Victoria council expected to make a choice in 2008
Carolyn Heiman
Times Colonist
Thursday, November 08, 2007
They are plans fit for Goldilocks; something for everyone, just pick one that fits.
Four options to guide future development in Victoria's downtown area -- each with its pros and cons -- were unveiled yesterday by city planning staff.
The final option to be selected by council some time in 2008 will direct where 10,000 to 15,000 new residents projected for the area will live and work. That's the equivalent of adding the population of James Bay or Fairfield to central Victoria, a planning report notes.
For recent Fairfield resident Freda Knott, the room full of information boards at the open house at city hall was a lot to process.
"I love the city and don't want it to change," said Knott, who moved from Metchosin several years ago after finding her acreage too much work and friends too far away. "The idea of highrises just boggles me. But maybe that's because I'm old. I'm worried about the future even if I won't be around," said the 71-year-old.
Meanwhile, Grade 12 student Joseph Boutilier, clearly one the youngest people there, said the boost in residential area in the plan was encouraging and "the new greenways and walks along the harbour are long overdue."
But he worried the plans didn't really spell out where affordable housing would exist or how social services, such as needle exchanges, could co-exist with residential development.
Work on the plan started in 2005 and planner Lindsay Chase said the four options rolled out yesterday reflected goals developed from focus groups that indicated people wanted a downtown that was "vibrant, dynamic, with different activities taking place and was safe and viable."
None of the options envision big changes for Old Town or Chinatown, said Chase.
Robert Randall, president of the Downtown Neighbourhood Association, said among the four options outlined, the only unacceptable one for his group was keeping the status quo. "It doesn't fit with one of the city's goals to densify."
The options are:
1. Keep the status quo of a compact downtown and maintain Rock Bay as an industrial and marine transportation hub. This option will put pressure on existing heritage buildings and adjacent neighbourhoods.
2. Focus growth along the proposed B.C. Transit bus rapid transit line along Douglas Street, particularly north of Fisgard Street. Planners say this option would leave the Harris Green neighbourhood relatively unchanged.
3: Encourage development along the bus rapid transit line but add development to Harris Green. This option allows the greatest opportunity to create parks and open space but adds to walking distances. Planning documents caution that remediating contaminated soil in Rock Bay might be too costly.
4: Spread out growth and lower buildings north of Fisgard and north Government Street with moderate infill in Harris Green. The Rock Bay waterfront would be opened to the public, displacing industry.
Chase said there is an online survey about the downtown plan people can fill out and the information will be incorporated into the staff's report to council.
An economic analysis will be done of the various options, examining how much each might cost and the revenue each would bring in.
City Coun. Dean Fortin said by the time the city finishes with the plan "it will be too late. Just scan the downtown and look at the towers and build-out we already have. We are not moving fast enough to keep what makes Victoria special."
For more detailed information on the downtown plan options, and harbour pathway project and pedestrian master plan, see the city website:
http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/departments_plnpln_downtown.shtml.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007
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