Twenty “technically feasible” sewage treatment sites on the westside were identified on Thursday by Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins and Colwood Mayor Carol Hamilton, who now want the public to weigh in on the options.
The mix of private, public and First Nations properties includes two sites in Langford, 12 in Colwood, one in View Royal, four in Esquimalt and one on Esquimalt First Nations property.
“The next step is to encourage continued community dialogue to help fine-tune the list toward the best options,” Desjardins said.
There are no preferred options. They include Juan de Fuca Rec Centre property, several sites along Veterans Memorial Parkway, Colwood City Hall, two in the Colwood gravel pits, Esquimalt town centre and works yards and Esquimalt’s Bullen Park and Lampson Field, Desjardins said.
Desjardins and Hamilton co-chair the westside wastewater and resource recovery select committee of the Capital Regional District, known as Westside Solutions.
Studies will be conducted to help select preferred sites, Desjardins said. “There may be two sites or maybe one sub-regional site for the westside.”
Westside Solutions is planning a website to gather public comment on site selection throughout the summer. “It will allow community members to share their valuable local knowledge about what conditions would need to be met for a facility to be acceptable on a given site,” Desjardins said.
The hope is to have final site selection settled by the fall.
Options presented after the summer will again be subject to public review through municipal rezoning processes.
Last week, Saanich, Victoria and Oak Bay shortlisted eight potential eastside sites for sewage treatment. They are: four in the Rock Bay area, including a public works yard, sites owned by B.C. Hydro and Transport Canada, and privately owned land; coast guard land beside Ogden Point; Clover Point; the University of Victoria, and the Saanich public works yard.
Desjardins said all of the private landowners affected in the westside selections have been contacted and are willing to have their property considered for sewage treatment.
A public open house is slated for June 24 at the Delta Ocean Pointe Hotel in which detailed information on possible sites in both the westside and eastside will be presented.
Possible westside sites
Sites being considered for a sewage treatment plant on the westside:
Langford
• 3.09 hectares of vacant, private residential-zoned land along the Veterans Memorial Parkway at Kelly Road
• 2.52 hectares of vacant, private, rural residential zoned land along the Veterans Memorial Parkway at Meaford Avenue (a portion of this site, 0.67 hectares, is in Colwood)
Colwood
• 0.67 hectares of vacant, private commercial land along the Veterans Memorial Parkway at Meaford Avenue
• 3.52 hectares of municipal land known as the Colwood Gravel Storage Site along Metchosin Road
• 12.96 hectares of private land in the Colwood Gravel Pit zoned comprehensive development/rural residential along Metchosin Road
• 5.1 hectares at Colwood City Hall, Wishart Road, zoned institutional
• 8.29 hectares of vacant, private land known as the Colwood Pattison Pit, Susan Marie Place, zoned residential.
• 2.06 hectares of vacant, private land known as the Lower Allandale Pit, Allandale Road, zoned industrial.
• 2.77 hectares of vacant, private land known as the Upper Allandale Pit, on Metchosin Road, zoned residential
• 1.36 hectares of private, partially built (foundations for development) at Colwood City Centre on Sooke Road, zoned comprehensive development
• 0.88 hectares of vacant, private land along the Veterans Memorial Parkway at Belmont Road
• 0.99 hectares of private parking lot at the Colwood Park and Ride, zoned park
• 2.27 hectares of vacant, private land along the Island Highway
• 0.55 hectares of vacant, private land along Wale Road
• 44.1 hectares at the West Shore Parks and Recreation (Juan de Fuca) playing fields, on the Island Highway, zoned park/recreation
Esquimalt First Nation
• 4.65 hectares of vacant First Nations land on Admirals Road
View Royal
• 2.26 hectares of vacant, provincially owned land used by an archery club at Burnside and Watkiss roads
Esquimalt
• 3.64 hectares at municipally-owned Bullen Park, currently used as a sports⊇field.
• 1.03 hectares of municipally-owned land at Esquimalt Town Centre, zoned institutional, on Esquimalt Road
• 0.86 hectares of municipally owned land at the Esquimalt Public Works Yard, on Esquimalt Road
• 1.97 hectares of municipally owned sports field at Lampson Field
— Source: Westside Wastewater and Resource Recovery Select Committee
