Century Group's Southlands project in Delta is inching closer to reality.
Brad Semke, project manager for the development, said rezoning of the 538-acre property will go to public hearing on October 28. The hearing follows a highly successful public information meeting this spring, and first and second reading of its rezoning proposal on July 29.
The rezoning seeks approval for a mixed-use development on the site, including 950 residential units on just over 105 acres as well as retail and arts space, "a farmers' market, a culinary education kitchen and a farming school," according to council documents.
Century Group intends to deed the remainder of the site to Delta, with approximately 100 acres of forest designated as environmentally sensitive.
Previously known as the Spetifore lands, the property is one of the most contentious tracts in the Lower Mainland.
It was the subject of the longest-running public hearing in Canada in the 1980s. While zoned for agriculture, it lies outside the province's agricultural land reserve, theoretically making it an easier development prospect.
The latest bid to develop the property began in 2010, when 1,900 residential units were proposed. Public concern over the fate of the lands prompted the project to be revamped, and rezoning was deferred pending approval of the regional growth strategy.
from Western Investor October 2013
