Saanich Operations Centre Redevelopment

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Learn about the project

 

What we are doing

The Saanich Operations Centre – located at 1040 McKenzie Avenue – has served our community for more than 60 years. It is the hub of the vast infrastructure network serving the District of Saanich.

While we continue to deliver services from this bustling hub, we are looking to redevelop the site and replace the old facilities with new ones so our operations will function well into the future allowing us to continue to provide services that support our high quality of life in Saanich.

Through comprehensive analysis (see Strategic Facilities Master Plan), significant shortcomings have been identified that make the redevelopment of the facility a high priority. The current facility was designed and built when Saanich's population was half of what it currently is.

Population growth and modern operational requirements are putting significant pressure on the facility and present risks to continued service delivery. Staff who work on-site are confronted with challenges presented by facilities that do not support growth and change, nor meet building codes.

The quality of life that we often take for granted depends on the following services, all of which are supported by staff who work out of the Operations Centre:

  • WATER, SEWER, DRAINAGE: The maintenance of the water resources and delivery system that brings drinking water to our homes and businesses as well as the pipes that take away storm water and waste for treatment.
  • TRANSPORTATION: Design, management and maintenance of our streets, roads, intersections, sidewalks and bicycle paths that allow us to get to where we need to go as safely and efficiently as possible.
  • PARKS: Design, management and maintenance of our boulevards, parks, beaches and natural areas.
  • SOLID WASTE: Removal of residential garbage and organics.
  • SUPPORTING SERVICES: Administrative support, fleet maintenance, and storage of equipment and materials, play a significant role in providing efficient and effective services for the community.

Why build a new Saanich Operations Centre? 

As the facility report card shows, our ability to continue delivering services is at great risk due to the condition of the facilities and their capacity to support our services. Current facilities are over twenty years beyond what they were designed for, expensive to maintain and require significant yearly investment to meet minimum operational standards. 

Saanich is expected to grow in population by 15,000 people in the next 20 years, bringing the total number of residents in the District to just under 130,000. Our planning is focused on what Saanich will look like in future years and making changes now that will continue to serve our community through this growth.

Benefits of redevelopment

Redeveloping the Saanich Operations Centre will put the District in a strong position to accommodate the District’s growth over the next 50 years. It will support the continuous delivery of high-quality core services and contribute significant improvements to community vitality through the provision of additional housing and opportunities for private businesses.

The redevelopment will benefit our community in many ways: 

  • The co-location of public and private interests on municipal property will support growth in the Quadra McKenzie neighbourhood by creating additional commercial and retail lease spaces along McKenzie. 

  • The facility’s design will support climate change resilience and the District’s target to achieve net-zero emissions within 15 years.

  • The Public Works Creek restoration will be enjoyed and appreciated by residents as an amenity reflecting the District’s commitment to a healthy natural environment.

Ultimately, redevelopment will contribute positively to an improved shared future for Saanich residents by addressing many key priorities highlighted by residents.


Maintaining high quality services for now and the future  

We have been developing a plan that will be a template for the future site redevelopment that will mitigate risks and reflect best practices while anticipating growth and dynamic service delivery. 

This project is guided by the Strategic Facilities Master Plan, which provides a framework that helps us to prioritize strategic investment in our facilities and to see projects such as this one planned and implemented in a robust and transparent manner. The process strives to deliver value and accountability for taxpayer dollars while ensuring that the primary goal of services delivery is being met. 

We hosted a Virtual Open House event in 2020. The following material was prepared for the event:

 

Our three-fold vision:

Services Delivery: We want to ensure that residents can rely on the continuous delivery of critical services from this site long into the future. The operations are required to be delivered from a safe, efficient and robust set of facilities that are built to last and accommodate changing needs decades into the future.

Healthy environment: We plan to remediate the Public Works Creek as part of the redevelopment process and support our 2050 net-zero goals through the promotion of climate change resiliency, energy performance and active transportation strategies.

Community vitality: We want to utilize the prime location of the facilities and advance the public realm of the Quadra-McKenzie Neighbourhood Centre. This project will be key in achieving the goals identified in Saanich’s Housing Strategy and meeting the mandated housing targets set out by the Province.

Project timeline

June 2022: Council approved the Business Case, directing staff to develop the operations centre plans and to work with the private sector development community to understand the opportunities to involve external investment and other uses on the site. The District intends to engage a private sector partner to assist with the redevelopment and plan for commercial and perhaps residential opportunities that are in alignment with the District’s newly-adopted OCP and current Council lead initiatives and priorities. Read the Report.

February 2024: We acquired a property near the operations centre site that will become the new Parks Operations Centre. This will allow us to continue to make progress on the redevelopment project, reduce overall project costs and plan for smooth operations into the future. Read more about this update.

October 2024: Staff provided a project update to Council on October 7. Read the Report and the Development and Transaction Options Analysis.

We also hosted an in-person drop-in event on Saturday, October 26 at the bucket shed on-site at 1040 McKenzie Avenue to share more about the Saanich Operations Centre Redevelopment Project and rezoning process. District staff and consultants from CitySpaces and Colliers were available to answer questions. Colliers Project Managers is the project manager consultant and City Spaces is the rezoning consultant.

Information Session Material - October 26 :

What's next

Project Funding: We intend to borrow money to fund the project and will share information regarding a proposed process and timeline for public assent by Q2 2025. 

Property Rezoning: The District rezoning consultant has submitted an application for rezoning of the property. The application is currently being reviewed by District Planning staff. 

To learn more about the borrowing process, please visit saanich.ca/aap. 

The District consultant will issue Request for Qualifications to the private sector development community in Q2 of 2025, which will begin the procurement to find a private sector partner for investment in the project to both build the District’s Operations Centre and to construct residential development on the site.

Read more: