SOOKE
PHOTOGRAFFIA Mother/daughter show at the Reading Room.
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NEWS MIRROR
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2013 Sooke Home Sales: 304 2014 Sooke Home Sales: 12
Page 16
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Sooke is Selling!
M E D I A
Dimock TAMMI DIMOCK
Personal Real Estate Corp.
250.642.6361
Hotel parking issues brought before council
April Ingham photo
The charred remains, with the main house in the background. Except for some melted gutters over the living room window, and some cracks in that window, the main house escaped damage.
Fire destroys mobile home Britt Santowski Sooke News Mirror
In the early morning hours of February 6, in the middle of the Island’s cold snap, the Otter Point Fire station received a call about a fire. At 12:43, they were called to attend a fire at 7951 West Coast Road. They were there within 10 minutes, by which time the registered manufactured home was fully engulfed in flames. John McCrea, Captain, Otter Point Volunteer Fire Department said their main concern was containing the fire. The burn-
ing building was by that point unoccupied. “There was nothing left to go into, so our first concern was to protect the main house,” he said. Sooke Fire Rescue Services also assisted with the call. “The fire was through the roof when we arrived,” said Chief Steve Sorensen, noting the roof was collapsing and no one was going in. The occupant of the manufactured home was 16-year-old Calvin Currie who, according to his father Jeff Currie, fell asleep with a space heater on, to guard against the extreme
cold that night. Currie and his wife, April Ingham, awoke in the middle of the night (they live in the main house) to their son Calvin telling them the manufactured home was on fire. A couple of more minutes, and it could have been too late, Jeff said. His son Calvin lost everything: his surf board, snow gear, clothing, art work and more. However, both Jeff and April are deeply appreciative that the losses were all material. With Calvin safe in their home, they are counting their blessings.
6521 STONEWOOD DRIVE SUNRIVER $499,900
File photo
The Prestige Hotel
Pirjo Raits
Sooke News Mirror
A special meeting on February 4 saw a couple of items brought before District of Sooke council in regard to the Prestige Hotel. At issue were amendments, variances and shared easements for the hotel. A Development Variance Permit was authorized for the height of the hotel. Mechanical equipment and elevator shafts were not included in the original plans and height adjustments had to be made and a variance permit issued. Council authorized the issuance of the DVP as well as a Development Permit Amendment for the design of the public boat launch. The DPA was issued to reflect the existing design of the boat launch. What council did not approve was parking spaces for the hotel. “One of the issues of great concern to us is the issue of
2404 SUNRIVER WAY SUNRIVER $469,900
parking,” said Mayor Wendal Milne. “It is insufficient at best and quite frankly council wants to look at it.” He went on to say he was not prepared to approve the Development Variance Permit. The variance would have seen the hotel requiring only 95 spaces with another 25 spaces allotted for the public boat launch. One of the issues around parking is the necessity for trucks and trailers to park along West Coast Road when the parking lot at the hotel is full. Councillor Kevin Pearson felt the hotel would have control over the parking and by giving them access to parking on District of Sooke property this could be seen as disposition of district assets. “We need to put them (Prestige Hotel) on notice that they need parking,” Pearson said. In looking over the Shared Easement Agreement, Pearson
1937 KALTASIN ROAD BILLINGS SPIT $699,000
said some of the language in it would guarantee Prestige the use of the boat launch’s parking spaces. Milne said he did not want to see parking reflected in the easement document. Council approved the Shared Easement over the property owned by the Prestige Hotel and the District of Sooke but stipulated that the easement shall not grant any parking rights. John Brohman spoke out and said the hotel should be restricted in how many rooms they can book in relation to parking spaces. “I’ve never seen ‘no vacancy’ there yet,” he said. “This is not about bashing Prestige, shortcuts were taken and we are trying to fix them and protect the interests of the taxpayers of Sooke,” said Milne. Council recommended discussions take place with Prestige to work on the parking issues.
39-7109 WEST COAST RD. JOHN MUIR $199,900
7x2.5 oliver katz Complimentary Market Evaluations
OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY 1-3 CLASSIC CRAFTSMAN HOME BEAUTIFUL BEECHWOOD PLAN GORGEOUS MASTER ON MAIN FULLY FINISHED 3 LEVEL SHOWHOME CONDITION IMMAC. THROUGHOUT 4BR 4 BA UNFIN BASEMENT-EASY SUITE MAIN LIVING OPEN PLAN
OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY 1-3 OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 1-3 3BR 2 BATH OCEANFRONT BETTER THAN NEW 3BR 2 BATH STUNNING .4 AC. PROPERTY 1296 SQ. FT. MODULAR HOME HUGE ENTERTAINMENT DECK H/WOOD FLOORS THROUGHOUT MASTER W/GORGOUS ENSUITE LARGE PRIVATE YARD
OLIVER KATZ Personal Real Estate Corporation
250 642 6480