Imagine it is 2025 and you are a thousand feet up looking down at Sandown.
The first thing you will notice at Sandown is fertile agricultural fields enclosed by large perimeter fences that keep the deer out of the food-producing areas. The landscape of these food-producing areas is diverse and contributes to the biodiversity of the site. The fields are not only full of plant life but are filled with farmers and community members of all ages engaged in agricultural activities. 鈥�
You can see people along the trail resting at the benches, eating a picnic lunch, and reading the signs about what was once a racetrack called Sandown under the oak tree. You may spot some birdwatchers around the site appreciating the wildlife that the natural areas host, or some elders from the community teaching a group of children about the medicinal uses of native plants as they walk the trails.鈥�
That鈥檚 the idyllic future laid out in the 鈥淰ision Sandown鈥� report on the future of the former Sandown Park lands, the culmination of 16 months of public input via online surveys, public meetings and information booths.
Ten years after Sandown ended its 50-year history of horse and harness racing, North Saanich is about to tackle options for its transformation into an agricultural heartland on the north side of Glamorgan Road.
The property will be donated by its longtime owners, the Randall family. In return, 12 of the property鈥檚 95 acres currently in the Agricultural Land Reserve have been zoned commercial, but will be replaced by 12 acres of nearby ALR land owned by the district, leaving 95 acres available for farm uses. 聽
The land swap has been in the works for several years, although the transfers have not yet occurred, said North Saanich Mayor Alice Finall. The draft Vision Sandown report is expected to go to council on June 27. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 really speculate on the time frame [for the swap] but will have a better idea when we do receive the report,鈥� Finall said.
Plans for the commercial site, adjacent to McDonald Park Road on the eastern border of the Sandown property, are moving ahead. Platform Properties executive Andrew Sinclair, who speaks for the Randall Family, sent an email this year to the District of North Saanich saying it has been 鈥渄iligently working鈥� on pre-leasing the commercial project with a focus on finding anchor tenants.
A reclamation and drainage plan 鈥� a requirement for the site 鈥� has been submitted to the district for approval and will be going to council, North Saanich聽 administrator Rob Buchan said.
As for what kind of commercial development is planned: 鈥淲e are not at a stage yet to announce tenants, nor the planned uses,鈥� Sinclair said in an email.
The size of the commercial centre will depend on interest in leasing and Platform would move toward development permits once tenancies are in place, he said.
The mayor calls redevelopment of the Sandown land 鈥渁 very big deal,鈥� not just for North Saanich but for the capital region as a whole, since it鈥檚 one of the largest remaining chunks of farmland that she knows of in the area and hasn鈥檛 been farmed in a century.
鈥淭here鈥檚 enormous potential for good things to happen there,鈥� Finall said. 鈥淢unicipalities are starting to realize how valuable this land is to the future of their communities.鈥�
A 2012 district appraisal estimated Sandown would provide $3.9 million to $4.7 million to the district over the first 10 years of new agricultural uses.
More than 500 people offered their views as part of the year-long Vision Sandown project. Many were hopeful the grandstand building could be saved聽 鈥� perhaps as a year-round public market. But the large structure is seismically unsafe and contains mould, lead paint and asbestos, said Linda Geggie, executive director of the Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable, which conducted the consultation. Except for the jockey house and the public washrooms, repurposing the remnants of two tracks, the stables, viewing towers and caretaker residences is 鈥渦ntenable,鈥� she said.
North Saanich says there is no date set yet for removal of the buildings.
Priorities of those who offered input to the vision plan included use of the area for:
鈥� Food production either by the community or commercial agriculture
鈥� Ecological conservation and interpretation
鈥� Recreation, culture, heritage and equestrian activities
鈥� Teaching, learning and research
Ideas for financing the start of phased development include grants, agri-tourism activities and revenue generation on site, the report says.
During the consultation, the equestrian community made a case for continued use of the land for horseback-riding trails, while parents indicated they wanted improved safety for children currently trundling on the mixed-used trail at the back of the property, perhaps in the form of a perimeter trail.
Farmers let it be known they need storage and processing facilities, including an abattoir.
鈥淚t will be, in the end, a homegrown creation,鈥� said Geggie, whose roundtable was formed nearly 20 years ago by food and farm organizations keen to develop a sustainable food system in the region. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of a much bigger puzzle 鈥� to really take a look at land for growing in the future. Over 50 per cent of farmers in the region are retiring in the next decade. We really need to find solutions for new growers on the land and nurturing our next generation of farmers.
鈥淕ood food is good for the planet, good for the producer and good for the health and well being of all. Sandown, alongside all our regional farms and food-producing lands and waters, is a part of our ability to have good food.鈥�
Food production isn鈥檛 the only goal, however. On the traditional territory of the WS脕NEC First Nation, the site was once a gathering place for a number of nations, Geggie said. One idea is to turn the raceway鈥檚 jockey house into an interpretative centre on First Nations history there.
Meanwhile, nearly one quarter of the western side of the property is covered in trees and a pond, supporting several varieties of owls, Garry oaks and many other plants and animals 鈥� an ecological area the community wants to see preserved.
That鈥檚 the vision for Sandown. The reality of how to make it happen is yet to come, and promises to be a long-term initiative once a development plan comes to fruition.
To view the report or the summary, visit northsaanich.ca/ Vision_Sandown.htm
A short history of Sandown Park
鈥� Horse racing began in 1955
鈥� In the 1980s, Sandown hosted as many as 90 harness and thoroughbred events every year, but by 2001, that had fallen to 12, with annual losses estimated at $50,000 to $100,000 each year.
鈥� The last live event was a three-day harness meet in the summer of 2008.
鈥� By 2011, only a small simulcast betting operation was in operation. It was shut later that year by the Great Canadian Gaming Corp.
鈥� North Saanich council twice nixed slot machines as a way to support racing and keep the track in business.
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