VANCOUVER A Vancouver Island Boys and Girls club has taken the next step toward selling a large parcel of rural land it says would generate funding for its programs. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Victoria Foundation has officially listed a 40-acre portion of its 98-acre property on Metchosin Road for sale. The asking price is $2.3 million. Beginning today, sales information will be made available to interested individuals and organizations, including those with land conservation or preservation mandates, the foundation said in a news release Friday. Information packages will be sent to interested parties, including the District of Metchosin and the Capital Regional District, which may wish to consider purchasing the property as a regional community asset, the release continues.
The club said in a statement the property is being listed by Devencore Realty Victoria Ltd. Offers on the 40-acre piece will be considered on a $2.3-million asking price.
“Sales information will be made available to interested individuals and organizations, including those with land conservation or preservation mandates,” the club said in a statement. “Information packages will be sent to interested parties, including the District of Metchosin and the Capital Regional District, which may wish to consider purchasing the property as a regional community asset.”
The Boy and Girls Club’s decision to sell about half the property has sparked heated debates over the past several months, with the district council most recently adopting a bylaw amendment that would limit any subdivision to a single lot on 40 acres, instead of the eight, five-acre parcels allowed under the zoning.
The outcome of Monday’s council meeting sets the stage for a future sale at 3900 Metchosin Rd. Metchosin, backed by many of its residents, is keen to see the property preserved as green space. Citizens have protested the plan to subdivide and more than 4,000 people have signed a petition. The non-profit club is determined to sell under-used land to pay for programs for the growing number of youth and families requiring more complex services closer to home. Its holdings in the area cover 98 acres in all, and it plans to hold onto the remaining land. Metchosin’s approving officer will decide whether the land will be subdivided. The issue will not return to council.
VICTORIA Neither side is backing down over the potential sale of a large parcel of rural land owned by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria. The debate was sparked early this year after the children s organization filed an application to sell a 40-acre parcel of its 98-acre property in Metchosin. The Boys and Girls Club says that the cost of maintaining such a large area of land is significantly higher than how much it is actually used, and wants to sell the parcel and use the funds to reinvest in its programs. When the organization announced the potential sale, the District of Metchosin and many local community members were shocked by the decision, saying that it went against the club s history of conservation and supporting youth through outdoor programs.
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