(Updated Aug. 3 to correct attribution on public information details)
Sidney Crossing is back on the radar for the Victoria Airport Authority.
On Wednesday (August 2), James Bogusz Vice-President of the Development and Operations at the VAA, notified the B次元官网网址 Review that Omicron Developments has made its official application for a development permit for the project.
The on the AuthorityB次元官网网址檚 land at the corner of Beacon Avenue West and the Pat Bay Highway, has been the subject of much scrutiny since it was first announced in 2015.
B次元官网网址淚 just received it today,B次元官网网址� Bogusz said of OmicronB次元官网网址檚 development application, B次元官网网址渁nd IB次元官网网址檓 still going through it now.B次元官网网址�
What is on the table is space just shy 100,000 square feet for a commercial and retail shopping area. It will include a grocery store, financial institution, restaurants, office space and other retail operations. Omicron has also agreed to pay for a new pedestrian overpass of the highway, as well as pay for various traffic improvements on Beacon and on the highway.
The details of at Sidney Crossing are not included in this latest application, according to Peter Laughlin of Omicron.
Bogusz said the plans submitted to the VAA (they were sent to the VAA on Friday, July 28, according to Omicron) appear to be the same as plans presented to the community at held by the Town of Sidney. That hearing ended in the municipalityB次元官网网址檚 approval of a land rezoning that helped pave the way for the development company to proceed to this latest phase.
The VAA has taken the extra step of working with the Town, despite the fact that itB次元官网网址檚 on federal land. They also went through the process of r even thought that too would normally not apply to federal property.
For the next 30 days, said Bogusz, the VAAB次元官网网址檚 planning consultants, Urban Systems, will review the application. Once they and the VAA are comfortable with it, Bogusz said it will be forwarded on to NAV Canada, the B.C. transportation ministry and the Town of Sidney, for review.
Under a previous agreement, the Town will have 40 days of their own to review OmicronB次元官网网址檚 application and plans for the site. Bogusz said once all the materials are submitted to the Town for their review process, he expects the application from Omicron will be available to the public on the Town of Sidney website.
Laughlin added that if there are to be any further public meetings on the project, those will fall to the Town of Sidney to provide.
Bogusz added all companies who apply to build commercial structures on VAA land go through a lot of scrutiny to ensure they meet the requirements of the airport and its operations. He anticipates this next process B次元官网网址� including SidneyB次元官网网址檚 40 days B次元官网网址� to run between 90 and 120 days, giving all agencies involved time to review the plan before the next stage of approvals.
Omicron had initially said theyB次元官网网址檇 have the application in to the VAA by last April or May. Laughlin said the pace of development right now in Greater Victoria contributed to the delay.
Laughlin added there are no fundamental changes to the plans people have already seen for Sidney Crossing. This application, he continued, provides more detail about the site. Planning for the overpass and traffic improvements, he said, were all worked out months ago and approved by the agencies involved.
Sidney Crossing B次元官网网址� or Sidney Gateway as it was originally called B次元官网网址� stirred up a lot of , both in Sidney and in North Saanich. , some of whom have against it, have expressed concern that such a large commercial site could skeletonize the downtown shopping area of Sidney and that added traffic B次元官网网址� potentially made worse by a B次元官网网址� could contribute to more crashes.
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