After more than three decades of use, a large Metchosin property owned by a popular youth organization in Greater Victoria is up for sale.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria announced earlier this week that they have put their 40-acres (16 hectares) of their 98-acre property located at 3900 Metchosin Road up for sale and are asking $2.3 million.
“Sales information will be made available to interested individuals and organizations, including those with land conservation or preservation mandates,” the club said in a press release.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria, which has operated programming for children and youth on the property for more than three decades and purchased the property from the provincial government in 2004 for $1.6 million, said the decision to sell is financially motivated.
“We have been remarkable stewards of this land for decades. Now it is time for someone else to take over. Our goal is to reinvest in our greatest asset – the children and youth of our region,” Wayne Jensen, the club’s treasurer said in a press release.
The non-profit organization had come under intense pressure from the Mayor of Metchosin and various community groups earlier this year after it applied to subdivide the 98-acre property, which includes a pond, Garry Oak forests, trails and agricultural land.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria had initially planned to subdivide 40 acres of land that already has the proper zoning for development in order to create eight sections of five-acre developments that could later be sold and keep the remaining 58 acres that are zoned for agricultural use.
However, in its press release, the club said it would be “willing to entertain purchase offers” for the entire property.
“While the priority is the sale of the 40-acre parcel, the [Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria] has heard many community voices
asking that the entire 98-acre property also be considered. In an effort to respond to these community interests, the [club] would be willing to entertain purchase offers on the entire property, which is zoned for multiple uses,” the release states.
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