Signs of how much residents love James Bay are expected to pop up around city hall midday Thursday.
Those opposed to proposed density changes for their particular Victoria neighbourhood plan to rally as council traditionally takes its lunch break on April 17, noon to 1 p.m.
“We love James Bay. James Bay is not just a neighbourhood; it bursts at the seams with heritage, community, and nature,” reads an online petition signed by more than 80 residents. “If the proposed Victoria Official Community Plan is implemented as it stands, our beloved James Bay is at risk of losing existing affordable housing, heritage houses and mature trees which beautify and oxygenate our surroundings.”
The draft OCP allows for residential development of up to six storeys in priority growth areas, including near community and commercial nodes, and along the transit priority network – such as in James Bay.
Residents have been outspoken during the ongoing official community plan review that is nearing the finish line. The petition asks council to amend the new OCP to strengthen renter protections, make affordability a higher priority, protect James Bay’s heritage buildings and strengthen protections for existing trees and green space.
Victoria council sits as committee starting at 9 a.m., followed by council where the latest tweaks to the draft plan – made during a committee of the whole meeting earlier this month – appear for potential ratification.
Find the draft OCP online at victoria.ca. Find the petition here.
