Community Organization: Friends of Oak Bay Neighbourhoods Letter
What about Oak Bay's Infrastructure?
Council’s Strategic Plan to implement the Official Community Plan (OCP) is to address infill and secondary suites issues first, followed by examining and probably repairing our infrastructure (water, storm and sewer lines, roads, utility wires). Common sense would dictate that this order be reversed. Otherwise how do we know how many new buildings and people we can comfortably accommodate? (To emphasize the logic of this important point, Council literally does not know how many people are currently loading our aging infrastructure. Why: Because by their own admissions there are currently in excess of 1,000 undeclared/illegal secondary suites in Oak Bay with one or more occupants.)
The OCP Survey had an infrastructure question. Residents were asked to list their top three priorities from a list of Potential Strategies for
Utilities and Services. The highest priority was “repair, replace water, sewer lines” (76%), followed by “begin the long-term process of moving utility wires underground” 55%. Addressing our infrastructure was considered more important by Oak Bay residents than introducing any of the housing options mentioned in the Survey.
After two years since being elected would not a community conversation with Council (Town Hall Meeting?) be appropriate? Questions about the OCP implementation including infrastructure and the Urban Forum Infill strategy could be addressed at this time.
FOBN
What about Oak Bay's Infrastructure?
Council’s Strategic Plan to implement the Official Community Plan (OCP) is to address infill and secondary suites issues first, followed by examining and probably repairing our infrastructure (water, storm and sewer lines, roads, utility wires). Common sense would dictate that this order be reversed. Otherwise how do we know how many new buildings and people we can comfortably accommodate? (To emphasize the logic of this important point, Council literally does not know how many people are currently loading our aging infrastructure. Why: Because by their own admissions there are currently in excess of 1,000 undeclared/illegal secondary suites in Oak Bay with one or more occupants.)
The OCP Survey had an infrastructure question. Residents were asked to list their top three priorities from a list of Potential Strategies for
Utilities and Services. The highest priority was “repair, replace water, sewer lines” (76%), followed by “begin the long-term process of moving utility wires underground” 55%. Addressing our infrastructure was considered more important by Oak Bay residents than introducing any of the housing options mentioned in the Survey.
After two years since being elected would not a community conversation with Council (Town Hall Meeting?) be appropriate? Questions about the OCP implementation including infrastructure and the Urban Forum Infill strategy could be addressed at this time.
FOBN