Friday January 12, 2024 | COLWOOD, BC [Updated 6:40 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Colwood Council has awarded a contract for project management and design services for the implementation of Phase 1 of the Colwood Waterfront Stewardship Plan to Associated Engineering Ltd.
The Waterfront Stewardship plan provides the direction to design and construct a multi-use pathway that protects sensitive shoreline areas and guides people thoughtfully and safely along the length of Colwood’s waterfront.
Once all the contract details are finalized, the first task at hand will be to do a site investigation and survey of the whole 4 km stretch of land along which the trail will be built, says Mark Dhillon, area manager with Associated Engineering Ltd. He says that is “a bit of work” and is weather-dependent, so that phase is likely to take several weeks or as long as a month.
“A base plan could take several months and is weather dependent,” says Dhillon. A construction schedule will then be provided to the City of Colwood, he says.
Walk, wheel, scoot or cycle:
The pathway will allow visitors to walk, wheel, scooter or cycle nearly 4 km from the Lagoon Bridge to the vibrant seaside village planned at The Beachlands (a residential and commercial property development on the old gravel pit area right on the oceanfront).
In July 2023 a rebranding of the former Royal Beach to instead be The Beachlands was a highlight of the summer in Colwood.
The Beachlands is being developed as” “a vibrant seaside village”, as described by the City of Colwood in their December 13, 2023 announcement of the contract.
$6 million in federal funding:
Implementation of Colwood’s Waterfront Stewardship Plan is supported by a $6M grant from the Canada Community-Building Fund. The grant requires that the work be completed by 2028.
First steps are underway in partnership with local Nations and the BC Archaeology Branch to ensure the protection of the sensitive ecology and archaeology of the coastline and lagoon areas.
Community and stakeholder engagement:
The Waterfront Stewardship Plan was developed with extensive community and key stakeholder engagement that began in 2021 and will continue through ongoing consultation with the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Songhees Nations during the implementation phase of the project.
Extending the path:
City staff are also working closely with Parks Canada and staff at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site to extend the multi-use pathway up Ocean Boulevard from the Lagoon Bridge to Island Highway for a continuous pedestrian and cycling route linking Colwood’s town centre, to the historic site, along the length of the waterfront, to the Beachlands.
This route will also connect to the new Galloping Goose pedestrian and cycling bridge over Sooke Road, connecting users to neighbourhoods throughout the region on the Capital Regional District’s 55 km Galloping Goose regional trail.
===== RELATED:
- Colwood awards contract for Waterfront Multi-Use Pathway (City of Colwood – December 13, 2023)
- The Beachlands: rebranding the Colwood oceanfront (Island Social Trends – July 29, 2023)
- $6 million federal funds for Colwood waterfront multi-use pathway (Island Social Trends – April 17, 2023)
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke is the founder and editor of Island Social Trends (2020 to present). News is posted daily online at IslandSocialTrends.ca and starting January 2024 biweekly in print.
Ms Brooke has reported on news of the west shore region through a socioeconomic lens since 2008 (formerly with her publications called MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020 — all of which are in the permanent archives at the Sooke Region Museum).
Mary P Brooke now also reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery, after covering the daily COVID news conferences and other BC government news in 2020-2022. In 2023 she was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation award which recognizes a woman journalist who contributes to her community through journalism.
Ms Brooke ran for school trustee in the west shore (SD62) in 2022. In 2024 she has launched the Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society (UFRIS).