The District of Oak Bay is embarking on a community-consultation process on the future of Turkey Head, home to the Oak Bay Marina.
A request for proposals for a consultant to lead the process closes Oct. 4.
Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch said Friday that involvement of First Nations and the broader community in consultations is “super important” because it’s an important site with a lot of potential. “We want to make sure that we are actually realizing that potential.”
Consultants responding to the proposal call are being asked to provide three different approaches to consultation for council to consider.
The goal of the process, the proposal says, is to “identify a path forward that is generally supported by Indigenous communities and the Oak Bay community and that meets the four criteria established by council: First Nations partnership, sustainable financial return, site activation and public use and environmental stewardship.”
The current lease with the Oak Bay Marine Group for Turkey Head ends in 2027.
The property at 1327 Beach Dr. was developed into a marina in the early 1960s by the late Bob Wright. It was the home of Sealand of the Pacific and featured performing whales, but that part of the business was closed down in the 1990s.
The land is owned by the district but also includes foreshore leased from the province. The Oak Bay Marine Group owns the docks on the property.
The district has worked with a consultant to determine possible future uses for the land, work that’s expected to be finished by the end of this year and will be used to support consultation, the request said.
Oak Bay issued a request for proposals in 2020 to line up a new 30-year lease for the property. The district was seeking a plan that would result in a livelier use of the site with more amenities for the community.
Council decided in 2021 to negotiate with Oak Bay Marine Group, which had presented a plan with cycling facilities including charging stations for e-bikes, a paddle sports centre, community space and a boat brokerage.
But the following year, council decided in an in-camera meeting not to go ahead with that proposal. No reasons were released.
In 2022, the district agreed to extend the company’s lease by five years and address the issue after a new council was elected that fall.
