Public hearing tunes into $250M Nigel Valley plan

A $250-million development in Saanich was introduced at a public hearing Tuesday with a video backed by a 1979 New Wave song, We’re Only Making Plans for Nigel. “We’re only making plans for Nigel,” sang XTC. “We only want what’s best for him.”

The song played as architect Frank D’Ambrosio and Malcolm McNaughton, B.C. Housing’s director of regional development for Vancouver Island, presented the plans to Saanich council.

B.C. Housing is leading an effort by non-profit groups to turn Nigel Valley into a comprehensive development zone to allow the project to go ahead.

The area, bounded roughly by Darwin and Vernon avenues and Lochside Trail and Saanich Road, has 186 housing units now. The development would boost that number to 796 with a mixture of market, affordable and supported housing.

“Nigel Valley will play an important role in the emergence of an urban centre for Saanich,” said D’Ambrosio.

McNaughton said the proposal would triple the number of housing units, replace some aging buildings, introduce park space and calm traffic along Vernon Avenue. A partnership of B.C. Housing with agencies such as Broadmead Care Society, Island Community Health, Garth Homer Society and Greater Victoria Housing Society, is well positioned to create a development that will better serve the community than if they acted individually, he said.

The proposal would see the Nigel Valley be home to multi-storey buildings, one five storeys and the other 16, which would be the tallest in Saanich. Supporters have declared the site is on a slope, so 16 storeys looks like 12.

McNaughton said objections to the height are actually objections to the design and he promised to work closely with the community on design.

But that did not sit very well with some of the citizens who spoke at the public hearing, who said Saanich councillors agreed years ago to a maximum of 10 storeys. Another complaint was that a development the size and scale of the Nigel Valley should not be dealt with by a council facing an election in a month.

Residents complained of a lack of accountability when departing councillors vote on a proposal. “This issue should be postponed until after the election and dealt with by a new council,” said resident Charles Lamb.

The development is proposed to occur in phases over the next five to seven years.

Councillors were still considering the proposal at press time.