It is often stated that Victoria is one of the most European cities on the west coast, if not Canada. This is generally in reference to our downtown core. Outside of downtown, our planning has generally followed typical North American planning, with density focused along corridors and single detached homes everywhere else.
Last year I participated in the Victoria official community plan (OCP) update, and was quite excited by the “flat city” option, which would allow zoning for six-storey buildings throughout the urban fabric. This was described as a more European planning strategy, where medium density is allowed everywhere, which means that housing needs are more easily met without pockets of skyscrapers like we see in Vancouver and Burnaby.
It appears that this option was most popular with other Victoria residents, as it was the most selected option. I find it curious why Victoria staff chose the less popular option for their OCP draft. Five and six-storey buildings are centred around corridors and downtown, with large gaps throughout the city where they are not allowed.
I think the OCP draft put forward is a great improvement over our current system of land use planning, but I think it still creates unnecessary barriers on building housing. Victoria is such a compact area with almost all of the city accessible by biking, walking, or transit. I feel like this isn’t being considered with the primary growth areas. The growth areas follow major roads, and in places extend less than a block away. If we extend these growth corridors to a five or 10-minute walk radius, it would likely cover almost all of the city. I think there is also a missed opportunity to not support mid-rise buildings along the bike corridors.
Staff have also stated that this plan will not likely hit the 30-year housing targets set out. As a renter who is having to try and find a place to live in a housing crisis, I think we should be focusing on hitting those housing targets over almost everything else. We should be trying to exceed our targets rather than restricting ourselves through the OCP.
Under this draft OCP, the required street frontage for six-storey buildings would likely require a land assembly of three regular-width lots. This would increase the width of taller buildings, which makes their visual impact larger than if they were narrow. I think we should be looking at projects that we want built, and then working back to the OCP to make sure that they can be built.
Overall, I am very happy with the other parts of the OCP. I’m excited to see our streetscapes change to be better for people, not cars. I’m looking forward to more commercial units within the urban fabric, and I’m happy to see more local villages.
I want to see council and staff reconsider the “flat city” option in the OCP update. Victoria is also known as a city of the newlywed and nearly-dead. This is because everyone else has been priced out of the city. We should be planning for the future and potential residents of Victoria, not just the current residents.
I’m looking forward to seeing our city change for the better!
Nicholas Rae
Victoria
