When it comes to growth, it would seem that Sooke is never finished.
The district may soon see a new shopping centre developed west of Sooke’s city centre on West Coast Road, consisting of up to 70,000 square feet of retail space and 200 residential multi-family units.
The project was presented by Royop Development Corporation, out of Calgary, at the April 28 Sooke council meeting.
Sooke staff explained their appearance was somewhat unusual, as no official paperwork initiating development of the project or to acquire a development permit has been filed as of yet. District staff explained that the developers were “really just saying hello,” introducing themselves and their envisioned project to the district.
The property in question lies at 6783 Eustace Rd., and borders West Coast Road. Presently, the property carries a rural land use designation but is slated to be rezoned to large-lot residential, pending council approval. The zoning amendment is identified as in-progress on Sooke's planning applications dashboard.
Royop CEO Jeremy Thal and senior vice-president of development Jacob Weber attended the council meeting to present their vision for the project.
“Our centres are designed with purpose, and we’re very excited to be here tonight and to get to know everybody and get to know the community and spend a lot of time here. It's a remarkably beautiful city,” Thal told council.
While much of Royop’s previous work has been conducted in Calgary, they are now looking to break into the Vancouver Island market, starting with Sooke.
To make accessing the property easier, Royop has proposed installing a roundabout on West Coast Road, which would connect the seawalk trail and a new “main street” for the development. They also proposed angled parking along the new road to produce a “main street feel.”
Royop envisions their new development as a mixed-use property anchored by a core business, likely a grocery store. They plan to populate other retail spaces with a mix of regional, provincial and national retailers, with ample parking and housing constructed above the retail space. The developers took pride in their previous experience curating their tenants, and made it clear they would be taking calls from anyone in Sooke interested in the space.
“Every single person that's interested in being a part of our shopping centre, I'll say, better know about the opportunity that we have and if they don’t, I'll make sure they know about the opportunity,” said Thal, who explained having the right mix of businesses was key to developing a good shopping centre.
“Not to pick on my competition, but we went by a shopping centre today – not in Sooke. It's a brand-new shopping centre and it had Pizza Pizza, BarBurrito, Subway and I thought, ‘Wow, we could have done so much better with this piece of land.’”
The developers seemed confident in their proposal’s place in Sooke, frequently citing the district’s OCP and referring to their own exploration of the area.
“What’s great about this is our proposed development fits within your current OCP, and even the draft that we reviewed of your new draft OCP – we think this is going to fit very, very well,” said Weber.
The pair of developers described the esthetic of the project as a Nordic fishing village, designed by a local architect and playing off Sooke’s fishing history.
While the meeting was preliminary, and rezoning, development permits and general approval of the project are processes to be conducted further down the road, the response from council was quite positive.
“It’s timely, it’s in our town centre, it’s a very positive feel, what you’re presenting tonight. I am looking forward to this progressing,” said Coun. Kevin Pearson, who identified the property as “critical” and ready for some development, having sat idle for many years. Pearson also expressed appreciation for the developers taking the time to familiarize themselves with the community and its development policies.
“I like the fact you know what you’re talking about. You went to Ed MacGregor Park, you walked across the road. It is dicey walking across there – improving things like that sends a loud message to us that you care about community, and that comes from being on the ground and walking around.”
Coun. Al Beddows also voiced encouragement for the project and an appreciation for the developers’ consideration of parking.
“It is long overdue; we would welcome the opportunity. We have a lot of residents in Sooke who are looking for storefronts to run their business, and they can’t find any. Everything we have is full up and some of it is pretty rickety,” he said.
“As much as some communities say that parking is not consequential, it is here in Sooke. We've had some developments in the past not take into consideration the parking, and it haunts us to this day. I see by your development that you have taken care of that.”
Some residents who attended the council meeting even stepped forward to express their excitement for the project.
“It is very nice to hear from a developer that has read our OCP and our draft OCP and is going to follow it – you have my heart now,” said Helen Rtiz, who also explained she was excited to hear their consideration for small businesses and green space.
At this stage the project's timeline seems unclear as the developers and municipality begin initial talks, although the developers did say when they break ground the plan was for all retail space to be developed in the initial buildout with residential units following behind them.
