Trying to control development by denying access to public water is bad policy.
Development is better regulated by strong OCPs and precise zoning.
And that is what we have in the Juan de Fuca.
The residents of East Sooke and Otter Point (and all the other JDF sub regions) have chosen to have a rural character, with low density and restrained development potential, reaffirmed and enshrined at our recent OCP reviews.
We also overwhelmingly expressed the desire that public water should be available, on a user pay basis, throughout our communities;
That access to clean safe public water is a right;
And that we should have the same rights as our neighbours Sooke and Metchosin, both of whom allow water throughout their districts.
Indeed, someday we may become part of one of those municipalities.
To those who say access to water will lead to higher density, urban sprawl, etc...
It will not.
Our Official Community Plans simply don’t allow that kind of development.
But what it will mean is a better quality of life for many people, whether it’s in Demaniel Creek Estates and The Woods in Otter Point, or on Seed Tree Rd. and Anderson Cove Rd. in East Sooke, or on Goudie Creek in Shirley/Jordan River.
Water is a human right, and that includes us in the Juan De Fuca.
Zac Doeding
East Sooke