If you want to pitch a development in Sooke for consideration, make including commercial space part of your plan.
 
The district has been moving more in the direction of increasing commercial space for the past few years based on discussions with council and the community, and more developers are on board with that as well, said Matthew Pawlow, director of planning and development for the District of Sooke.
 
Pawlow cited as recent examples two residential projects near the district office on Otter Point Road that have a commercial component on the ground floor.

The two buildings named Parkview, overlooking John Phillips Park, next to the district office.

"There is a focus on adding commercial, institutional, industrial. One of the actions in the OCP once it's adopted is to undertake an employment land strategy that will help identify any existing or undeveloped parcels of land for redevelopment for commercial or industrial use," Pawlow noted.
 
A proposal in 2022 by Seacliff properties for the site formerly known as Mariner's Village, now called Harbour View, will include 98 residential units and 16,000 square feet of commercial space at the intersection of Goodmere and Sooke roads (Highway 14 and Church Road).
 
A development permit was issued for the project this summer, subject to building permits.
 
"It's one of the more substantial commercial developments that Sooke's been involved in," Pawlow noted.
 
Another project that's been a topic of some speculation in the community for a couple of years involves roughly 3.5 hectares of land on a property at the corner of Eustace and Gatewood roads.

Viewed from Highway 14 that would be the vacant land behind the ambulance station.

A second application was made in 2022 by the same applicant under a different agent a year after the original was made may have stirred public interest, Pawlow explained.
 
The current proposal involves two larger anchor tenants than the original, smaller retail outlets, and the addition of about 50 residential units.
 
The residential tax rate is currently 1.73472 percent, while the business class rate is 3.7 times that rate, or 6.4184 percent.
 
Rick Stiebel.