Langford’s goal of creating a business park on Sooke Road has taken another step towards fruition, with Keycorp Consulting Ltd. applying on behalf of several property owners to have 12 parcels on Sooke and Cogan roads rezoned.
A portion of the roughly 380 acres that now fall within Langford city limits, after the provincial government signed off on a boundary adjustment last month, have been earmarked for a new business park, cluster housing and rural residential lots.
The proposed industrial zone is a broad-ranging business park based on the other two industrial zones on Sooke Road (Slegg Lumber and Glenshire Business Park).
However, the actual uses allowed for the new zone have not been determined and will depend on variables such as market conditions and site servicing such as sewer and water.
Some of the land proposed for cluster housing is intended for one- and two-family residential as well as townhouses.
The owner of the property on which rural residential zoning is proposed has not disclosed any future development plans at this time.
Keycorp has also acquired the right to purchase parts of three of the properties on Sooke Road.
It has also requested that Langford council subdivide the existing residential developments on these properties so that undeveloped land can be rezoned for industrial uses.
At the April 3 council meeting, first reading was given to two bylaws that, once adopted, would allow for these proposals to move forward.
The boundary adjustment came from a three way land-transfer agreement involving Langford, Metchosin and Beecher Bay First Nation. It was dubbed by many as historic because of its creative solution to a potentially problematic treaty settlement.
The swap saw Metchosin keep three parcels of treaty land within its borders as green space, while shrinking its northern border with Langford allowed for the creation of a business park and residential development.
Beecher Bay will receive 30-per cent ownership of the business park and the three parties will enter into a tax-sharing agreement on land planned for industrial use.
The deal survived a number of hurdles during the past several months, including a January referendum in Metchosin that passed with more than 75 per cent of voters in favour.