An additional 10 hectares of land in the Sandstone area of south Nanaimo has been transferred to Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Seacliff Properties gained council approval last year to develop 800 single-family homes, 500 townhouses and 900 condos or apartments over two decades, plus commercial space in Cedar and industrial land in Duke Point. The project spans about 294 hectares.
This latest land transfer brings the total of land returned to the First Nation to 45.7 hectares, and the nation noted that it has the option to purchase an additional 60.7ha.
In a press release, the Snuneymuxw First Nation said the land transfer is part of a broader recognition, co-operation and mutual-benefit agreement aimed at fostering a lasting relationship and developing the south end of the city.
"The Sandstone project, situated on a 726-acre site at the southernmost boundary of the City of Nanaimo, marks a major step in recognizing the Snuneymuxw Treaty of 1854," the release stated.
The treaty promised to protect the nation's villages, enclosed fields, waterways, and rights to harvest, gather, fish and hunt.
