Although nothing is set in stone yet, Saanich’s Royal Oak neighbourhood could see the addition of four new multi-storey buildings, potentially adding up to 400 units to the municipality’s housing stock.
At an April 3 meeting which stretched over two hours, Saanich representatives presented four initial proposals to a packed room of over 100 community members.
Display boards at the event showcased various redevelopment options for the 2.7-acre district-owned land located at the 4500 block of West Saanich Road, across from the Royal Oak Shopping Centre.
Among the crowd was Roger Graham, president of the Royal Oak Community Association, who described the event as “successful, very civil, and achieved its purpose” of informing residents.
However, he deemed that the overall reception for the four proposed plans was “mixed.”
“As the discussion carried on about the details of the density and height [of the projects], it tended to raise more questions about whether this site was the best use to go to the extent of density,” said Graham.
Originally hoping for more diverse suggestions, such as maintaining the area as an open green space or creating a new senior facility that would free up nearby houses for newcomers, Saanich instead presented a unilateral focus on high-density projects, seemingly “jumping on the housing bandwagon,” said Graham.
This also concerned several community members who feared that it may negatively impact the neighbourhood’s overall cachet.
Although no consensus was reached at the event, district staff welcomed comments from the crowd.
“[We’re] throwing it back to Saanich a little bit and saying that perhaps it would be better if a number of different options were considered… as opposed to simply bringing forward a singular focus on residential development,” said Graham. “Whether that impacts any aspects of their current conceptual approach… I have no idea; only time will tell.”
With the ball now in the district's court, Graham is looking forward to updates on the project, which he said are expected this fall.
“While we participated in a review of conceptual projects, we, at the end of the day, might find ourselves looking at a wholly different type of project later in the process as this thing continues to evolve,” said Graham. “There's still a large number of uncertainties.”
For more information about the West Saanich Road development, visit shorturl.at/WM53h.
