With a referendum two weeks away, Metchosinites will have a chance to ask council, as well as representatives from Beecher Bay First Nation and Keycorp Development Ltd., about a proposed boundary swap affecting the municipality.
A town hall-style meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Metchosin Community Hall.
“This is part of the engagement process. Residents need to have their questions answered so they can inform themselves before the referendum,” said Mayor John Ranns in a statement.
“We want people to understand the proposal, and the alternatives.”
Residents head to the polls Jan. 28 to decide the fate of the agreement, which calls for the District’s northern boundary to be receded to allow for residential and industrial development within Langford. It also proposes the preservation of existing treaty lands within Metchosin as green space.
Beecher Bay would own a third of the business park and all three parties would enter into a tax sharing agreement relating to the park.
Opponents of the deal include many of the Metchosin residents who would live closest to the proposed development.
In December, the buffer zone between the residential component of the development and properties on Neild Road was doubled (to 200 metres) in response to those concerns.
Ranns has been at the forefront of negotiations with Langford, Beecher Bay and developer Keycorp the past several months. He has insisted this is the best solution for Metchosin and the only way it can maintain its status as a rural community going forward, citing Beecher Bay’s stated desire to develop three treaty parcels that lie within district boundaries.
“(Residents) need to understand the benefits and risks involved, and what can happen if the proposal is not approved,” he stated.
Advance voting for the referendum will be available at the Metchosin Municipal Hall on Jan. 18 and 25, while general polling will take place at the Community Hall between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Jan. 28.