Halfmoon Bay Community Hall Project
A new community hall is coming to Connor Park in Halfmoon Bay and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) wants residents in the region to help guide the vision for the hall.
The project, originally slated for Coopers Green Park was moved to Connor Park earlier this year following the emergence of significant challenges with building the hall at Coopers Green. Read more about that in the common questions and project history
After feedback from Halfmoon Bay residents, the SCRD has changed the date of the first public event at Connor Park from Thursday, June 15 to Wednesday, June 21.
Below you can ask questions about the project and share your ideas for the hall.
A new community hall is coming to Connor Park in Halfmoon Bay and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) wants residents in the region to help guide the vision for the hall.
The project, originally slated for Coopers Green Park was moved to Connor Park earlier this year following the emergence of significant challenges with building the hall at Coopers Green. Read more about that in the common questions and project history
After feedback from Halfmoon Bay residents, the SCRD has changed the date of the first public event at Connor Park from Thursday, June 15 to Wednesday, June 21.
Below you can ask questions about the project and share your ideas for the hall.
Have a question about the project? Ask it here!
Before you ask a question - be sure to check out the commons questions listed on the right side of the page.
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Why is a party hall being built in a quiet residential dead-end street in a school zone, where there is limited parking and the risk of the whole forest going up in flames without any hope of being extinguished with our water issues even being considered when the majority of Halfmoon Bay residents don't want a hall there? Please answer these riddles for me/
Patsy Anthony asked 18 days agoThis is a hall for the community. One where community members can gather and could host a whole host of activities such as meetings, yoga, fitness classes, art classes, weddings, dances, birthday parties and family events.
When building a hall at Coopers Green Park presented significant obstacles, the SCRD looked for the most viable option in Halfmoon Bay for a community hall location. A site at Connor Park presents the best option for several reasons which are all outlined here: https://letstalk.scrd.ca/community-hall/widgets/154136/faqs#30310
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How will you be able to make parking available for up to 120 people in attendance at the hall, as well as those who use the park for recreation and sports events, without cutting a LOT more trees down to create a bigger parking lot? Or will the cars line up and down the quiet residential street as well and block driveways as they have in the past, creating noise and disturbance during late night parties and weddings?
Patsy Anthony asked 18 days agoWe know that environmental conservation and protection of our forested areas and white pine trees is very important to our residents. The intention is to construct the hall with as little impact to the forested area as possible.
Parking is a challenge that we will look to address specifically as the project moves forward and something we would value feedback on. We hope you can come speak with the project team at our first community event on June 21.
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What exactly are the significant challenges with building the hall at Coopers Green Park? Why was no mitigation looked at before moving the location to Connor Park? We have asked this question over and over and still NO REPLY.
Ellie asked 18 days agoHi there, thank you for your question.
The decision to move the project from Coopers Green to Connor Park was made by the SCRD Board. This decision was made after receiving staff reports that outlined serious concerns about building at Coopers Green Park. These concerns are all outlined in the common questions you referenced which are available here: https://letstalk.scrd.ca/community-hall/widgets/154136/faqs#30309.
The SCRD provides accessible services, and to accommodate the building height significant accessibility features would be required. Beyond that it was understood that flood and erosion mitigation structures would likely be required to mitigate hazard. These were expected to add significant costs to the project.
The previously granted variance permits for building siting and parking had expired and a reapplication is necessary. Variances are granted based on the ability to demonstrate ‘undue hardship’ in meeting the requirements. There was considerable uncertainty regarding the ability to meet that threshold.
Parking: Coopers Green has very few ‘off-street’ parking spots and a proposed configuration had been used to support the previous variance permit application. A review of this configuration has shown that many of the spaces do not conform to SCRD bylaws due to their aspect and proximity to Redroofs Road making them unsafe to access and depart from. Fire access requirements were found to further reduce the available space for parking.
While the parking requirements under the recently updated zoning bylaw are relaxed, the number of parking spaces at Coopers Green did not meet the needs of the proposed hall alone without considering the boat launch and other park users.
Siting: The proposed hall required a variance that would allow a setback distance of 0.5 m. The revised Geotech report recommends a minimum setback from the ocean of 7.5 m, while the updated zoning bylaw indicates a minimum setback of 15 m.
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For those residents who currently reside on a quiet residential street across from where you intend to build a hall, how can they reach you when the noise bylaws are ignored during late night parties, concerts and weddings? How will you ensure that fines are distributed to those who break the law?
Patsy Anthony asked 18 days agoThank you for reaching out with these concerns. Any bylaw contravention can be reported directly to SCRD bylaw enforcement officers at www.scrd.ca/bylaw-enforcement. We look forward to hearing more about your concerns at our first public event for the project at Connor Park on June 21.
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Moving the Hall to CP? I am all for it, but first we need upgrades to the bike park and a HUGE playground improvement!!! HMB is in great need of play area upgrades and after all, the kids are the future. With a projected 4 million, you should factor in the above as a priority!!
GW asked 18 days agoThank you for your question and suggestions. Improvements to Connor Park will be contemplated as part of the community hall project. Please come to our public event at Connor Park on June 21, between 3pm and 7pm where you can provide your valuable input direct to the community hall project team.
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For all the efforts of the local Halfmoon bay community in fund raising,and planning why don’t you listen to them. Some sort of compromise in building at Coopers Green should be feasible? Are you accountable to your constituents?
Concerned asked 18 days agoThank you for your question. In addition to voting to move the community hall location to Connor Park, the SCRD Board also directed staff to work with the community to identify enhancements at the park. These could include upgrades like a covered picnic area, stage or pavilion, children’s play area, BBQ and fire pit area, site furnishings, circulation and wayfinding improvements, restoration of natural areas, etc. Opportunities for the community to engage in the planning process will be communicated as the planning progresses.
The Board also directed staff to explore options to maintain the existing hall at Coopers Green Park. Staff will report back to the Board in the coming months about this.
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My question on the project is why did the staff at SCRD give up so easily and quickly on the Coopers Green site when the project has ALWAYS been to replace the hall at Coopers Green? In question 2 of your Common Questions you state that building to the new elevation required by the Professional Engineers would be “prohibitively expensive and pose accessibility problems”. I have never seen any estimates to support this comment. If you know what the additional cost would be I would like to have that information. You also state that “A more thorough analysis of ocean flooding hazard would not promise a more favourable result.” I agree that it is not CERTAIN that a more favourable result may not be achieved, but it is possible that a study of that specific part of Halfmoon Bay MIGHT produce a more favourable result. I believe that this could have been done at a relatively modest cost, much lower than the $85,000 number quoted by the original consultants, but you chose to simply write off the Coopers Green site instead of properly investigating this issue. Your other reasons for abandoning Coopers Green as the hall site - archaeological concerns and parking/accessibility concerns - must have been considered long before the ocean flooding issue came to light, and yet the SCRD had approved the budget for the new hall at Coopers Green. It is obvious that it is only the flooding issue that changed, and it is my view that virtually nothing was done to investigate mitigation of that issue. It appears to me that rather than seriously looking at ways around the flooding issue, the staff at SCRD simply threw up their hands and said “Can’t be done.” when the issue arose. In doing so you have wasted nearly 10 years of effort and several hundred thousands of dollars of cost for all the work done to date. My last question is will these questions is be published?
Ron Roberts asked 18 days agoThank you for your questions.
The decision to move the project from Coopers Green to Connor Park was made by the SCRD Board. This decision was made after receiving staff reports that outlined serious concerns about building at Coopers Green Park. These concerns are all outlined in the common questions you referenced which are available here: https://letstalk.scrd.ca/community-hall/widgets/154136/faqs#30309.
The SCRD provides accessible services, and to accommodate the building height, significant accessibility features would be required. Beyond that it was understood that flood and erosion mitigation structures would likely be required to mitigate hazard. These were expected to add significant costs to the project.
The previously granted variance permits for building siting and parking had expired and a reapplication is necessary. Variances are granted based on the ability to demonstrate ‘undue hardship’ in meeting the requirements. There was considerable uncertainty regarding the ability to meet that threshold.
Parking: Coopers Green has very few ‘off-street’ parking spots and a proposed configuration had been used to support the previous variance permit application. A review of this configuration has shown that many of the spaces do not conform to SCRD bylaws due to their aspect and proximity to Redrooffs Road making them unsafe to access and depart from. Fire access requirements were found to further reduce the available space for parking. While the parking requirements under the recently updated zoning bylaw are relaxed, the number of parking spaces at Coopers Green did not meet the needs of the proposed hall alone without considering the boat launch and other park users.
Siting: The proposed hall required a variance that would allow a setback distance of 0.5 m. The revised Geotech report recommends a minimum setback from the ocean of 7.5 m, while the updated zoning bylaw indicates a minimum setback of 15 m.
To answer your second question. Yes, answers to your questions have been published publicly.
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As an ex volunteer fireman for Sechelt, will you enforce a no smoking regulation at the park during all events so our forests and homes don’t go up in flames through carelessness during tinder dry drought conditions without any water to control fires?
Bill Green asked 17 days agoThank you for your service to the fire department. This is something that we will contemplate as we move forward with the project.
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Please let me know if the Professional Engineers engaged by the SCRD on the Coopers Green Hall proposal where considering VLM (vertical land movement) to determine NET sea level rise projections. The subsidence (downward VLM) is well-known for East Coast Maritime communities as compounding effects via sea level rise. However, I have heard mixed research results on this happening (subsidence) versus uplift (upward land shift) along the BC coastline. As you likely know, vertical land motion (VLM) is dependent on a mix of factors: tectonic, sedimentological and anthropogenic activity. I am checking into some of the latest satellite images and NET sea level rise projections, and hope to compare this with what was considered for the Coopers Green site. This site is important, from a community-integrity perspective, and having the most accurate projections of NET sea-level rise will be pivotal for any future community developments at that locaton.
Terry Rolfe asked 16 days agoHi there, thank you for your question. The consultant indicated the inclusion of a 0.1m uplift in their Flood Construction Level determination.
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Where is link to new location graphic that is mentioned in Coast Reporter article: Public session scheduled for proposed Connor Park hall
Jeff Muckle asked 16 days agoHi there, thank you for your question.
The graphic is in the common questions link on the community information page.
You can find it here - https://letstalk.scrd.ca/community-hall/widgets/154136/faqs#30318
Project History
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March 2023
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December 2022
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July 2022
Common Questions about the Community Hall Project
- Who is paying for this hall?
- What happened to the planned hall at Coopers Green Park?
- Will a hall at Connor Park result in forest being destroyed/white pine trees being cut down?
- Why Connor Park?
- Why build a hall at Connor Park when it is not on a bus route?
- Connor Park is designated as Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). What impact will that have on building a hall?
- There is already a school gymnasium near Connor Park that can be used as a meeting space, why build a community hall?
- When will construction begin on improvements to Coopers Green Park?
- Where can I find more information on the Halfmoon Bay Community Hall Project?
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