Broadmead acquired its name from a horse.
Prominent businessman Robert Patterson Rithet raised thoroughbreds. He bought the 719 acres from the Dallas family in 1891 and named his farm “Broadmead” after his most beloved prizewinning racehorse.
His heirs developed a holistic plan for the property to preserve the area’s natural landscape and character, and community developers continued to work within this plan.
Broadmead has some attractive amenities:
Broadmead Village is an open-air, west coast concept shopping centre with a variety of amenities, colonnades and gathering areas.
The Saanich Commonwealth Place, built for the 1994 Commonwealth Games, is a prominent facility in the community and provides health and rehabilitation services, a gymnasium, indoor swimming and fitness schedules.
Rithet’s Bog is a 42-hectare wetland in central Broadmead is the last remaining peat bog on the Saanich Peninsula. The Municipality zoned it as a nature sanctuary to preserve the health of bog plants and the soil.
Elk/Beaver Lake Park is a popular location for watersports year-round.
If you’re thinking of living here, it’s important to keep in mind Broadmead was designed to respect the area’s natural topography and is very committed to maintaining its unique natural environment. Homes have been constructed between mature trees and rocky outcrops, and over 20% of the community is public green space.
The statutory building schemes posted by the Broadmead Area Residents’ Association (BARA) bans suites, vacation rental or commercial enterprises operated from single detached dwelling. BARA recently began permitting garden suites – a detached dwelling in the back yard.
Schools include Lochside Elementary, Royal Oak Middle School and Claremont Secondary. Broadmead is part of Saanich East just south of Cordova Bay
