Monday January 24, 2022 | COLWOOD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Colwood is booming on the development front. Today on a foggy cloudy morning, another community building development was promoted.
Today Seacliff Properties announced a major partnership today with multi-award-winning developer Reliance Properties to develop Royal Beach in Colwood, one of Greater Victoria’s fastest growing cities.
Over the 15-year buildout of the master-planned seaside community, the partners will inject $1.2 billion into the local economy through job creation and spending in the community, it was stated in a release from the City of Colwood.
Reliance Properties president and CEO Jon Stovell said: “We are thrilled to partner with Seacliff to develop Royal Beach, which will be our first project on Vancouver Island that is outside of Downtown Victoria.”
On behalf of Seacliff Properties, their director of development Georgia Desjardins said: “This is our company’s first joint venture. Royal Beach presents a unique opportunity to develop the last significant waterfront lands in Colwood, creating a new local, regional, and national destination.”
“To best realize the potential of Royal Beach, we wanted to work with a strong partner like Reliance Properties, who shares our vision and has a tremendous track record,” she said today.
Colwood Mayor Rob Martin was excited to welcome the two companies at today’s outdoor event. “Colwood is excited to welcome these respected builders and learn more about their plans to deliver what will be Canada’s most vibrant seaside community with incredible connections to nature, where you can live by the ocean, enjoy the many public parks and trails in your backyard and work within the community.”
Billion-dollar boost to local economy
The developers emphasize that according to Statistics Canada, for every $1 million spent on construction, almost nine full-time jobs are created – a combination of direct, indirect, and induced jobs, meaning jobs created when workers spend money in the community.
For Royal Beach, with a projected investment of more than $1.2 billion, there is the potential to generate more than 700 jobs per year for the next 15 years, says the City of Colwood. That’s approximately 10,500 jobs over the life of the development.
“Residential and commercial construction are significant contributors to employment with a ripple effect across the community,” said Stovell. “As each phase completes, Royal Beach will bring hundreds of new residents and workers to Colwood who will create millions of dollars in economic benefits for local businesses for the lifetime of those businesses.”
New parks, restaurants, shops, services, jobs and homes
The Capital Regional District (CRD)’s Regional Growth Strategy identifies Colwood as a centre for urban growth and densification. The municipality’s population is currently projected to increase by approximately 30% by 2038, accelerating the need for employment opportunities and housing.
Royal Beach will be a collection of neighbourhoods totalling 2,850 homes (single-family houses, townhomes, and apartments), plus hundreds of job spaces in commercial buildings and retail spaces.
The site is 135 acres of oceanfront land with 1.4 km of shoreline. More than 47 acres of the site will be dedicated to public parks and greenspace.
For over 100 years, the site was a rock and gravel mine, one of the region’s largest employers. The mine ceased operations in 2008. Seacliff bought the site in 2017, and after years of planning and public consultation, the City of Colwood adopted a new Sub-Area Plan and zoning bylaw for Royal Beach last year.
“Other seaside communities in BC, like Coal Harbour and Olympic Village, were industrial sites that became coveted, world-class communities in which to live, work, play and visit,” said Desjardins.
“Royal Beach will be Vancouver Island’s most distinct waterfront community.”
Construction timeline:
The first phase of construction will start in the spring with the construction of a new intersection at the site’s entrance at Metchosin Road and Latoria.
“Colwood is on the map,” says Martin. He notes the announcements of the past year that have included the new Royal BC Museum building coming to Colwood, as well as a long-term care centre with Island Health, Seaspan, and others.
===== RELATED:
JDF Child Care Centre responds to community demand (January 17, 2022)
Child care scramble for a week highlights inequities (December 30, 2021)
Excitement about Royal Bay next-phases at outdoor info session (November 14, 2021)
Colwood Mayor says 2020 COVID challenges were faced well locally (January 2, 2021)
Seaspan Victoria Shipyards coming to Allandale District in Colwood (September 9, 2020)
Economic legwork in Colwood during COVID-19 (September 2, 2020)
Land development begins for 77 multi-family homes in Colwood (February 19, 2020)
Colwood Council hears about Royal Beach development (December 29, 2019)
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke is the editor and publisher of Island Social Trends, which has been covering local and regional news since 2008 with a focus on community development, education, and societal shifts.
Previously under the publication names of West Shore Voice News, Sooke Voice News and MapleLine Magazine, the online daily Island Social Trends keeps an ear to the ground on growth and change in the west shore and south Vancouver Island region.
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