City Hall presents new plan to UDI
City Planning staff gave Victoria’s Urban Development Institute members the chance to comment on City Hall’s plan outlining Victoria’s future for housing, land use, and the economy Thursday.
The UDI membership of developers, architects and others involved in local land use listened to senior City staff explain two concurrent plans, the Downtown Core Area Plan (DCAP) and the Official Community Plan, as they make their way through the consultation process.
Senior City Planner Robert Batallas laid out the justification for the DCAP, saying diminishing developeable land and an increasing urban population meant implementing the high-density Crosstown Plan approved by Council in 2008.
City Planner Robert Batallas presents the draft Downtown Core Area Plan to Victoria's Urban Development Institute Thursday. Photo by Robert Randall © by VibrantVictoria.ca.
The Crosstown Plan, Batallas said, concentrated high-density construction along eastern Yates Street in Harris Green and along the Douglas Street corridor.
A conceptual design for the extension of the Government Street Mall into Rock Bay. City handout.
There will be an expansion of Downtown’s Central Business District between Blanshard and Quadra in order to relieve development pressure on historic Old Town. Planning also elaborated on plans to implement a heritage transfer scheme that would bank unused density on heritage buildings to be used in new construction outside Old Town. The sold density would help in financing the rehabilitation of old buildings.
Other highlights from both plans:
- No change is being made to neighbourhood boundaries but the plan does extend into the Downtown border areas in James Bay, Fairfield, North Park and Burnside/Gorge.
- Although the plan illustrates some specific design scenarios, the City said it will not impose designs on architects and developers and that there is plenty of flexibility to allow for site specific architecture.
- Details of the plans are still being worked out and the City is relying on residents and businesses to offer some of the solutions.
Architect Barry Cosgrave liked what he heard but wondered if the City was able to fully implement its vision. Using the example of the controversial sewage holding tanks in Harris Green Cosgrave says the area is already at capacity and efforts should be made to coordinate with the Engineering Department so that waste is sent to modern localized sewage treatment instead of stopgap holding tanks for later disposal. Cosgrave also wanted to know if BC Transit will be involved in the transportation portion.
The City will be holding a community forum next week and the public is invited:
Friday, June 25 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 26 10 a.m — 4 p.m.
Victoria Conference Centre – 720 Douglas Street
Pre-registration is not required. Free event. Free child-minding on Saturday.
The registration and information table will be open throughout the day. Individuals may drop in at anytime if they are not able to attend for the whole day. Friday’s information sessions will repeat on Saturday with the same material presented on both days. People may drop in and participate on either or both days.
The Draft Downtown Core Area Plan can be viewed on the City’s website here. The City’s Official Community Plan page is here.
To stay up-to-date on the latest news and issues regarding the Downtown Core Area Plan on VibrantVictoria.ca’s discussion forum, click here. The Official Community Plan thread can be viewed here.
Copyright © 2010 by VibrantVictoria.ca. All rights reserved.
Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's Downtown core area plan thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
Bernard
Mar 24, 2011 at 11:13 amChanges will happen in November if incumbents do not run or if there is a single well organized slate seeking to change the council. Anything else will not matter
Mike K.
Mar 24, 2011 at 11:53 amLet's face it, density increases in Victoria are part of the City's revenue stream/amenity scheme.
4:1 is as meaningless as 3:1. The only thing is City Hall can claim that it increased density zoning in downtown by 33%. It'll look wonderful on paper, but in reality nothing changes.
Quote: Changes will happen in November if incumbents do not run or if there is a single well organized slate seeking to change the council. Anything else will not matterThe problem is Victorians have a love affair with the NDP. The fact Marianne Alto, a Saanich resident and NDP-er who "campaigned" only in the home stretch of the by-election, was voted in proves how effective the NDP machine is in Victoria. I really believe that unless something drastic happens, Fortin, Madoff, Hunter, Luton, Alto, and Lucas are shoe-ins.
gumgum
Mar 24, 2011 at 12:25 pm^ I agree. Nothing is going to change.
Nparker
Mar 24, 2011 at 12:46 pmQuote: I really believe that unless something drastic happens, Fortin, Madoff, Hunter, Luton, Alto, and Lucas are shoe-ins.
Alas, you are probably right. :(
Bingo
Mar 24, 2011 at 8:49 pmQuote: The problem is Victorians have a love affair with the NDP. The fact Marianne Alto, a Saanich resident and NDP-er who "campaigned" only in the home stretch of the by-election, was voted in proves how effective the NDP machine is in Victoria. I really believe that unless something drastic happens, Fortin, Madoff, Hunter, Luton, Alto, and Lucas are shoe-ins.
If there is an NDP shoe-in on Victoria Council, you can expect more of the same kind of non-financial support, if the Liberals form the next provincial government. The
