District of Sooke council will hold a public hearing to consider rezoning a 4.2-hectare residential lot to a proposed Wadams Way Comprehensive Development Zone.
The property is located at 2182 Church Rd.
The rezoning would allow for a maximum of 133 residential unit that could range from single family, duplex, apartment building, assisted living facility, cluster dwellings or townhouses.
In a report to council Monday, municipal staff said the property owners intent is not to develop the land, but to create flexibility to allow for a future developer of the land to adapt to market conditions.
The applicants – Hugh Wadams and John and Peter Cook – have offered a package of amenities to the municipality, which includes an affordable housing contribution and a roundabout at Thorpe and Church roads.
Sooke has done previous comprehensive development zoning in the past at Sun River, Sooke Point and Stoneridge.
Coun. Rick Kasper said there are no guarantees the applicants will be successful in the rezoning.
“The only thing I get leery of is someone coming back who’s going to buy it and then want more concessions, like higher zoning or whatever because they say they paid too much for the property,” Kasper said.
The proponents do not wish to develop the site and do not have a development plan for the property. They do, however, wish to provide more flexibility than a conventional zone, in order for a future owner or developer to more easily adept to market conditions over time, said the staff report
“I can appreciate the family doesn’t want to be in the development business. They want to get the highest invest value for their property,” Kasper said.
No date has been set for the public hearing.