Two developments underway in Oak Bay have sparked frustration among some locals.
Council voted to approve a resident’s plans to build two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on part of his property at 3609 Cadboro Bay Rd. at an April 28 meeting.
Crews have already begun work on the homes, which will face onto Beach Drive, and what had been green space with vegetation, rock walls and trees has been turned into a gravel lot.
Those opposed to the development primarily took issue with the units’ appearance.
“Beach Drive is currently a very popular route for tourists visiting Victoria,” Uplands residents Dave and Evelyn Dignam wrote in an April 25 letter to the district. “The unique character of the Uplands is a large part of that appeal. The project that you are considering will shatter that. Three-storey housing on small lots is not in keeping with the character of the Uplands and the nature of this particular construction will look like nothing else along Beach Drive.”
Peter Ribeiro, who lives near the development, expressed a similar sentiment.
“It doesn’t fit in with the current fabric as you drive down Beach Drive,” he said. “As a council, we believe you have a fiduciary responsibility to preserve this more of a park-like setting.”
The applicant requested a development variance permit to approve the buildings’ height, which will stand one storey above the allowable two-storey limit. The project also necessitated an application to ensure plans met the neighbourhood's design guidelines laid out in the Uplands Regulations Bylaw.
The homes will sit 40 feet from the street, and a 26-foot gap will lie between buildings. A garage and an elevator will be contained within each of the units. The applicant framed them as a “great age-in-place or actual downsize option for other people in the neighbourhood.”
The Oak Bay News also received two letters from residents concerned about the developments. One of the authors, Phil Dauphinee, said he was concerned about the number of trees that had been cut down to make way for the homes, as well as the homes' close proximity to one another.
Despite opposition, council spoke largely in support of the units.
“Here is a project that has thoughtfully looked at the site and tried to work with the features of the site in place to make the best project going forward – looking at the topography, even looking at the parking issues,” said Coun. Carrie Smart.
Mayor Kevin Murdoch expressed a similar sentiment.
“While it’s a change, it fits with the overall intent of the Uplands, and the quality of these are without question,” he said. "They’ll look good, but they will change the rhythm of that space.”
Coun. Lesley Watson explained that, while the homes wouldn’t bolster Oak Bay’s stock of affordable housing, they would help it meet provincially mandated housing targets, adding, "This is a great example of doing something really innovative on a very unusual lot.”
Even Coun. Hazel Braithwaite, who was the only councillor to oppose the plans, said, “This is a good-looking proposal.” She would have rather waited until Oak Bay finalized its new official community plan (OCP) – a long-term vision for the district's growth and change, which includes policies on housing, land use and infrastructure – before approving the plans. The district expects to complete its OCP by the fall of 2025.
This comes as Oak Bay has failed to meet provincially mandated housing targets. In 2023, Oak Bay was ordered to build 664 new units within five years. It soon fell behind, raising only 16 of the 56 units it was tasked with constructing in 2024.
