Revised Lantzville long-term care complex advances to public hearing

Diane MacKay, Island Health’s chief project officer for long-term care, told councillors they’ve adjusted things to a point where the structure was necessary, while maintaining required buffers and parking levels.

“We are also maintaining all of the forested area on the side of the property. So we’ve been able to significantly reduce the amount of trees that we’re going to be removing from the site by tightening up the building and having a smaller building footprint on the site.”

Rising costs delayed the project, first announced by the province in October 2023.

While the facility will be geared towards seniors requiring care, additional services such as a children’s daycare and adult day programming will also be offered.

A hair salon, corner store, hobby shop and Indigenous sacred space are other planned amenities.

Both residents and councillors expressed some concerns about the impacts of the sizeable project on the community.

A side view of the project showing elevation and building height. (Island Health)

Local resident Hans Larsson said allowing six-storey buildings in the community would “set a strong precedent” for other, currently vacant land on Lantzville Rd.

He added traffic volumes were also a concern with commercial trucks delivering to the site on a regular basis.

“That will create real traffic, parking, and noise problems on Schook Rd. Although we’ve been told that the traffic won’t be a problem, we have not seen any traffic studies. With the dog park, baseball fields, the skateboard park, the rugby field and the football field, there’s going to be even greater amounts of traffic and parking issues for longer periods of time.”

Designs call for a main public entrance off the eastern edge of the property along Schook Rd., with staff and commercial access off Lantzville Rd.

Light pollution was also a topic raised by councillors, based on feedback from recent public information sessions.

“Of concern to me are things like loading bays, parking areas,” Coun. Jonathan Lerner said. “I understand there’s a need for safety and to reduce break-ins, I know the importance of lighting and automatic lighting and reducing crime, but this is a residential area, and so I think it’s very important that everything be done to reduce that [impact to residents].”

MacKay said they have to balance the operational needs of the building and safety of staff with impacts to surrounding residents on the northern side of the property.

She added the exact lighting standards weren’t confirmed in the design yet, saying, “I don’t know that we’re at that level of detail”.

The current proposed layout of the facility, with main entrances to the property on both Lantzville Rd. and Schook Rd. (Island Health)

No date has been set for the public hearing, according to District staff.

Construction was originally set to wrap in 2027, however, due to delays, Island Health confirmed work on site will continue into at least 2028.

Updated estimates were set to be confirmed in a meeting with Island Health officials on Friday, Nov. 14, however, initial projections had the project at an estimated $289 million.

The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District will be responsible for paying 40 per cent of the project cost, with the province contributing the remainder.

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by Alex Rawnsley

Revised Lantzville long-term care complex advances to public hearing

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