Magic Lake Estates Community Issues Assessment

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey for the Magic Lake Estates Community Issues Assessment, thank you to everyone who attended the Community Information Open House on Friday, November 3, 2023, and thanks to all who logged in to the follow-up virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. To view the panels displayed at the Open House, click here. To view the slideshow presented at the open house, click here. To view the updated slideshow presented at the virtual follow up meeting, click here.

You can view a recording of the virtual information session below:

• 2023-11-03 Magic Lake Estates Information Meeting Presentation
• 2023-11-03 Magic Lake Estates Information Session Panels
• 2023-12-06 Magic Lake Estates Information Meeting Presentation

Background

Magic Lake Estates is an approximately 600-acre neighbourhood on North Pender Island, which had its origins in the 1960s as a vacation home development proposal known as "Gulf Island Estates." The controversy over the proposed development is often cited as one of the catalysts for the formation of the Islands Trust in 1974.

Today, Magic Lake Estates comprises approximately 1,200 parcels with 1,034 single-family equivalents (in 2019), and is one of the largest, most densely populated residential neighbourhoods throughout all of the Gulf Islands.

Like most of the islands in the Salish Sea, North Pender Island is located in an unincorporated area (in this case within the Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area of the Capital Regional District). As such, Magic Lake Estates receives its local services from a variety of service providers rather than from a single municipality. This includes, but is not limited to:

• the Province of British Columbia (roads, subdivision approval, schools, policing),
• the Capital Regional District (water, sanitary sewer, parks, building inspection, regional planning, and more), and
• the Islands Trust (local land use planning).

In addition, and unique to Magic Lake Estates, the Magic Lake Property Owners' Society (MLPOS) was established in the mid-1970s to manage several amenities as well as be an additional voice for residents of the community. Today, the MLPOS owns and manages Thieves Bay Marina, the tennis/pickle ball courts and the playground. MLPOS is a non-profit society whose membership is voluntary, and its Board of Directors meet generally a monthly basis.

In response to a request from MLPOS for a governance review of MLE and to seek clarity on the current service delivery arrangements, this project will provide a community issues assessment and summary of the governance framework and service models that exist in Magic Lake Estates.

Goal

Based on the CRD’s Public Participation Framework, this project will largely focus on gathering information, discussion, and public engagement to seek community opinion on the existing service and governance models of MLE.

This project will work with the MLPOS as a partnering stakeholder, to inform and consult the wider resident community on matters of governance and service delivery.

The success of this project relates to informing an understanding of the existing service model and governance framework, and collecting feedback on its effectiveness.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to provide a factual, unbiased report which describes the various service providers at all levels (Federal, Provincial, Local, and non-profit society), outline the various decision-making processes at play with each of the service providers, and identify the needs and concerns of the community today and into the future.

It is not intended to provide detailed technical or financial analysis, nor will it explore the various options for future governance models, although the findings of this report could lead to further studies as part of future phases.