405-unit development near Englishman River considered by Parksville council

Published 5:35 am Friday, March 6, 2026

Parksville council is looking at an application for a 405-unit development that would also include 100 acres of land gifted to the BC Parks Foundation near the Englishman River.

Waterfront Properties Corp. has applied for a zoning and development amendment bylaw to alter the property’s zoning from agricultural to a new comprehensive zone which would allow for construction of a mix of low-rise residential buildings.

Ken Williams, Waterfront president, presented to council, with Tim Ennis of the BC Parks Foundation, and said the project will provide “missing middle” housing, filling the gap between single family homes and large apartment buildings.

“This kind of housing appeals to the entire spectrum, from younger families buying their first home or to upsize as their families grow, to older residents looking to downsize,” Williams said during council’s March 2 meeting.

The development’s site plan is not finalized, he said, but is planned to include duplex and other “multi-plex” housing, as well as 40 to 100 apartment units, according to a report by Blaine Russell, director of planning and building for the city. The full build-out is planned to be clustered on a parcel 40 acres in size.

Council turned down a much larger proposal for 800 units, closer to the river, in 2023.

“Thank you for going back to the drawing board,” Mayor Doug O’Brien said. “This is the largest contribution, or proposed contribution of parkland within the City of Parksville urban containment boundary.”

O’Brien added he was pleased to see “missing middle” housing such as “plexes” and townhomes being considered, since they are good for multigenerational homes and more affordable.

“In Parksville right now, our average house on an SFD [single family dwelling] is over a million dollars, so a brand-new build right now is $1.1 to $1.2 [million],” he said. “These are going to come in considerably less than that.”

Coun. Amit Gaur said there is “skepticism” in the community after the previous application and he remains concerned about building homes in a green space and near the river.

“There’s a good proposal of over a hundred acres of green space being protected, but at the same time a density where I don’t know if it really belongs there,” he said.

Williams said the nearest point of development will be 277 metres from the Englishman River.

“That’s more than nine times the provincial setback requirement,” he added. “The development area itself is to a large extent on previously disturbed land. Areas that are the least sensitive and least used today.”

More than 70 per cent of the land will be left as “open space and natural area” and public access to the existing trail network would be formalized, if the development is approved, according to Williams.

“All significant wetland areas are within the area being donated,” he said and added that two “very small” wetland areas within the development boundary will also be “preserved or replaced under provincial guidelines”.

Waterfront hired a consultant to complete an environmental assessment and that input formed the development boundary, Williams added. He said an engineering study found “no effect” on river hydraulics or neighbouring properties.

Waterfront purchased 1465 Grieg Rd. more than 35 years ago after it had been logged and part of the property used for gravel extraction.

“Although public access, other than a single trail connecting to Top Bridge Park, has never been formally authorized, until recently we allowed it to continue,” Williams said. “During those years it’s quietly become a place that people in Parksville have come to enjoy for walking, for hiking and for being close to nature. In many ways this has helped shaped how we’ve approached this new proposal.”

He said water, sewer and power connections are “available at or near the property boundaries” and the development will upgrade Tuan Road to meet city standards, as well as improve the intersection with the Island Highway and Resort Drive.

Council voted to have the property owners provide an opportunity for public engagement and directed staff to prepare the zoning and development amendment bylaw, with Gaur opposed.

Coun. Sean Wood said council is not approving or denying the development.

“What we’re approving or denying is listening to the public and that might shape the bylaw that we might be approving or denying later on,” he said.

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