Sidney will honour an agreement made with a pair of waterfront property owners back in around 2001, committing to keeping land clear of new commercial units for at least another 14 years.

On Tuesday night, Town councillors voted to remove references to commercial containers or other units for property along the waterfront walkway in front of the Sidney Waterfront Inn, within its revised Downtown Waterfront Vision plan. They also asked staff to write a letter to the property owners, stating that intent.

Sidney is currently developing its new waterfront vision plan. One of the suggestions made within it, is to rework a portion of the walkway in front of the Inn and include B次元官网网址渇lexible commercial units (e.g., shipping containers) and public washroom.B次元官网网址� The uses for the units could be recreation-based or food services.

That section raised concerns from Sidney Waterfront Inn owners Denis Paquette and Roselyn McDermid. In a letter to council, they refer to promises made when the waterfront walkway was being developed.

B次元官网网址淲e made an agreement with the Town that nothing would be built or placed in front of our land and that access to our foreshore lease would not be impeded,B次元官网网址� they wrote, asking that this element of the vision plan be removed as a result of that agreement.

In a staff report to council, Manager of Planning Alison Verhagen stated the TownB次元官网网址檚 lease files include a letter from Nov. 16, 20o1, showing the Town agreed to incorporate wording into the TownB次元官网网址檚 lease with the Province for the portion of waterfront walkway south of Beacon Avenue. That wording would provide for unimpeded access across the area to the diverB次元官网网址檚 ramp, for a period of 30 years (2001 to 2031).

Verhagen noted the current wording in the TownB次元官网网址檚 License of Occupation is slightly different, stating B次元官网网址�(The Town) must B次元官网网址� agree to permit the free and unrestricted access (to the property owner) across the land.B次元官网网址�

Verhagen suggested in her report that since SidneyB次元官网网址檚 waterfront plan is a vision document only, the reference to commercial units in that area does not necessarily have to be removed.

Councillors, however, felt that the original agreement should be upheld and the property owner assured that noting would be built in that specific area for the term of the current lease.

B次元官网网址淭his comes down to good faith,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Barbara Fallot, adding while the issue is only in a visioning document any may never come to pass, she felt the agreement the town made with the landowners needs to be honoured.

Coun. Tim Chad added heB次元官网网址檇 never support B次元官网网址渢in cansB次元官网网址� sitting on the TownB次元官网网址檚 waterfront.

B次元官网网址淲e have no idea what could go there,B次元官网网址� said Mayor Steve Price.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to go back on that agreement,B次元官网网址� added Coun. Peter Wainwright, who said he was on the council at the time it was made.

He said the Town should be clear that they will honour that agreement, even though the official paperwork doesnB次元官网网址檛 exist with the exact wording referenced in the staff report.

Coun. Erin Bremner-Mitchell said she felt the vision statement could have remained as-is and the Town could still show Paquette and McDermid that they planned to honour the agreement.

B次元官网网址淭en to 15 years from now, another council could change this,B次元官网网址� Price added, noting the lease held by the property owners will expire in 2031.