Aug 05, 2025

Town statement regarding Brown Drive Park

Ladysmith, BC — The Town of Ladysmith is aware of information circulating in the community regarding Brown Drive Park and has received numerous public inquiries in recent days.

To address concerns and clarify any misinformation, the Town is issuing the following statement.

The Town of Ladysmith has received a Zoning Bylaw amendment application for a residential development at the end of Malone Road, known as Malone Estates. If approved, the proposed amendment would increase the maximum number of permitted units on the property from 189 to 600.

Due to the scale of the proposal, the developer must provide a secondary emergency access route in order to fulfill the requirements of the Town’s Official Community Plan (OCP). Policy 2.52 of the OCP requires that all subdivision and rezoning proposals for neighbourhoods with 101 to 600 units provide two points of access. One of these accesses may be designated for emergency use only.

As a result, the developer is seeking permission to construct an emergency-only road through Brown Drive Park to connect Hunter Way with Colonia Drive.

In exchange, the developer has offered community amenities, including upgrades to the park’s playground facilities. The proposed route would only be accessible to vehicles during emergencies and would otherwise function as a multi-use pathway for pedestrians and cyclists.

At a Regular Council Meeting on May 20, 2025, Council referred the proposal to the Town’s Parks Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) and received the committee’s feedback on July 8, 2025.

On July 8, 2025, during a Regular Council Meeting, Council directed the developer to exhaust all other possible options for an emergency access route that does not involve Brown Drive Park. That work is currently underway, and Town staff will provide an update to Council once the review is complete.

Council will not be giving further consideration to the proposed access through the park and the associated rezoning applications until alternative options for an emergency access are reviewed.

The Town appreciates the interest from the public on this development file.

For the latest news and updates, visit the Town’s website at www.ladysmith.ca, as well as Facebook and Instagram.

The Town of Ladysmith respectfully acknowledges that we gather and work on the unceded territory of the Stz'uminus First Nation, the traditional keepers of this land.

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Media Contact
Nicholas Pescod
Communications & Engagement Specialist
npescod@ladysmith.ca
250-268-0606