117 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

Excerpt from media release:

 

 

 

VICTORIA, BC – The City of Victoria is proposing a new zoning bylaw for the downtown Central Business District to facilitate the growth anticipated over the next 30 years. An open house will be held January 15 to raise awareness and seek feedback on the proposed changes.

 

OPEN HOUSE DETAILS:

What: Open House about changes to Downtown Victoria’s Zoning Bylaw

When: Wednesday, January 15, 2014, 3 – 7 p.m.

Where: City Hall Antechamber, 1 Centennial Square

 

Changes to the zoning bylaw are being made to facilitate the approximately 10,000 new residents that are expected to relocate to the downtown over the next 30 years. This increase in downtown population will create a significant demand for employment, housing and retail space. Zoning regulations guide the type of development that will occur in the downtown, fostering economic development

 

 

[...]

 

 

 

 

Source: PDF File

 

Related TC article

[Mike K.]

Might as well copy the rest of the PDF as who knows how long it'll stay up

 

The first phase of updating the zoning bylaw will focus on the Central Business District, which is the main
employment centre for Victoria, and the region as a whole. The City’s Downtown Core Area Plan envisions the
Central Business District to contain a concentration of higher density office buildings, along with such
complementary uses as apartments and condominiums, hotels, restaurants, public institutions, personal
service businesses and retail stores.

The proposed zoning regulations will help realize this vision through:
- new and improved permitted uses that will support a strong concentration of commercial, employment
and complementary uses, and will better reflect current development trends, niche markets and
changing business models and types
- new density provisions
- new building height allowances
- new regulations for the form of buildings, and
- new regulations that support alternative transportation modes.

For those unable to attend the open house, the open house materials and a survey about the proposed
changes will be available online after the January 15 session and available until February 17.


The feedback collected from the open house and surveys will be presented to Council for their consideration.
Approval of the new zoning regulations will be considered through a Public Hearing.

For more information on the specific zones and regulations please visit: www.victoria.ca/zoning

 

 

New building height allowances, hey? I wonder whether this means they will look to creating a new height cap or a project-by-project height review upwards of who knows how high.

[amor de cosmos]

Victoria wants your say on changing downtown

Bill Cleverley / Times Colonist
January 10, 2014 08:59 PM

*snip*

One aim of the changes is to make bylaw language more permissive and less prescriptive.

“It’s really been necessary for us to modernize the zoning language, some of which has become outdated,” said Andrea Hudson, assistant director of community planning.

“It [the bylaw] permits a variety of land uses, some of which needs more updated wording. As an example, it lists chartered banks as a permitted use. In the new zones that we’re creating, instead of being really specific by saying chartered banks, we are proposing financial services be allowed. So we want to ensure it captures all types of financial services like credit unions, insurance companies in addition to banks,” Hudson said.

Key features of the city’s new official community plan call for expansion of the central business district, concentrating high-density development along Douglas and Blanshard streets and, on transportation, giving priority to walkers, cyclists and people using B.C. Transit.

Depending on the block, new maximum building- height regulations will range from 45 to 72 metres for properties that do not have a heritage building that is designated or listed on the city’s heritage register. (Forty-five metres is equal to about 11 storeys in a commercial building or 15 residential storeys.)

The greatest height allowance will generally be between Douglas and Blanshard streets.

New regulations also are geared toward creating vibrant commercial space at ground level.

“We are trying to encourage active commercial uses at ground level like retail and restaurants. Then we are ensuring that other types of uses that don’t need a street presence and aren’t active — like residential use for example — that those are located on the second storey and higher,” Hudson said.

http://www.timescolo...wntown-1.785621

[Mike K.]

Hold on now, so basically these "changes" are just repeating the key guidelines of the downtown plan and modernizing descriptions? I got excited for a few moments there but I see this is more of an opportunity to pad the community engagement stats than to propose something new.

 

Of course the Times Colonist reporter did a great job by NOT asking the City to clarify how these changes weren't already taken into account when dealing with proposals. Surely the downtown plan already dictates development and surely if a credit union wanted to build something where only a "chartered bank" could build something the City wouldn't send them packing? So am I getting this right, that this is really much ado about nothing?

[Nparker]

This.

[Mike K.]

“We are trying to encourage active commercial uses at ground level like retail and restaurants. Then we are ensuring that other types of uses that don’t need a street presence and aren’t active — like residential use for example — that those are located on the second storey and higher,” Hudson said.

 

 

In other words City Hall is telling industry not to do what it has not been doing.

[aastra]

Yeah, that part is funny. It's as if they're finally accounting for some of the unfortunate ground floors of the 1980s and 1990s (two or three buildings on Pandora between Douglas and Quadra come to mind, as does that office block at Johnson and Blanshard). Meanwhile, the vast majority of new developments since 2000 have been getting the ground floors right.

 

The greatest height allowance will generally be between Douglas and Blanshard streets.

 

So, remind me, if we're suddenly going to be allowing tall towers between Douglas and Blanshard:

 

1) Why?

2) Where?

 

Is the intention to jump-start development on the blocks north of Herald Street? If not, then methinks there aren't many sites left that could even take advantage of these changes, unless the intention is to encourage redevelopment of some underdeveloped properties and maybe also the city parkade properties.

[amor de cosmos]

I wonder if it's just to reflect the reality now. The tallest building at the Hudson will be 24 stories, so maybe it's just so that the zoning, etc matches what's happenign now.

[Mike K.]

City Hall won't rezone or change zoning parameters without first getting kickbacks from developers. This whole community engagement session is confusing. If the downtown plan already takes these so-called revelations into consideration, then why the sudden need to consult the public about something the public was already consulted on and helped shape (the downtown plan)?

 

I plan to attend the event and will try to understand what the differences are between what is already in place (the plan) and what this session hopes to achieve. Unfortunately our local daily failed at asking even basic questions in that regard.

[Mike K.]

Was anyone able to attend? A deadline has kept me glued to the desk. The event runs through 7PM if anyone is nearby and would still like to peak in.

[sebberry]

I wish they'd record these meetings and stick them online.

[Holden West]

Meh, it was just a bunch of boards on easels. It was nice having the City Planners there to chat with but really there's nothing there that's not online. Go to the city's website, read the background info and fill out a comment form.

[Mike K.]

So what are these big changes?

[D.L.]

Global News - http://globalnews.ca...s-downtown-core

[sebberry]

Sooner or later it had to happen.  The Sooke hills are going to be a little harder to see.  Unless you live in one of the buildings obscuring the view, in which case you get front row seats.

[rjag]

(Apologies in advance to Holden West who doesn't appreciate my reflections on Victoria politics......)

Its an election year folks, this discussion is great to claim active public engagement from the incumbents....did anyone see the interview with friend Dean and did you happen to notice the numerous mentions of 'vibrant community, vibrant city etc'....talk is cheap actions are not. Past precedent with this council is already set, they are not development friendly and any changes will take years and a change in attitude from the left-leaning voting public....

 

That being said, I think its great that at least a discussion is taking place, however I will challenge anyone to a $50 bet donated to the charity of your choice (just like I did with the OB Deer cull that no-one took me up on) that nothing will happen prior to the Election in November. The study will be proclaimed a big success and will be shelved for further review at a later date.

 

So to clarify, no changes to zoning or the OCP prior to this next municipal election regarding increased height/density for the corridor in question. I will place $50 on the table to the first taker and donate to your charity of choice if I'm wrong and if I'm right you donate $50 to the charity of my choice. 

[VicHockeyFan]

10,000 more people over the next 30 years?  Big deal.  Langford/Colwood hope for 50,000 more.

 

Why don't we aim for something higher, like 1,500 per year.  Let's do something radical, like tax holidays for any building over 6 floors.

[Mike K.]

So to clarify, no changes to zoning or the OCP prior to this next municipal election regarding increased height/density for the corridor in question. I will place $50 on the table to the first taker and donate to your charity of choice if I'm wrong and if I'm right you donate $50 to the charity of my choice. 

Those changes have already been made, that's the thing. The OCP was adopted in 2011(?) and other than that there are no actual changes. It's a bit of a mystery why staff all of a sudden decided to engage in a public info session.

[jonny]

10,000 more people over the next 30 years?  Big deal.  Langford/Colwood hope for 50,000 more.

 

Why don't we aim for something higher, like 1,500 per year.  Let's do something radical, like tax holidays for any building over 6 floors.

 

Victoria population is currently increasing by about ~400 people per year, so this projection really isn't much of a change.

 

10,000 additional people could likely be comfortably housed within existing vacant and underutilized land under the existing zoning rules.

[Mike K.]

What's the population now? 2000?