A proposed Songhees marina for large yachts offers opportunities for everyone from boatyards to grocers, florists and even artists, says the chairman of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
Don Prittie said his experience with big yachts in places like Quadra Island is that owners stock up on groceries, bring in local florists with fresh arrangements every week, and hire everyone from cleaners to maintenance workers and mechanics.
"And art -- it was nothing for these big yacht owners to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a piece of art," Prittie said yesterday. "I have no doubt that there is going to be significant economic spinoff for the region."
It was the first public comment on the marina proposal from the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, which has no direct control over the proposed facility.
Nevertheless, Prittie said as long as there are no safety issues -- and Transport sa国际传媒 has assured him there are none -- the authority favours the marina, which fits its mandate to keep the Greater Victoria Harbour a "working harbour."
He said local boatyard expertise, from Sidney through to harbour shipyards, is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. "It's a significant business and it's a clean business."
Victoria developer Bob Evans and partner Western Asset Management of Alberta are proposing to build a $20-million facility with 48 slips. But the plan has run into opposition from Songhees residents who complain their waterfront views will be spoiled and kayakers who complain it will interfere with paddling access.
Opponents also claim the addition of the big yachts will compromise safety in the harbour.
The provision for a marina in front of Songhees dates back to the 1987 master-plan agreement between the City of Victoria and the province.
But to proceed, the marina requires approvals from Transport sa国际传媒 and Fisheries and Oceans sa国际传媒, a development permit from the city and a lease from the province on a two-hectare water lot.
When the province receives an application for a water-lot lease, it first checks that it complies with the zoning, which this does, a provincial spokesman said.
After that, a proposal must be publicly advertised, which happened in December and January, she said. The deadline for submissions was February.
It normally takes four to six months for the province to examine public submissions and consult with the parties involved, including First Nations. A decision on the lease will likely be made by the end of the summer or early in the fall by the provincial Integrated Land Management Bureau.
Meanwhile, marina opponent and former Victoria mayor Peter Pollen said citizens have no idea of the visual impact of the marina because images provided by the developer show a mainly empty site, rather than one filled with 48 mega-yachts.
Pollen is one of the organizers behind a Wednesday evening public meeting at Victoria High School on the plan.
