Attachment 4 - Commercial Space Requirements for Medical Clinic at The Royale

Re: Commercial Space Requirements for Medical Clinic at The Royale, 258 Helmcken Road

Dear Mayor and Council,

We are long-standing View Royal residents developing a multidisciplinary medical group rooted in this community. Our goal is to build a practice that serves our neighbours close to home while supporting the rapid growth of the region. As clinicians and health-system leaders with extensive experience in operations, specialized care delivery, and regional program development across Vancouver Island, we are committed to providing services that meet the community’s most pressing needs. Establishing a comprehensive medical centre at 258 Helmcken Road (The Royale) allows us to bring essential and highly specialized clinical services to View Royal—services that are currently unavailable in town and, in several cases, unavailable anywhere else in the province.

We are seeking to lease the ground-floor commercial premises at this location for the purpose of operating a full-service medical clinic. Our operational requirements necessitate a minimum of 6,000 square feet to accommodate primary care, general surgery clinical services, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, mental health, and procedural rooms. This multidisciplinary model directly addresses a critical gap in health care within the community.

Current data show that over 60% of View Royal residents do not have a primary care physician, representing one of the highest rates of unattached patients in British Columbia. This clinic would directly expand access to care for these residents while also providing specialist and procedural services that do not exist anywhere else in View Royal. At present, there is no local facility equipped to host general surgery procedures, minor surgical interventions, or trauma-informed rehabilitation services. This health care facility would become the first centre in the province to offer this unique combination of services under one roof.

The Town’s current request to dedicate 1,500 square feet to a café significantly reduces the space available for clinical use. Allocating this amount of square footage to a non-clinical function places a financial strain on the project and reduces the number of physicians, allied health practitioners, and treatment rooms we can offer. That same 1,500 square feet could instead be used to accommodate multiple additional examination rooms, a procedure suite, physiotherapy treatment space, or specialty consult rooms—each of which directly supports patient care for View Royal residents.

This requested café footprint also removes 10 essential parking stalls, limiting access for patients—including those with mobility challenges—and restricting available parking for physicians and staff. Given that our clinic will bring patients from across Vancouver Island and beyond, as well as serve the large proportion of View Royal residents currently without care, adequate parking is essential to the success and safety of the clinic.

We fully appreciate the Town’s interest in integrating a café into the development and are prepared to support this component. However, to balance community benefit with clinical necessity, we respectfully request that the café space be reduced to a maximum of 800 square feet. This compromise maintains an amenity for the neighbourhood while allowing the clinic to fulfill its intended role as a major health-care access point for the community.

We are committed to working collaboratively with the Town of View Royal to finalize a plan that prioritizes resident health needs, ensures accessibility, and allows for the long-term sustainability of this much-needed clinic.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Dennis Y. Kim, MD, MMEd, FACS, FRCSC Clinical Professor of Surgery The University of British Columbia Medical Director, Surgical Services Medical Director, Trauma Services Vancouver Island Health Authority

Alexis de Rosenroll, MScN Clinical Operations Director