Scrap area plans if Saanich is ignoring them

Re: “Three-storey seniors housing approved,” Feb. 26. If, as Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell states, the local-area plans in the municipality are out of date, I suggest that these plans be removed from the District of Saanich website, since mayor and council no longer deem them relevant to planning decisions.

Atwell’s comment raises a serious issue. If the local plans need to be updated, why is Saanich not engaging in a consultative process with communities to produce new local plans?

The need for a revised local-area plan in Cordova Bay is a case in point. There is concerted opposition to proposed developments in the area designated the Cordova Bay village in the Saanich official community plan. Yet there has been no consultation between the municipality and local residents over questions such as acceptable building types, restrictions on the height of new buildings and the appropriate level of densification.

What is urgently needed in Cordova Bay and other communities within Saanich is a public process that will provide residents with a voice in the future of their neighbourhoods. At the moment, planning decisions are being driven by the need to respond to individual development proposals. But this is to put the cart before the horse.

Planning principles that reflect the distinctive character of each local area should first be agreed to. Atwell, council and the planning department ought to engage in a constructive dialogue with communities regarding planning policies that respect the diversity of neighbourhoods. Paul Wood Victoria