In This Week’s Editor’s Note:
- Port Alberni: $21 million building permit for supportive housing project
- Union Bay: deferred 114-lot residential development
- Royston: tender expect this fall for $15.9 million Water South Extension Project
Port Alberni: $21 million building permit for supportive housing project
A $21 million building permit has been issued to Knappett Projects Inc. for BC Housing’s new six-storey, 55-unit supportive housing project. Lease negotiations between the City and BC Housing have been ongoing following rezoning approval earlier this year. Lookout Housing and Health Society has been identified as the future operator of the completed facility. Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months, with a spring 2028 estimated opening.
Union Bay: deferred 114-lot residential development
The Electoral Area Services Committee has deferred consideration of Upper Island Developments’ proposed District Lot 13 residential development until the updated Union Bay Water Master Plan (UBWMP) is updated and an assessment of community amenities and servicing is conducted. The deferral applies to the applicant’s 114-lot scenario, with each lot at 0.4 hectares. A separate 47-lot scenario was presented to the EASC on August 10, proposing 47 one-hectare lots with private on-site wells and septic systems, but was not considered because a formal application has not been made.The deferral centres on concerns regarding the feasibility and sustainability of servicing the proposed development. Key assumptions in the UBWMP are now being questioned following the failure of the proposed Union Bay Estates development, including whether the District Lot 13 development can be serviced in a financially feasible and environmentally sustainable manner. The site is not connected to municipal water, and staff estimate an initial $7.3 million capital investment would be required to service the proposed development. Ongoing maintenance and replacement costs could significantly increase parcel taxes for Union Bay residents, with staff identifying concerns about the development’s long-term sustainability from an asset management perspective. On-site septic servicing has also been identified as a concern during external referrals because the property is located within the sensitive Baynes Sound shellfish area. Directors chose to defer rather than deny the application, with hopes that a completed UBWMP would provide viable servicing recommendations. No date has been identified for the plan to be updated.
Royston: tender expect this fall for $15.9 million Water South Extension Project
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD), K’ómoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay are advancing the Water South Extension Project (Phase One), which will extend the Comox Valley Water Service to the K’ómoks South Lands and provide improved water service to the Royston Water Local Service Area. The project has secured $7.4 million in provincial grant funding, with all grant-funded works required to be completed by March 31, 2028. A 30% preliminary design has been completed, and the agreement establishes a target of completing the detailed design to Issued for Tender level by September 30, 2026. Project contracts are targeted for award by February 29, 2027, with substantial performance targeted for February 29, 2028. The project is designed to provide a maximum-day water demand of 3,270 m³/day and a minimum 90 L/s fire flow, with an option to increase the fire flow to 150 L/s through pipe upsizing. The preliminary project budget is approximately $15.4 million, based on the funding allocations identified in the agreement, with 10% additional funds required in the respective budgets.
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