Faced with slew of developments, Saanich eyes plan for Cordova Bay
A Cordova Bay group seeking a master plan for the area says Saanich is on the right track in pushing for options as soon as possible, especially considering there are 19 development proposals in the works.
Saanich council has asked planning staff for a report “at their earliest opportunity” to provide options for expediting the Cordova Bay community in an update for those proposals. The Cordova Bay Local Area Plan dates to 1988 and is considered out of date.
A delegation of about 40 people led by Colin Millard of the Cordova Bay Village Vision Group told council that “time is of the essence” to devise a framework involving all stakeholders to provide clarity for developers and the community, saving time, energy and conflict. Continuing with “a patchwork, piecemeal time ahead, we will all suffer death by a thousand cuts,” he said. “[A]ny development of the village itself will set a precedent and shape the feel of the entire community for generations to come.”
Council correctly stipulated that delegations cannot discuss active projects, Millard said Wednesday.
Projects that have come forward include the four-storey Cordova Bay plaza and 18 permits for 532 family units.
A project for a 25-unit condominium on two single-family lots on Doumac was abruptly withdrawn before a Feb. 21 public hearing in favour of further community consultation. A meeting with the Vision group occurred last week. “We are now reviewing our plans to see if we can accommodate some of their concerns,” said Mike Dalton of Citta Group.
Millard said that the current Cordova Bay plan calls the village core “a catalyst to revitalize the village as a neighbourhood centre and focal point of the community.”
The pivotal aspect in preparing a master plan is to involve everyone, he said. “The biggest issue now is to get on with the process.”
Neither Millard’s group nor the Cordova Bay Association for Community Affairs support the plaza proposed at 5120-5144 Cordova Bay Rd.
Architect Alan Lowe submitted the proposal in January on behalf of Gardiner Construction.
The CBA cited a “troubling” relationship of the project to nearby housing in terms of scale and blank walls.
“We’re continuing to move forward to make the project better and work with the CBA to deal with their concerns,” Lowe said this week. “We also have many neighbours in the community that support our plan.”
When the plaza application comes before council, it is expected to be decided on “form and character,” he said, not whether there can be 16 condo units, as approved in a 1998 permit but never built, and the current proposal for 88 units atop commercial space and a 17,000-squarefoot grocery store.
“This density is allowed under our zone,” Lowe said, “as long as we meet the zoning bylaws for density and parking spaces.”
The allowed density is 1.2 square feet of building for every square foot of land. “You can’t reduce the size of your project just because the community wants two storeys not four storeys, when four storeys is allowed,” he said.