader community. Council will consider this input in their final decision on the bylaws, which will likely be made at a Council meeting in July, 2013.
One of the bylaws amends the Official Community Plan, and two bylaws amend the Township’s Zoning Bylaw: one from the CRD as per their rezoning application, and one staff-initiated from the Township of Esquimalt based on community input. The Township has not made a decision on any of these bylaws and welcomes public input at the hearing.
A brief summary of each amendment bylaw is provided below, with links to the full bylaws:
1) OCP Amendment Bylaw # 2804
This is a bylaw that would amend the Official Community Plan to acknowledge that the oil storage facility at McLoughlin Point has now been decommissioned and, as requested by the CRD and as required by section 877 of the Local Government Act, to recognize the wastewater treatment plant as a public facility. The amending bylaw also incorporates detailed design guidelines for the plant, which were developed at a design charrette held by the CRD in April of 2013.
Link to the full document, including map, here.
2) Amendment Bylaw #2805 (CRD)
This is a bylaw to amend the Township’s zoning bylaw to rezone McLoughlin Point to allow for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant. It identifies the density and other regulations the CRD has requested, and identifies what amenities the CRD has offered to the Township in return for siting the facility at McLoughlin Point. The bylaw is in the form of density bonusing, with the base density being a plant of sufficient capacity to handle more than double Esquimalt’s needs, and the bonus density giving increased density and capacity to handle the entire core area, further to the provincially-approved Liquid Waste Management Plan. Conditions to be satisfied to achieve the bonus density, as offered by the CRD, include:
- Facility design according to guidelines
- Upgraded water and firefighting protection
- Provision of underground conduit for future undergrounding of utilities
- Road repair from construction activities
- A $950,000 enhancement to Lyall Street, including the addition of cycling lanes
- An on-site interpretive and education centre, and
- Public access and public walkway system, if permitted by the surrounding Department of National Defence.
In addition, the bylaw creates a new comprehensive development zone for the site (Comprehensive Development District # 83). This zone allows for a wastewater treatment plant and accessory uses (service buildings, security hut, etc). Changes to the Marine Navigation Zone are made to permit the requested marine outfall
Link to the full document here.
3) Amendment Bylaw #2806 (Township of Esquimalt)
This is a bylaw to amend the existing Zoning Bylaw—initiated by Township of Esquimalt staff—that is intended to reflect concerns by residents about siting a wastewater treatment plant at McLoughlin Point if the plant is to be located there.
This bylaw provides for a variety of other uses so that a mixed-use facility can be developed that captures best practices from other jurisdictions around the world, and is more reflective of the costs such a facility would impose on the community. Permitted uses within the zone are intended to be compatible with a mixed-industrial use zoning and include:
- Research
- Business/Professional
- High Technology Uses
- Accessory Retail
- Hotel
- Entertainment and Theatre
- Boat Moorage Facility
- Park
This bylaw proposes mandatory barging of materials to the site during facility construction of a regional plant, and the building of a pier to accommodate the barge. It also proposes that the existing CRD Macaulay Point Pump Station be upgraded to a design standard equal to or better than the recently approved Craigflower Pump Station. In addition, the amending bylaw includes more reasonable setbacks, landscaping, parking and other regulations in keeping with Township Advisory Planning Commission recommendations and historical zoning.
This bylaw also advances a density bonusing framework for facility construction in accordance with section 904 of the Local Government Act. It outlines three density levels that allow for increased sewage capacity providing that additional amenities are provided to the community. The additional amenities are based on resident input received by the Township.
Link to the full document here.
Additional resources:
- CRD rezoning application
- CRD wastewater treatment website
- June 24 Council Agenda with public comments (PDF, 41 MB)
For more information, please contact:
Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
Tel: 250-414-7146