Letter dated February 24, 2026 from R. Sansom, Grayland Consulting Ltd., Re: 1720 Wilfert Road – Official Community Plan – Letter to View Royal Council

Re: 1720 Wilfert Road - Official Community Plan – Letter to View Royal Council

Dear Mayor and Council.

The owners of 1720 Wilfert Road wish to convey comments and concerns regarding the proposed “Western Gateway Corridor” local area plan.

We recognize that this corridor is an important economic driver of the community, given the large volume of drive-by traffic, transportation options and nearby services. We also feel that each property in this area needs to be analyzed for its highest and best use. The landowner was not contacted directly for participation in any of the engagement workshops or surveys. Therefore, we are using this opportunity to start the conversation about the highest and best use of this particular property.

The Millstream Creek riparian area takes up over 50% of the property and will be protected in perpetuity, no matter what the final use of this property is.

The owners are currently working with a day care operator for the southerly portion of the site in accordance with the existing OCP and zoning of the lands and will be applying for the Development Permit shortly.

Designating 1720 Wilfert as strictly commercial use, without the flexibility to explore mixed use or residential options, is an absolute hardship. Further, the lands were subject to a bulk rezoning in from a mixed use to the C-7 Business Park Zone, that did not include input from the landowners.

There has been no commercial interest in the property, as it is very restricted in access, parking and exposure for a commercial business to be successful here. The property is completely shielded by the Casino and car dealership and has no exposure to the Island Highway.

The idea of a hotel has been explored several times, but the economics simply do not work. This site is not large enough for this use in this location, as surface parking and large vehicle access would be required.

This property is an excellent location for residential apartments or seniors living, with easy access to transit and services, with beautiful views of Millstream Creek. This would contribute to the Town’s housing obligations in a park-like setting. We think this would be wasted on a strictly commercial use.

We respectfully request that Scenario 3 be maintained for this property as Neighbourhood Mixed Use, and we request a meeting with staff and the OCP consultant to further discuss appropriate uses for this site and maximize value for the community, the owner and the eventual end users.

Thank you for your consideration,

Best Regards,

Rachael Sansom A.Sc.T Agent for the owners of 1720 Wilfert Road