Pirjo Raits
Sooke News Mirror
Changes are happening again at Silver Spray. Developer Michael Thornton came before District of Sooke council on September 15 requesting a change to the development permit at SookePoint.
In 2013, council approved a development permit for the building of 95 private residence club cottages, along with a club, pavilion for commercial and recreation use as well as parking area and a wastewater treatment plant. This was for phase one of the development in East Sooke at Possession Point.
Thornton came before council looking for some “flexibility” which would allow him to replace eight three-story cottage buildings with one to five buildings between five and seven-stories high. He also applied for a second development permit to build one of five buildings, also referred to by the applicant as “yacht suites” in place of eight cottage buildings. These buildings would be 20 metres high with density bonusing.
District CAO Gord Howie, in looking over the application, had some questions in regard to the incompleteness of the application. Howie stated in the staff report that it was incomplete because the elevation plans for the buildings have not been approved by an architect, no landscape plans were submitted and there was lack of information on parking and lack of information on the number and height of the proposed buildings.
Thornton said he didn’t know how many units would be built and said there was no legal requirement to use a professional architect.
“The only area missing is the number of buildings and I don’t know what the market will take,” he said. “I don’t want the expectation that I will provide more information. There will be no more information coming from us.”
There was discussion regarding the use of a professional architect between council and Thornton. Howie and Thornton had a difference of opinion on whether an architect was required at this stage of the project. The district wanted assurance that it was protected against any liability.
“We’re not going to spend money on an architect,” said Thornton. “We’re talking about a concept and we will use an architect before we build.”