Located on the shores of the Saanich Inlet, Bamberton consists of 1563 Acres, including 5kms of ocean front between Goldstream and Mill Bay. Much of the Bamberton property is part of a former cement plant, limestone quarry and company town that was in operation from 1904 to 1982. When Three Point Properties purchased the site in 2005, we undertook an ambitious and comprehensive environmental remediation of the site. This award-winning work was the largest private remediation of an industrial site in the province and gave the property a fresh start and new potential.
As Bamberton is zoned for heavy industry and logging, Three Point Properties had hoped to clean up and rezone the property to create a world-leading sustainable community over 20 years.
The Bamberton team submitted a final application for rezoning in Fall of 2010. This plan was the result of six years of planning and negotiation with the CVRD, an unprecedented number of public meetings, a year-long review by a third party (Trillium Report), numerous reviews by focus groups, ongoing involvement with the Bamberton Historical Society, detailed consultation with the Malahat First Nation, six APC meetings, as well as many other professional and community consultations. Unfortunately, the proposed community at Bamberton was rejected by the CVRD in February of 2011, leaving the site with its existing forestry and heavy industrial zoning.
It was agreed that the community/residential aspects of the proposal would not be pursued further at this time, but recommended that the South Cowichan OCP (which is currently under review) would acknowledge that Bamberton is anticipated to be a future residential area.
In the interim, the CVRD and Bamberton agree that many of the industrial and commercial aspects of the proposal are viable in the shorter-term. Principally, this includes the reconfiguration of the waterfront industrial area to maximize its effectiveness and the creation of the Business Park near the highway interchange. These initiatives will help to meet the community’s need for local employment and begin to create a diverse tax-base that’s urgently required for much-needed infrastructure maintenance and expansion.
