Common Questions about the Community Hall Project

The total construction budget is currently $4.5 million. Over $2 million of this budget is being provided through a grant obtained from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). This grant is due to expire on March 31, 2025. The SCRD has applied for an extension to the grant, and it is anticipated that a relatively short extension will be provided. This grant must be spent on the community hall project and the SCRD is aware of the urgent need to begin construction to utilize the funding. 

Up to $1.5-million is being funded through the five rural areas in the SCRD (Egmont / Pender Harbour, Halfmoon Bay, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone and West Howe Sound). Residents in the District of Sechelt, the Town of Gibsons and the shíshálh Nation Government District will not be paying for the hall. 

The original construction budget also included $345,000 that was fundraised through the Halfmoon Bay Community Association. Following the relocation of this project to Connor Park, the SCRD offered donors to the project their money back. It is anticipated that most of the $345,000 will be returned to donors.

Cheques were mailed on July 24, 2023 to donors who requested their donations be returned.

Coopers Green Park is no longer being considered as a site for the hall. This is due to several factors including:

1. Flood risk. Professional Engineers advised the SCRD that the Minimum Building Elevation (MBE) for the new hall was approximately 1.7m higher than the existing hall. Designing to that elevation would be prohibitively expensive and posed accessibility challenges. A more thorough analysis of ocean flooding hazard would not promise a more favorable result. It would also introduce significant schedule delays and cost to the project.
   
   
2. Setbacks/Variances:  
   
   - The variance permits for siting had elapsed at Coopers Green and new variances would need to be pursued. Minimum setbacks adjacent to the ocean have increased from 7.5m to 15m since the project was conceived. The Engineer identified a potential hazard due to the location of the adjacent properties lock block wall - which also may impact the Board of Variance’s decision to re-issue the previous siting variances.
   - The variance permits for parking had also elapsed and although the new zoning bylaw stipulates fewer parking spaces would be required – a variance for parking would still be required.
   
   
3. Budget and Timing: The remaining uncertainties challenge the ability of this project to stay within budget and to be delivered on-time and within the ICIP Grant window.
    
4. Archaeological analysis. In 2017, archaeological assessments were completed at Coopers Green Park to see if any sites of significance were located. 32 tests were conducted and 30 showed archaeologically significant sites at Coopers Green Park. Should the project have proceeded at Coopers Green Park, the presence of these sites may have had a significant impact on the project timelines and budget.
   
   
5. Parking and accessibility. Parking at Coopers Green is a significant hurdle to placing a large community hall at the site. The boat ramp at Coopers Green is one of very few on the Sunshine Coast driving additional demand for parking at the park. Feedback from residents through the community check-in conducted by the SCRD resulted in many comments and concerns about parking and associated traffic on Redrooffs Road. 

The SCRD is aware of community concern with the hall being located at Connor Park and is keen to clear up one major misconception about the project. We 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. 

However – the SCRD should have done better when communicating the option of Connor Park as a hall location during the community check-in survey in December. 

The first map below (Graphic 1) is what was conveyed. The large square was intended to give a sense of where a hall may be located within the square. Graphic 2 shows how it should have been presented.

Graphic 1: This is what was included in the information package

Graphic 2: This is how it should have been presented

 

The SCRD understands that the way that the graphic above was presented may have resulted in residents thinking that this section of Connor Park was to be altered to accommodate the hall’s construction.  The SCRD appreciates the opportunity to provide a more accurate depiction of the area where the hall is likely to be located. 

An important piece of the planning is for the community to identify their vision and values for the park and how a new hall would integrate with the existing amenities at Connor Park.  The first of several public events will take place at Connor Park on Wednesday June 21 between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The event will include opportunities to view potential sites for the hall and provide ideas and suggestions on the new community hall’s use.

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:

1. Timing – ability to complete the project within the grant timelines
   1. The site is owned by the SCRD.
2. Upon preliminary review, no known site constraints
   1. An initial archaeological assessment of the area has shown that no sites of significance are present. 
3. The site has existing amenities
   1. There is already parking at the site. 
   2. There are existing utilities on the site.
4. Population – Connor Park has 66% more parcels within a 15 min walking distance on roads with lower traffic volume than Redrooffs.
   
   

The SCRD is aware that there is no park management plan for Connor Park however there is an opportunity to formulate and inform this plan through public participation during the hall construction. 

Connor Park is located approximately seven minutes from the nearest bus stop. The SCRD is keen to hear from residents who utilize public transit as to how this may impact their willingness to use the hall. 

The SCRD has also conducted an analysis of walking distances to Connor Park and has found that there are a total of 712 homes that are within 30 minutes walking distance to the park. As a comparison, there are 405 homes that are within 30 minutes walking distance of Coopers Green Park. 

The SCRD has engaged with staff at the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) and initial conversations have indicated that although the site is on ALR, this will not present an obstacle for the hall construction.

The SCRD is confident that any criteria set out for building a hall on ALR can be met through the construction process.

The community hall and school gymnasium are not meant to compete with each other, in fact, they should complement each other. The school gymnasium is a large space for functions (300 people) while the hall will be a smaller multipurpose space (120 people) that could host activities such as meetings, yoga, fitness classes, art classes, weddings, dances, birthday parties and family events. With the accompanying park, the hall could also be utilized as an additional space for registration, concession or meetings during soccer and baseball tournaments. 

A community hall would be available for residents during the days, evenings, weekends, and holidays.  

The SCRD looks forward to hearing what the community would like to see included in the hall through discussions this summer. 

Due to a deadline associated with a grant of over two-million dollars for the community hall project, the SCRD must prioritize construction of the hall at Connor Park. It is anticipated that once public input has been completed for the community hall project and a construction timeline is formulated, staff will have the capacity to begin planning improvements to Coopers Green Park.

The SCRD is planning events to hear from the community throughout the summer. These events will be promoted through the Coast Reporter newspaper, via the SCRD on Facebook, the SCRD website and this community information space.