CRD approves acquisition of new community park space in Otter Point

The 23.5-hectare Admiral's Forest property is shown in this map released by The Land Conservancy.

A 23.5-hectare parcel of undeveloped land in Otter Point is now a community park, the Capital Regional District announced Friday.

The CRD's board approved the purchase of the "Admiral's Forest" property, as it is known, for $650,000. About $130,000 of the purchase price came from donations made through The Land Conservancy and by individuals living in the Otter Point neighbourhood. The rest came from the CRD's Juan de Fuca Community Parks Service.

“I am so pleased that the Juan de Fuca Community Parks Service have purchased this incredible property and preserved it as a community park,” said Mike Hicks, CRD Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Director, in a news release.

“Congratulations to everyone that was a part of this project.”

The Admiral's Forest property had long been considered "a prime candidate for purchase as a community park" because of its significant stands of timber and secluded wetlands, according to the CRD, which also described the property as "one of the last of available undeveloped large acreage lots in Otter Point."

Community members initially requested that the CRD's Regional Parks Committee acquire the property, but the land didn't meet the criteria for becoming a regional park, the CRD said. Instead, it was "well-suited" to being a community park.