$36m Motorsport expansion rejected

North Cowichan council has voted 5-2 against a bid to expand the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit from one track to two.

The major objection from the public was noise, but in the end it was First Nations rights that swung the majority of councillors, said Mayor Al Siebring.

The mayor saw the rezoning application and expansion as a chance to fix a zoning headache and get a raft of amenities, concessions, noise mitigation and environmental remediations in return.

At issue was an application to put three parcels of land in North Cowichan under one comprehensive development zone that would allow for expansion of the company’s vehicle test-track facility.

The Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit, on 18.74 hectares, opened in June 2016.

The company was looking to build Phase 2, including a new five-kilometre paved circuit an off-road circuit, a new clubhouse and buildings for storing and repairing motor vehicles.

The expansion would have been on 42.47 hectares adjacent to Phase 1.

Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit said the expansion was a $36-million-plus investment that would create about 200 construction jobs and nearly 30 full-time jobs.

But the Cowichan Tribes First Nation wanted government-to-government consultation. If that didn’t happen, they wanted an archeologist on site throughout the entire development and protection of elk habitat.

The company offered environmental observers for all major work and to extend protection for fish and water habitat to include elk habitat, said Siebring.

But it wasn’t enough.