Resort & spa gets thumbs up

A controversial resort and spa development was given the go-ahead last night by council.

Council voted 6-1 in favour of allowing a development permit for Island Coastal Resorts to build a 72-unit timeshare resort and spa on the old Marina Inn site, along the old Island Highway south of Rockland Road. Only Coun. Morgan Ostler voted against the development. She said the project’s impact on views from the ridge above were the most important issue with the project, particularly the sight lines from the top of the ridge. She wasn’t satisfied her concerns had been met and wanted to see the building have less of an impact on views from above.

Earlier this month council barely allowed the project to squeak ahead, voting 4-3 in favour of granting the rezoning the developers would need to build the five-storey building. At the time, councillors told the developers the project needed to address some of the concerns of the community and the residents living on the ridge above the proposed development before the city would consider approving a development permit. Last night, most councillors agreed the developer had met those concerns by setting the building deeper in the ground and terracing the top two floors of the towers at the north and south ends of the resort. The floors are actually cantilevered into the bank of the hillside, allowing for more bank stability and still allowing the floors to have the same number of rooms as the original design, the developer explained last night.

The city and the developer are planning to work together to make use of a city-owned property north of Rockland Road for parking. The site, when developed, would be used primarily by the public during the day to access the waterfront and would be used by the resort at night as overflow parking for large functions such as wedding receptions.

Island Coastal Resorts says the project will be a $70 million investment in the local economy and will provide hundreds of year-round jobs.