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To whom it may concern,

We are writing regarding proposed Bylaws P1503 and P1542 in advance of the September 24 Public Hearing.

Bamfield is a small and remote community with limited infrastructure and services. Roads, parking, marine access, water, sewage disposal, emergency services, housing, and year-round employment are all part of the larger picture when considering development of this scale.

Change and development are inevitable. The question is whether the scale of this proposal, and the way it has evolved, represents the best long-term outcome for Bamfield.

The fact that additional lots can technically be created and serviced does not necessarily answer the bigger question:

What does Bamfield receive in return for granting these additional development rights?

That question becomes especially important with the addition of the Brady’s Beach property to this proposal.

According to the planning documents, approximately 0.5 hectares of the Brady’s Beach property would become part of the development in connection with road access, while the remaining undeveloped acreage is intended for conservation through the BC Parks Foundation.

Protecting that land could be an enormous long-term benefit to Bamfield. But if conservation is part of the public benefit associated with this proposal, the community deserves assurance that it will actually happen.

The conservation outcome should be secured, not simply anticipated.

The community also deserves a clear understanding of what happens if the conservation transaction does not go forward. If additional development rights are granted and road access is provided, but the conservation agreement is never completed, what protections remain?

Housing and Community Benefit

Bamfield needs housing, but more residential lots do not automatically mean more housing for the people who live and work here.

Building in Bamfield is expensive. Without meaningful affordability measures, newly created lots could become seasonal homes, vacation properties, or investments just as easily as they could become homes for year-round residents.

If Bamfield is being asked to accommodate this amount of additional development, there should be clear and lasting benefits to the community.

Could some of the lots be made genuinely accessible to permanent residents? Could Community Amenity Contributions address infrastructure, housing, or other needs identified by the community? Could fewer and larger lots accomplish many of the same objectives while reducing the overall impact?

These are conversations worth having before the rezoning is finalized.

The Planning Process

There are also questions about how much the proposal has changed since it was originally considered by the Bamfield Advisory Planning Commission, particularly with the addition of the Brady’s Beach property.

If the proposal now before the public is materially different from what the APC originally reviewed, the amended proposal deserves further local review.

Local knowledge matters. The people who live and work in Bamfield understand the practical limitations and needs of this community in ways that cannot always be captured in a planning report.

A Consequential Decision for West Bamfield

Once land is subdivided and development rights are granted, those decisions are difficult to reverse.

This proposal therefore deserves consideration not only in terms of what can be developed today, but what kind of community Bamfield will be in the future.

Before Bylaws P1503 and P1542 proceed in their current form, we respectfully ask the ACRD to consider:

Returning the amended proposal to the Bamfield Advisory Planning Commission for further local review, particularly given the addition of the Brady’s Beach property.
Making completion of the proposed conservation of the remaining Brady’s Beach property a condition of approval, rather than granting additional development rights based on a conservation transaction expected to occur later.
Clearly identifying what portions of the Brady’s Beach property are proposed for development, road access, and conservation, and what legal mechanisms will permanently protect the conservation lands.
Explaining what happens if the proposed conservation transaction does not proceed after development approvals or road access have been granted.
Requiring meaningful Community Amenity Contributions that are proportionate to the scale of the additional development rights and address needs identified by the community.
Exploring ways for some of the newly created housing opportunities to benefit people who live and work in Bamfield year-round, rather than relying on increased housing supply alone to address affordability.
Considering whether a smaller subdivision with fewer and larger lots could achieve reasonable development objectives while reducing the overall impact on West Bamfield.
Evaluating the cumulative impact of the proposed development on roads, parking, water, sewage disposal, marine access, emergency services, fire protection, and other community infrastructure.
Clearly identifying the measurable, long-term benefits this rezoning will provide to the existing Bamfield community.
This is not a call to prevent all development. There may be an opportunity to find an outcome that allows reasonable development while protecting an extraordinary piece of coastline and providing meaningful, lasting benefits to Bamfield.

But this is the point in the process when those benefits and protections should be clearly established.

Bamfield’s future should not be determined solely by what can be developed today. It should also reflect what our community can sustainably support tomorrow.

We, the undersigned, respectfully ask the ACRD to reconsider Bylaws P1503 and P1542 in their current form and address the concerns outlined above before these bylaws proceed.

Thank you for considering the concerns of the Bamfield community.