Covenant Changes
The owners of the Bowen Island Lodge have expressed interest in reenvisioning use of the space, but face an uphill climb to make this a reality.
The property along Cardena Road on Mannion Bay came up for discussion following a meeting between the owners and neighbourhood members late last year. During this meeting the owners explained the changes they were seeking would be related to commercial use of the property. Current covenants on the Lodge and all Snug Point properties prohibit the operation of commercial activities.
The owners also shared their intentions with mayor Andrew Leonard and chief administrative officer Liam Edwards.
“They presented information that felt very preliminary with a notion they would be talking to the community to potentially – what they termed – reimagine the terms of the covenant on that property,” said Leonard.
“My comments to them were substantially… that the property does have covenants on it, those covenants are about a century old, that the property was purchased with those covenants in place, and it would really be up to them to gain the support of the community and work with their existing partners on the site to figure out a path forward. Barring that, I said the pathway to success on that would be questionable,” explained the mayor.
No official plan for redevelopment or rezoning has been brought forward to council yet.
Islands Trust Tax Levy
Bowen Island’s required payment to the Islands Trust has once again dropped as the organization continues to finalize their 2024/25 budget.
Early February estimates put the Bowen tax levy at $411,000, an increase of around $65,000 or 18.7 per cent from last year. But by the end of the month Coun. Sue Ellen Fast, a Trustee with Islands Trust, reported the total number had been worked down to $387,000, representing a $41,000 or 11.9 per cent raise.
“It seems like a big number, but it’s a small amount,” noted Fast, explaining Bowen’s tax levy represents less than five per cent of the Islands Trust’s approximately $11 million budget.
Septic Success
A septic covenant has been approved to service the future site of the Bowen Island Community Health Centre on Miller Road. There currently is not capacity for the building in the Snug Cove Sewer System, making the addition of a septic field next to the centre a necessity.
The septic field will be in use until capacity in the sewer system opens up, at which time it will be decommissioned. In the meantime, the septic covenant will allow the Health Centre to continue moving forward with plans to occupy the space. The current estimate for occupancy is later this month.
