Land in Royal Bay could be seeing a significant makeover after the seaside community proposed a new village centre and housing neighbourhood after over a year of “extensive community consultation”.
The new hub would include a grocery store, pharmacy, neighbourhood shops and services, housing, parks, pathways, bike routes and a future elementary school, just south of Latoria Boulevard and west of Metchosin Road.
The plan is to divide the land into two sections, the Quarry and the Commons, according to a Royal Bay Facebook post.
The Quarry will be the neighbourhood section, creating 2,100 new homes.
“It proposes a mixture of single-family homes and townhouses, a future 500-student elementary school, parks and open spaces and potential civic uses such as a fire hall and civic precinct, such as a library or city hall,” says the proposed plan on the Royal Bay website.
The Commons will be a mixed-use village at the centre of the community that will host commercial, residential, mixed-use developments and now institutional uses.
It will include a neighbourhood retail village, a grocery store, cold beer and wine store, coffee shop, restaurant and pharmacy.
Nothing is set in stone yet, as Commons retail and commercial uses could range from 70,000 to about 190,000 square feet, based on market demand.
Royal Bay says other institutional and cultural uses could also be considered.
“Additional employment/commercial lands are being reserved for non-residential uses that would provide employment opportunities or institutional space,” reads the plan.
An overview of the floor plan for the space in Royal Bay hoping to become a new hub for homes and businesses
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The proposed development includes an expansion of Latoria Creek Park, adding acres of mature forest, new connections and trails, as well as safe bike routes and trails connecting all areas of the space.
To start, a transit exchange built within phase one of the Commons village centre to facilitate future BC Transit service, and wider road standards in single-family residential zones will create additional room for on-street parking.
“Employment, institutional and commercial lands to provide for jobs and a high-value tax base for the city,” reads the post. “Ongoing development of Royal Bay in Latoria South will be an important part of Colwood’s economic recovery as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Plans for the Commons and the Quarry are soon to be considered by the City of Colwood, and a public hearing will be held on July 13.
Rebecca Lawrence
