North Cowichan Adopts VIMC Rezoning

North Cowichan council has adopted the rezoning for phase one of development at the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC).

The VIMC was hoping to expand the race track and phase two, had it been approved, would have included a 5.2 kilometre extension to the track, a car storage facility, a second clubhouse, and a nine-hole executive golf course.

However, council rejected the phase two development permit application and Mayor Al Siebring said council has decided to adopt the rezoning of phase one at the motorsport circuit.

“That was turned down after the two public hearings and then council said, ‘there’s still uncertainty around what is and isn’t permitted in phase one, so we’re going to expressly allow all the uses there, that would have been allowed under the rezone for phase one and two,” said Siebring.

He added, “We’re going to take the language for phases one and two and we’re going to apply it to the existing track and phase one.”

Council has adopted rezoning of phase one of the development at the motorsport circuit and Siebring said there are a few reasons why the process has taken so long.

“It takes time because we have to do notifications, we have to get approval from the Ministry of Transportation and all the rest of it and we finally adopted that rezoning,” said Siebring.

VIMC came to the municipality, had a plan for a comprehensive rezoning of phases one and two, that was turned down twice, and council felt there was uncertainty about what is and isn’t permitted in phase one.

Council decided to permit all the uses for the rezoning of phases one and two and apply them to phase one.