Council turned down the proposed 61-unit apartment building at 6996 Central Saanich Road and 7012 East Saanich Road after residents raised concerns about traffic safety, parking, building scale and fit with the Official Community Plan. Rather than send it to the Advisory Planning Commission, council voted to decline the application and then invited the applicant to consider a new proposal for single-family or attached homes, no more than three storeys. Council also approved two letters of support, advanced the Island View Beach campground rezoning for review, and approved the purchase of a $525,731 street sweeper. Concerns about industrial traffic and buffering near Verling Avenue, and parking and roadway changes near Brentwood Community Hall, led to further staff work and community discussions.
Generated from the recording's captions and the agenda (minutes not yet published by the council).
Nine members of the public spoke during the open input period. Several opposed the proposed apartment building at 6996 Central Saanich Road and 7012 East Saanich Road, citing speeding, unsafe crossings, congestion, limited parking and the building’s scale. A resident also questioned a proposed six-storey development near Patterson and East Saanich, and another speaker raised concerns about the pace of the Keating industrial rezoning and consultation. A Just Peachy Childcare representative presented a community-made artwork to mark Central Saanich’s 75th anniversary.
11.1 Corr CRD re Island View Beach Accessible Boardwalk - August 28, 2026
Council approved the staff recommendation to provide the Capital Regional District with a letter of support for its Building Communities Strong Fund application for an accessible boardwalk at Island View Beach.
Agreement
No opposition to providing the letter of support was recorded.
11.2 LATE Corr Tsartlip re LOS Central Saanich - September 2, 2026
Council directed staff to review a letter about access to the western expansion of the Keating industrial area through Alpha Road and the Butler properties, and options for screening industrial uses from rural homes to the west. Council also asked staff to review ways to reduce industrial traffic impacts on Verling Avenue and improve screening there. Staff said the direction was clear and could be addressed for the September 28 meeting. Later, staff confirmed that access to Verling Avenue is currently part of the proposal for the one industrial parcel fronting that road, and that the OCP designates the land as industrial. Technical servicing, stormwater and traffic work is ongoing; staff said further detailed capacity analysis generally comes at subdivision stage. First Nations discussions were also continuing.
Agreement
Staff would report on access and buffering options and on measures to reduce traffic impacts on Verling Avenue.
Staff said the OCP land-use designation for the industrial land is industrial.
Disagreement
A councillor questioned whether the current plan to allow access to Verling Avenue would answer residents’ concerns about industrial traffic and screening.
11.4 Corr Doehnel, M re PAAC meeting - August 13, 2026
A councillor asked when members of the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Commission (transcribed as OF PAC) would hear about a meeting. Staff said a meeting was tentatively being arranged for late September and that they would contact members shortly. The schedule depends on other municipalities, Capital Regional District staff and the Ministry of Agriculture. A letter writer was invited to speak; the speaker noted that the terms of reference referred to a September 10 meeting and said it was unclear whether that meeting would take place. Staff said the aim was to arrange a meeting later in September.
Agreement
Staff would continue arranging a meeting and contact members.
Disagreement
The letter writer questioned whether the September 10 meeting would proceed; staff said a later September date was the current goal.
Council considered the committee’s recommendation that the planning departments of Sidney, North Saanich and Central Saanich work together to identify adaptable and accessible homes for the Right Fit program. Staff clarified that the committee’s second recommendation on accessible parking standards was assigned to North Saanich, not Central Saanich, so only the first recommendation was before council. Council supported the collaboration.
Agreement
Council supported working with the other two municipalities on information about adaptable and accessible homes.
The Capital Regional District has operated the Island View Beach campground since 2010. It has 18 recreational-vehicle sites, five small-trailer sites and 24 tent sites. The proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning changes would bring the existing campground into the District’s planning rules; they would not expand it. Staff also proposed a covenant to preserve existing limits on capacity and infrastructure, waste management and removal of facilities in the off-season. Council sent the proposal to the Advisory Planning Commission and Tsawout First Nation for review, and staff said they would wait for the full 90-day First Nation comment period before bringing the bylaws back.
Agreement
The application should be reviewed by the Advisory Planning Commission and Tsawout First Nation before council considers the bylaws.
No changes to campground operations were proposed.
13.2 6996 CSR & 7012 ESR – OCP and Zoning Bylaw Amendment and DP (Multi-Family)
The applicant proposed consolidating the two lots for a four-storey, 61-unit rental building, with parking at the rear and outdoor amenity areas. The design needs an OCP amendment and variances, including for setbacks and parking. Staff flagged concerns about the unit mix, visitor parking, amenity contributions and affordable housing. The applicant said the design is below the zone’s maximum density, includes landscaping and a future pathway connection, and responds to the sloping site. Residents had raised concerns about traffic, parking, nearby crossings, neighbourhood fit and the lack of three-bedroom homes. Council rejected a referral to the Advisory Planning Commission, then voted to decline the application. It also invited the applicant to bring forward a new proposal for single-family or attached housing, with a three-storey maximum. Staff clarified that the OCP allows up to eight units per lot; a proposal within the applicable limits could avoid an OCP amendment and public hearing, though zoning or subdivision details would still matter.
Agreement
The application raised significant concerns about fit with the surrounding neighbourhood and the OCP.
The current council did not consider the 61-unit proposal ready to proceed in its present form.
Disagreement
Some councillors favoured sending the application to the Advisory Planning Commission to provide information for the incoming council; others felt the proposal needed substantial work before that review. The referral failed.
Some councillors favoured declining the application outright, while another argued that a new, lower-scale proposal should be invited. Council first declined the application, then passed the invitation for a different type of proposal.
13.3 Procurement Award – Street Sweeper Equipment Model 2026 Elgin Crosswind1
Council approved a $525,731 purchase, plus applicable taxes, of an Elgin Crosswind1 street sweeper on a Peterbilt chassis from Vimar Equipment. Staff said the purchase replaces the District’s only sweeper. They described checking references and inspecting a model in use as part of their assessment of value and quality.
Agreement
Council approved the purchase without opposition.
The equipment is to replace the existing sweeper, not add a second vehicle.
13.4 Background for Butterfield Roof Replacement Costs
Council received background information on replacement costs for the Butterfield roof. A councillor said a metal roof seemed sensible and asked whether it would affect heritage approval. Staff explained that the heritage designation is the District’s own, rather than a provincial designation, so council can make that distinction.
14.1.1 Heat Pump Financing Program Local Area Service Bylaw Amendment No. 21
Council approved first and second reading and third reading of the bylaw to close a portion of Columbia Avenue. A councillor asked about an anonymous letter’s questions on a pond built over the road right-of-way and why the area had been gated. Staff said the pond was not approved in its current form, the road-closure process had been underway for years, and they did not know who gated the right-of-way or when. Staff also said the District has no specific policy for deciding when to close or sell rights-of-way and agreed to look into the history of the gate.
Agreement
Council approved the readings without opposition.
Staff agreed to check the history of the gate and provide more information.
15.1 Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillor Newton - July 16, 2026
The proposed Council Transparency Dashboard would report recorded votes, attendance, committee participation and links to agendas, minutes, reports and recordings. It would also examine examples, costs, staffing, privacy and legal issues. Supporters said a staff report would let the next council make an informed decision and that other municipalities could offer useful examples. Opponents questioned the value and cost of a dashboard, arguing that minutes and recordings already provide information and that a vote tracker could oversimplify complex decisions. Council referred consideration of the proposal to the incoming council, rather than asking staff to prepare the report now.
Agreement
The incoming council can decide whether to pursue the idea.
Disagreement
Some councillors wanted staff to prepare research now so the next council could decide with more information; others wanted the next council to decide first whether it should commission that work.
16.1 Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillor Paltiel - August 17, 2026
The notice proposes that staff review the District’s Unsightly Premises and Noxious Weeds Bylaw and recommend adding Giant Hogweed, Purple Loosestrife, Poison Hemlock, Garlic Mustard and knotweeds to its list of noxious weeds. The chair said the notices of motion would be considered at the next meeting; no debate on this proposal appears in the transcript.
16.2 Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillor Riddell - August 25, 2026
The notice proposes a review of the permissive tax exemption policy and application process before the July 2027 intake. It asks staff to consider a full review every four years, a simpler process in other years, consistent comparisons of applicants’ finances and community benefits, and organizational accountability. The chair said the notices of motion would be considered at the next meeting; no debate on this proposal appears in the transcript.
16.3 Notice of Motion Submitted by Councillors Riddell and Newton - August 30, 2026
The notice proposes a staff review of parking and transportation pressures on Verling Avenue between Hilltop Road and Bryn Road. It asks staff to assess limiting parking to the north side, encouraging businesses to provide employee parking on site, the timing of a BC Transit review, and other possible measures. The chair said the notices of motion would be considered at the next meeting; no debate on this proposal appears in the transcript.
17.10 Corr Braybrook, D re Parking and Roadway Changes at 7082 Wallace - August 24, 2026
transportation1 public speaker1:57:37 Watch · Read
Staff updated council on possible roadway and parking changes near Brentwood Community Hall. Three conceptual options would retain about 28 to 31 of the roughly 33 existing informal parking spaces. Staff were still consulting affected groups, including the school district, the hall, a softball group and BC Transit, and were checking costs against the District’s $10.4 million active transportation funding. A hall representative asked for better consultation and less impact on existing parking, suggesting a moved crosswalk and marked parking as possible alternatives. Council invited affected parties to a committee meeting with staff to discuss options.
Agreement
More discussion with affected groups was needed before a final design was brought forward.
The meeting with affected parties and staff was approved without opposition.
Disagreement
The hall representative questioned the need for changes that would reduce parking when the current arrangement was working; staff described safety and design constraints, including steep grades and a hydro pole.
17.8, 17.12, 17.13, 17.21 Correspondence on Keating Rezoning and Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 2278
A councillor raised questions from correspondence about whether a proposed industrial parcel would have access to Verling Avenue, whether changing land to light industrial matches the OCP, whether an existing buffer to homes would be lost, and what studies covered infrastructure, traffic safety and First Nations engagement. Staff said Verling access remains in the proposal for the parcel that fronts the road, the industrial zoning matches the OCP land-use designation, and buffering and traffic mitigation are being reviewed. Staff said technical issues including water, fire flow, stormwater and road impacts are being examined, with some detailed capacity work typically completed at subdivision. Staff also reported ongoing discussions with local First Nations.
Agreement
Staff were working on traffic, buffering and servicing questions raised by residents.
Disagreement
Residents’ letters questioned the adequacy of the buffer, studies and consultation; staff said the work was ongoing and some detailed analysis would occur later in the development process.
17.27 Corr Meadmore, C re Letter to Council/Just Peachy Childcare - September 4, 2026
community services1 public speaker2:14:02 Watch · Read
A Just Peachy Childcare representative asked for help finding a way to restore or replace childcare spaces that had been lost. She said there had been differences between what she understood during a three-year process and what was later presented by the North and South Saanich Agricultural Society. She was open to revisiting a possible fairgrounds arrangement or working with council to identify another suitable site. Council invited her to speak, but no further decision on the childcare proposal is recorded in the transcript.
Disagreement
The childcare representative said her understanding of the discussions differed from what the agricultural society later presented.
Decisions
Central Saanich has not published the minutes for this meeting yet. Councils post minutes only after a later meeting adopts them, usually two to six weeks afterwards. We check weekly. We last checked Fri, Oct 2, 2026. Votes and decisions are taken only from the official minutes, so this section fills in once Central Saanich publishes them. Anything above about motions comes from the recording and is preliminary.