If youB次元官网网址檙e not looking for it, youB次元官网网址檇 probably miss it amongst the hustle and bustle that is Sooke Road near the Jacklin Road intersection.
But just past there B次元官网网址� in the 2600-block of Sooke Road B次元官网网址� is an old little white house with black trim. Its windows are boarded up, moss covers its roof and its paint is chipping. The lawn is overgrown and it appears abandoned. But if you look at the right time as you drive past, youB次元官网网址檒l catch a glimpse of it through the shrubs.
Langford resident Shannon Ireland did just that and it caught her attention. In fact, thereB次元官网网址檚 a number of old properties on the West Shore that have caught her attention while driving around. SheB次元官网网址檚 been posting pictures of them in different Facebook groups in hopes of learning more about them.
B次元官网网址淲hen you start asking questions people start weighing in,B次元官网网址� she explained. B次元官网网址淚 want to find out more about them and the people who lived there.B次元官网网址�
This little house, located at 2621 Sooke Rd., received several comments on different posts with several long-time West Shore residents noting it used to belong to the Bodman family with other members of the family living in neighbouring homes.
A number of the comments referenced the home from the late 1960s, early B次元官网网址�70s, and remember the home fondly as it was beautiful in its glory days. There was even mention of rabbits being raised in the backyard and neighbourhood children playing on the mountainside behind the home as it wasnB次元官网网址檛 developed at that time.
While it may not look the way many residents remember it from the B次元官网网址�60s, this house and the property it sits on is assessed at $1.695 million.
As of July 1, 2017, according to B.C. Assessment, this house was only valued at $1,000 but the land was valued at $1.694 million. B.C. Assessment has no sale records in the past three years for this property.
Real estate agent Lorne Tuplin, a member of the Re/Max Camosun team, has been selling homes on the West Shore for more than 20 years and has been in the business for a total of 40 years.
Back in the 1960s, he noted this house would have sold for roughly $17,000 or $18,000.
The house was built in 1941, according to B.C. Assessment, and is a one-and-a-half storey home with four bedrooms and one bathroom. It sits on 2.88 acres that backs onto Jacklin Road.
According to a City of Langford staff report regarding a nearby proposal, this site is zoned R2.
Originally, homes with R2 zoning only permitted one-family dwellings.
After Langford incorporated council drafted its own zoning bylaws and R2 was changed to permit both one-family and two-family dwellings.
Secondary suites were also added as a permitted use in 1997 in single family homes but not in duplexes.
But Ireland and others arenB次元官网网址檛 looking at these home because of their assessed values or their potential for development.
B次元官网网址淭he heritage part of it all is really interesting and how theyB次元官网网址檙e all connected,B次元官网网址� Ireland said. B次元官网网址淚f you really look and read all of the history, thereB次元官网网址檚 four or five main families B次元官网网址� and they all had giant chunks of land.B次元官网网址�
A lot of that was slowly parcelled off or subdivided but there are still a few members of those families that, generations later, are still living on whatB次元官网网址檚 left of those properties or in original homes.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e being torn down B次元官网网址� [and] I feel like we need to document all these properties before theyB次元官网网址檙e torn down,B次元官网网址� Ireland explained. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just really sad B次元官网网址� I think the mayors should reconsider some as heritage properties.B次元官网网址�
With more development on the West Shore and more homes being built, itB次元官网网址檚 easy to see how some can become nostalgic for the days they spent growing up on the West Shore.
This is the first installment in a new monthly series featuring a look at some of the West ShoreB次元官网网址檚 historical properties. Watch for a video on the 骋补锄别迟迟别B次元官网网址檚 Facebook page on the second Thursday of the month, followed by a feature in the following WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 paper. If youB次元官网网址檇 like to suggest a property to be featured, please send a message to the email below.
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