Newsletter: Oak Bay’s Housing Needs as specified by the Planning Department, Outside Agencies and the Media.
The corrected Housing Needs Report is the 1st item on the agenda of the Special Committee of the Whole (COW) Council meeting to be held on Monday February 10, 2020.
Estimating the hour the Housing Needs Report (HNR) agenda item will be discussed is difficult. It follows a regular scheduled Council meeting with 15 agenda items, some that will require careful Council consideration.
This important HNR community document was rejected by Council and residents at a previous Council meeting and sent back for revisions, some of which were identified as significant. The fact the HNR will guide a District Comprehensive Housing Strategy should have resulted in bringing it back to COW as the first order of business, on a date not compromised by having an earlier Council meeting with a lengthy agenda. The February 10, 2020 Council meeting that precedes the COW meeting has 5 agenda items, some complex, that include: 6 sets of minutes, a whistle-blower Policy, unspecified new business and 2 bylaw amendments.
An HNR Open House on January 22, 2020 was held because residents were complaining that there was no HNR public consultation before the HNR was presented for approval. Only outside agencies were extensively consulted in a series of meetings held at taxpayer expense. Outside agencies have their own housing agendas, and some are committed to regional housing objectives. The Times Colonist reported, “Oak Bay’s real growth will be determined by the planning and development decisions made by the District in conjunction with investments by developers, non-profit providers, and other stakeholders, it (HNR) says”. Note that Oak Bay residents are not included.
Outside agencies (School Districts, U. Vic and Camosun; BC Housing, Island Health and other housing providers; Songhees, CRD, Victoria and Saanich) housing recommendations for Oak Bay are well represented in the HNR. In fact almost 25% of the main body of the report is dedicated to their input.
The mostly uncorrected HNR version was presented at the HNR January 22, 2020 Open House although Director of Building and Planning had publicly committed to the Mayor that the amended version would be available. This meant residents who attended the open house provided their input on a document that had misleading, inaccurate information.
A consolidated summary of public input from the January 22, 2020 HNR Open House is on the Council COW February 10, 2020 meeting agenda) See Item #1). Pages #1 & #2 opens with, “ Comments Sheet Received: 27”. However, only 24 comments are reported and 19 of these sound suspiciously like development and real estate industry (Urban Development Institute (UDI)) rhetoric. Many of the controls requested by residents are unenforceable in any new secondary suite zoning change.
2 questions were asked; (Page2 & #3)
There are a total of 40 answers to these questions. Almost all reflect the same crafted development and real estate industry (UDI) rhetoric
Almost all opposing viewpoints are presented in the last 2 pages of the 7-page NHR Open House. Oddly enough, almost all respondents at the meeting were in favor of pro-UDI densification. Conversely, respondents that replied to Council before the Open House did not favor densification of Oak Bay’s single-family neigbourhoods.
Role of the media: See Appendix #1 for links and picture.
The media coverage and interest in Oak Bay’s Housing Needs Report (HNR) borders on a vendetta for several reasons:
It provides its readers with data deemed to be incorrect in a rejected report by Oak Bay residents and Council.
Newspaper articles range from:
“Oak Bay resists affordable housing; its population is shrinking and aging, report says”. To: “ Study reveals demographic challenges.
One of the HNR news articles even has a picture of a homeless tent city implying residents are insensitive to homelessness.None of the several articles states the report was rejected by the Community and Council and sent for major revisions.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
"We do not make up the facts we just report them".
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*******Please help us continue to provide you with information about Community concerns and Council decisions and actions. Oak Bay Watch members also help community groups with their specific development concerns. Donate to Oak Bay Watch - even $5 or $10 dollars provides expenses for door- to- door handouts and helps us maintain our website. Oak Bay Watch is committed to ensuring the Community gets the full range of information on budget, governance and all key development issues – a well-informed opinion cannot be made without this.
(Please use Donate Button at bottom of oakbaywatch.com Home Page)
Keep informed please sign up for our “based on facts” newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
Appendix #1 Links And Picture
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/
https://www.oakbaynews.com/e-editions/?iid=i20191213170142204&&headline=T2FrIEJheSBOZXdzLCBEZWNlbWJlciAxMywgMjAxOQ==&&doc_id=191213170214-be9fc1c2868f53c15810d2695b493730
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/
https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/oak-bay-resists-affordable-housing-its-population-is-shrinking-and-aging-report-says-1.24058140
Tent City spent time at Oak Bay Municipal Hall and Willows Beach, the lack of affordable housing in Oak Bay is a key finding in the new Housing Needs Study. (Black Press Media File Photo)
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/
The corrected Housing Needs Report is the 1st item on the agenda of the Special Committee of the Whole (COW) Council meeting to be held on Monday February 10, 2020.
Estimating the hour the Housing Needs Report (HNR) agenda item will be discussed is difficult. It follows a regular scheduled Council meeting with 15 agenda items, some that will require careful Council consideration.
This important HNR community document was rejected by Council and residents at a previous Council meeting and sent back for revisions, some of which were identified as significant. The fact the HNR will guide a District Comprehensive Housing Strategy should have resulted in bringing it back to COW as the first order of business, on a date not compromised by having an earlier Council meeting with a lengthy agenda. The February 10, 2020 Council meeting that precedes the COW meeting has 5 agenda items, some complex, that include: 6 sets of minutes, a whistle-blower Policy, unspecified new business and 2 bylaw amendments.
An HNR Open House on January 22, 2020 was held because residents were complaining that there was no HNR public consultation before the HNR was presented for approval. Only outside agencies were extensively consulted in a series of meetings held at taxpayer expense. Outside agencies have their own housing agendas, and some are committed to regional housing objectives. The Times Colonist reported, “Oak Bay’s real growth will be determined by the planning and development decisions made by the District in conjunction with investments by developers, non-profit providers, and other stakeholders, it (HNR) says”. Note that Oak Bay residents are not included.
Outside agencies (School Districts, U. Vic and Camosun; BC Housing, Island Health and other housing providers; Songhees, CRD, Victoria and Saanich) housing recommendations for Oak Bay are well represented in the HNR. In fact almost 25% of the main body of the report is dedicated to their input.
The mostly uncorrected HNR version was presented at the HNR January 22, 2020 Open House although Director of Building and Planning had publicly committed to the Mayor that the amended version would be available. This meant residents who attended the open house provided their input on a document that had misleading, inaccurate information.
A consolidated summary of public input from the January 22, 2020 HNR Open House is on the Council COW February 10, 2020 meeting agenda) See Item #1). Pages #1 & #2 opens with, “ Comments Sheet Received: 27”. However, only 24 comments are reported and 19 of these sound suspiciously like development and real estate industry (Urban Development Institute (UDI)) rhetoric. Many of the controls requested by residents are unenforceable in any new secondary suite zoning change.
2 questions were asked; (Page2 & #3)
- “When you think about the results of the Housing Needs Report, what kind of housing would you like to see in Oak Bay?
- Do you have any other comments you would like to offer?
There are a total of 40 answers to these questions. Almost all reflect the same crafted development and real estate industry (UDI) rhetoric
Almost all opposing viewpoints are presented in the last 2 pages of the 7-page NHR Open House. Oddly enough, almost all respondents at the meeting were in favor of pro-UDI densification. Conversely, respondents that replied to Council before the Open House did not favor densification of Oak Bay’s single-family neigbourhoods.
Role of the media: See Appendix #1 for links and picture.
The media coverage and interest in Oak Bay’s Housing Needs Report (HNR) borders on a vendetta for several reasons:
It provides its readers with data deemed to be incorrect in a rejected report by Oak Bay residents and Council.
Newspaper articles range from:
“Oak Bay resists affordable housing; its population is shrinking and aging, report says”. To: “ Study reveals demographic challenges.
One of the HNR news articles even has a picture of a homeless tent city implying residents are insensitive to homelessness.None of the several articles states the report was rejected by the Community and Council and sent for major revisions.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
"We do not make up the facts we just report them".
-------------------------------------
*******Please help us continue to provide you with information about Community concerns and Council decisions and actions. Oak Bay Watch members also help community groups with their specific development concerns. Donate to Oak Bay Watch - even $5 or $10 dollars provides expenses for door- to- door handouts and helps us maintain our website. Oak Bay Watch is committed to ensuring the Community gets the full range of information on budget, governance and all key development issues – a well-informed opinion cannot be made without this.
(Please use Donate Button at bottom of oakbaywatch.com Home Page)
Keep informed please sign up for our “based on facts” newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
Appendix #1 Links And Picture
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/
https://www.oakbaynews.com/e-editions/?iid=i20191213170142204&&headline=T2FrIEJheSBOZXdzLCBEZWNlbWJlciAxMywgMjAxOQ==&&doc_id=191213170214-be9fc1c2868f53c15810d2695b493730
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/
https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/oak-bay-resists-affordable-housing-its-population-is-shrinking-and-aging-report-says-1.24058140
Tent City spent time at Oak Bay Municipal Hall and Willows Beach, the lack of affordable housing in Oak Bay is a key finding in the new Housing Needs Study. (Black Press Media File Photo)
https://www.vicnews.com/news/study-shows-oak-bays-dwindling-population-is-rapidly-aging/