Events
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Mar 06, 2025
Update #2 – Proposed Aragon Development of Trio Lands
This update on where the proposed Aragon development stands now and a general timeline of the process is part of CBACA’s commitment to keeping our members up to date on important projects and issues that affect our community.
Current Status
To date, Aragon has not submitted their application to Saanich. Aragon is still fine-tuning their development plan, but have stated they expect to submit the application to Saanich in Spring 2025.
Background information on the details of the proposed development – based on information from Aragon – is provided at the end of this update.
Residents: Staying Informed About and Providing Input on the Application
Once submitted, the details of Aragon’s rezoning and development application will be available for public review.
You will be able to access it on Saanich’s Permit and Development Tracker; you can subscribe for automatic updates by setting up a My Saanich account.
– You can email clerksec@saanich.ca and request to be notified of any items going in front of Council relating to the Aragon development at 755 Cordova Bay Road.
Residents, organizations and community groups can submit input into the rezoning and development application process by:
– Sending emails or letters to the Planning Department planning@saanich.ca as well as andrea.pickard@saanich.ca They will coordinate responses with the various departments as required.
– Emailing the Mayor and Council directly; contact details are on the Saanich website under https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/mayor-council.html
Once Aragon submits the rezoning and development application, CBACA will provide a formal response, early in the process, to Saanich, Aragon, our MLA and relevant provincial agencies (e.g., Ministry of Highways and BC Transit), that reflects broad community interests and concerns.
The overarching concern with the Aragon proposal as presented is the density and its overwhelming impact on our community. It is these issues that CBACA will be communicating to Saanich.
Municipal Review Process
The submitted application will be circulated to and reviewed by all pertinent Saanich municipal departments. This municipal review process could take 4 to 6 months, during which Saanich will send any questions or issues back to Aragon to be addressed. Saanich staff will then prepare a full report and a date will be set for the application and report to go before Council.
Based on Aragon’s estimated Spring 2025 submission, it may be late Fall 2025 or early 2026 before the application is presented to the Mayor and Council for their consideration.
Opportunity for Resident In-person Input
When the Aragon development proposal is presented to Council for consideration, any resident who wishes to address the Mayor and Council at that meeting will be able to do so. Pre-registration will be required; Saanich has no cap on the number of people registering to speak to a specific agenda item.
– By creating a My Saanich account and signing up for automatic notifications from Saanich about this development on their Permit and Development Tracker, you will get timely information to assist in bringing your concerns forward to Saanich.
– You can email clerksec@saanich.ca and request to be notified when any item is going in front of Council relating to the Aragon development at 755 Cordova Bay Road.
CBACA: Advocating for Our Community
To date, CBACA has:
– Met in person with each of Mayor Dean Murdock; Saanich Director of Engineering Harley Machielse; Saanich Sr. Manager of Transportation & Development Troy McKay; Saanich Planner Andrea Pickard; and MLA Lana Popham, conveying the multiple ways a development this size will significantly impact the Cordova Bay community;
– Met in person with Peter Censorio, Aragon Project Manager, to get a sense of where they are in their readiness to submit their application and convey community concerns;
– Attended the Mayor and Council Meet and Greet on February 24, 2025, where we spoke with 5 councilors about the proposed Aragon development;
– Emailed Update #1 to CBACA members on February 5th, and posted it on our website: https://cbaca.ca/planning/
If approved, the proposed Aragon development will transform the Cordova Bay community, and its impacts will touch all of us over the next 20+ years. CBACA will keep members up to date on the process as it unfolds, and we encourage residents to contact Saanich directly with their concerns.
Background
Aragon is proposing a comprehensive housing development on the former Trio lands at 755 Cordova Bay Road. Key components of their development proposal are:
– 1,165 units of housing (up from ~350 proposed 10 years ago)
– A variety of building types (high-rise, mid-rise, low-rise, rowhouses etc) and heights (17 buildings from 3 to 6 storeys; 5 buildings from 10 to 15 storeys; 1 building at 2.5 storeys)
– A mix of housing ownership types (Multi-family: strata, market rental, non-market/below market rental, Rowhomes, Semi-detached duplexes.)
– Public parks, open space, trails
– A multi-phase (4 phases) plan with a probable 20 year build out.
– The first application is to rezone the entire 26-acre site, as a comprehensive master-planned development.
– Construction could start in 2027 if their application is approved by the end of 2025 or early 2026
Barb Lucas
CBACA President
