UPDATE, OCTOBER 12, 2010: Victoria International Marina has final overall approval from the Canadian government, including seabed approval for docks. The approved number of slips is just 29, for yachts from 65 to 148 feet LOA.. The marina also includes a route where kayakers can paddle safely. CBC News quotes the federal agency as saying WAM Development Group has a safety-management plan with an “acceptable” level of risk for all water traffic.
Read on for our original article.
The emotionally charged debate over the proposed Victoria International Marina appears to have finally ended last week. The city council of Victoria, British Columbia voted to permit a 40-percent-smaller development plan.
The local government, with British Columbian and Canadian government approval, set aside the location several years ago. Specifically, it sits on the Songhees waterfront, on the north side of Victoria Harbour. WAM Development Group proposed transforming the site to feature 54 slips for yachts from 65 to 135 feet. Most of these sleeps would be for megayachts. Furrther amenities included a restaurant and yacht club. However, Victoria International Marina was put on hold in April after public outcry and subsequent city opposition.
For instance, residents expressed safety concerns for kayakers and small-boat owners. Some further complained that superyachts would pollute the water. They were additionally upset that buildings would block existing condo residents’ views of the harbor. Despite federal and provincial government approval of the plan, the Victoria City Council still had power over a development permit. The city claimed it held riparian rights to an adjacent park where Victoria International Marina would limit boat access.
Several public hearings have occurred over the last few months. During one last week, in which most speakers were against the project, the city council voted unanimously to rezone the waterfront lot. The council therefore reduced the marina’s size. WAM Development Group will now need to revise its design. It expects that 26 to 28 slips, versus the original 52, will be available. “It’s obviously had a negative impact on the bottom line of the project,” the Vancouver Sun quotes Lachlan MacLean, a spokesman for the developer, as saying. “But we’ll make the most of what we’ve got there.”
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