South Skirt Mountain Village
Posted by Cheryl McLachlan on January 25, 2009
On Monday, January 26, the city Planning and Zoning Committee will discuss the application to rezone 211 acres as a new Comprehensive Development Zone to allow for the development of a new Comprehensive Mixed-Use Development. Developers are planning 2819 residential units (mostly apartments and condos) on the 84-acre site straddling the Bear Mountain Parkway over the next fifteen years. The development spans the steep and rugged south slope of Skirt Mountain from Florence Lake west to Goldstream Provincial Park, and from Highway 1 all the way up to Bear Mountain Resort on top of the mountain.
The P&Z Committee meeting begins Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 pm in Langford Council chambers, 3rd floor, 877 Goldstream Ave.
South Skirt Mountain Open House Invitation has a good aerial view map
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3198142236_da69e8a4da_o.jpg
The City of Langford has a Development Concept Plan for South Skirt Mountain map: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/3197983623_8a6a956bce_b.jpg There are no designated forests, parks, or green space on the map, just undefind “open space” seeming to mean no buildings but does not define what is in the open space. There is no karst (the soluble and fragile limestone rock famous for cave formations) indicated on the map, however it is well documented in the areas to the south, east, and north of the new development zone. Spaet Cave lies only a few meters north of the new development boundary, while Florence Lake Cave is less than a hundred meters to the east, and Langford Lake Cave a few hundred meters to the south.
Quickly after the Jan. 26th P&Z Committee meeting the City of Langford Council reportedly is holding the public hearing on the South Skirt Mountain Village application Monday, February 2 7PM at the beginning of the Council Meeting.
Concerns citizens can let council know what they think at the planning meeting January 26 or the public hearing February 2 (both at 7 pm at Langford City Hall.) Even better, they can send their input on email or by phone.
Send feedback to:
dplouffe@cityoflangford.ca
Phone: (250) 474-6919
Fax: (250) 391-3436
Website: http://www.cityoflangford.ca/departments.asp?Dept=Planning%20and%20Zoning
Teresa Ackroyd said
That aerial view just brings tears to my eyes. Everywhere all around is already stripped and ripped to shreds. But of course this development must go through, else how will we pay for the Spencer road interchange?
langford newby said
You know, Teresa, what scares me most about this is the chance of the builders going bankrupt partway through,leaving us citizens to pay for the interchange ourselves.
Bert Quigg finally figured it out and postponed his (stupid) vineyard vision till things pick up. Housing sales are dismal and the likelihood of the market being able to absorb another 2000 housing units is virtually impossible.
The only positives I can see in all this is that the price of housing in Langford will drop significantly when the glut of new housing hits the market and the construction industry gets a short-term shot in the arm.
Too bad nobody has figured out that the average tourists don’t come here to see cookie cutter subdivisions, even on the side of a mountain. They come here for the natural landscape. As it stands, there’s not much to lure that almighty tourist dollar into Langford, except the big box stores. Big draw……
In an attempt to ride the crest of the wave coming called recession, they’re still expecting to not only break even, but turn a profit? The obvious conclusion “Beam me up Scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here!”
Ann Cochlin said
Hi newby, I think the penny has dropped. I was paying close attention at the meeting and it came out that yes, they need to sell condos to pay for the interchange. But they need to build the Bear Mountain Parkway before they can sell any condos. The parkway goes straight uphill from the interchange with hairpin turns and now they say it’s going to be a four-lane arterial! Well, that will cost them $20 million all by itself. Add to that the huge cost of leveling that steep, rocky hillside and the toxic orange sludge problem, and it looks like a business proposal that’s designed to fail. We’ll see if it even gets off the ground.
It’s all tied together. The interchange project won’t go bankrupt before it’s finished if Harper gives Langford a cash gift in his budget today. But I can’t imagine that extending to the parkway – it can’t be called infrastructure, can it? So yes – how will they pay for any of it, in this market?
Chumly said
Mr. Langford
I think that it is silly to suggest that the City of Langford could go bankrupt. All you have to do is refer to the audited financial statements to see that everything nis above board and there are no shenanigans.
Hey wait a minute, the audited financial statements are missing from the annual report.
Spencer Road User said
Can you spell conspiracy?
Something stinks, yet again, and it isn’t rotting salmon in the Goldstream River.
Andrew F said
Feel your pain Chumly. I have been trying for a month to get the financial department in Langford to tell me where I can find the 2007 audited financial statements. At first I was told that staff were on vacation and now no answer to my email. As you point out, they were not included this year in the annual report (just a header page) and I cannot find them on the website anywhere.
I don’t know about a conspiracy, but the City should at least be transparent and provide financial data when it is requested.
Jacques Cadé said
Was this development discussed/approved at the February 2 council meeting? I haven’t heard anything more about it. Please let us know!
Steven Hurdle said
This development was discussed in only the briefest of fashions. The Planning, Zoning, and Affordable Housing Committee recommendation was read into the record and staff asked to draft a bylaw, and one member of the public spoke (in opposition), and that was that. The anticipated bylaw didn’t appear, let alone a public hearing.
It will still have to come before two or three Council meetings before it could be approved, but the public hearing is going to be the public’s last opportunity to speak to the issue so that’s the important one.
Douglas Rowe said
Copies of the South Skirt Mtn. Environmental Assessment are available at Langford City Hall. Mine cost $30.00.
Elizabeth said
South Skirt Mt.
Although the cost is quite high for the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, it does need reading. There is so much in the environment both red and blue listed that will be heavily impacted. The mitigation strategies hardly seem adequate. people need to get informed.
Chumly said
Andrew F
I notice that Langford has finally posted the financial statements online. http://www.cityoflangford.ca/documents.asp?subject=Taxes,%20Fees,%20Grants
Good work.
Ruth Getty said
Hi there, I no this has probably nothing to do with the above posts, but i hope I can explain.
Here goes. I am from a small village called Cullybackey, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, and after my Dads passing,(well he was born in toronto,and had his 5th birthday on the boat coming back to Northern Ireland), going through his items I came across a letter he received from Santa Claus and was delivered to his address, 13 Langford Avenue, City.
I have googled earth and have found this address but ive no way of finding out if this was his birth place or if back then there was a similar address, I also have his birth certificate, I no this is a huge request but would it be possible for someone to e-mail me with a possible contact that i might find out more, i thank you, whoever reads this and may give me some help, my name is Ruth Getty and e-mail is ruthgetty@btinternet.com.
Im sorry for taken up a slot on your post board.
Many thanks for taking time to read this
Ruth
Rabble said
I hope that if people are getting access to the Environmental Assessment that an individual or group will consider sharing it online for the benefit of all – this is one good way of spreading the information while preventing the city from collecting $30 for everyone who wants a copy… well worth the money… for the public good…
Agustus said
Questions for Langford and the Ministry of Environment
Regarding taking out the Greenbelt between Spencer Road and Goldstream and rezoning for condos and mostly highrises no limits. Some 2400 units?
Public Hearing February 23, 2009 Development of Skirt Mountain.
How can you have a Planning and Zoning meeting (January 26, 2009) on something this scale without telling people what the zoning is? How can you have public input when you won’t release the details of the new zoning? Does the rest of B.C. realize it will look like Baby Dubai—a little New York City skyline all the way to Goldstream?
If you were so concerned about the big wetland on South Skirt Mountain, then why, for the last 2 years or so, have you been blocking the water flowing into that wetland with bales of hay, re-bar, and black tarps strung along as fences? You pretty much tried to starve that wetland of water, and now you want to fix it up. And you took out all these big cedar trees in there. No skin off my hide—it’s good firewood, man, and I always thought that swampy place was kind of ugly with old car wrecks and stuff in it. That part’s all under the new road now anyway. But I sure don’t understand what that monstrous big pile of dirt is up there, and why you got it surrounded by lots more of these tarp fences. I guess you’re trying to hold back the mudslides? Good luck.
It’s just that I know that area up in there. It used to be real nice, trails and all, lots of game. Now it’s all blasted to hell and you can’t even recognize anything any more.
And these people want to build a little yuppie eco-friendly eco-centre up in there, and then call it a neighbourhood?
Those Oak Bay ladies from the Tartan Group sure aren’t the best spin doctors on the block. But I’m dying to hear their explanations of all this. It should be classic and worth keeping for posterity.
They say they won’t let the water go back into Sometimes Creek now because they need all that (diverted) water and runoff for their wetlands project. Well, Sometimes Creek goes into Florence Lake, and it’s looking about as bad as these wetlands these days. Nothing’s going into it anymore. Won’t be long before that stinks up.
Why do you let them cover up the stream over by Savory that used to go into the lake? And what the hell is that over at Martin Road? I think that’s what they call it now. That used to be big water coming down into the Lake.
And up top? The old headwaters of Sometimes Creek is polluted with that nasty looking orange sludge that pours down from Bear Mountain. That’s been going on for a couple of years now. We used to drink that water.
runs downhill, folks.
Agustus Braun
South Skirt Mountain.