—— UPDATE: On Nov. 20, council voted 4-2 (Mayor Rob Douglas and councillor Christopher Justice opposed) to support option two: THAT Council directs staff to: a. proceed with processing application OCP00031 and draft an amendment to Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 3900, 2022, for consideration by Council, and b. initiate a separate OCP amendment respecting the remainder of the 'Future Growth Area' designation in the Official Community Plan. Staff will bring forward options for amending the OCP along with recommendations for process and public input. Before application OCP00031 can proceed, staff will complete additional steps and review as outlined below in the implications section, which may require the applicant to provide further studies and information.”——

The public spotlight is on Councillor Chris Istace as North Cowichan council prepares to vote Wednesday on a major development that could seriously undermine the two-year-old Official Community Plan.

At issue is a proposed residential and mixed-use development on 12.5 hectares north of Herd Road in the Bell McKinnon area.

The land includes four parcels designated future growth area, outside the urban containment boundary in the OCP approved by council in August 2022.

A staff report strongly urges council to not approve the West Vista Terrace development, saying it “represents a significant departure from the growth management section” of the OCP.

Expanding the urban containment boundary “before additional land is required may diffuse development over a larger area and lead to more fragmented growth,” the report adds. The surrounding area consists mainly of large rural properties.

The staff report says the existing Bell McKinnon Growth Centre can accommodate about 85 percent of North Cowichan’s housing needs for the next 20 years.