OBW Newsletter: What's Next and Council Committee of the Whole Meeting January 15, 2018
In the last two Council terms, Oak Bay residents have continued to ask Council for greater advance notice on governance, finance, development and other important issues. Council’s message has always been that a weekend is ample notice. The only exception to this policy is if advance notice is required by statute. However, even the legislated notice they provide often:
At the Council Committee of the Whole meeting on January 15, 2018 however, Council broke with their convention and overlooked what the Mayor has told residents on many occasions, “Council cannot discuss or consider a development proposal until a development application has been submitted”. On this occasion however, Council, for an unexplained reason, allowed the United Church to provide a presentation on a large development they hope to build on their church property at Granite and Mitchell Streets. Little detail was provided, e.g. no design and an ambiguous number of proposed housing units.
The Church presentation followed Council’s usual Committee of the Whole procedure of: a weekend’s notice and “last item on the agenda” when a large contingent of residents is expected to show up. However to be fair, in the end Council did make the right decision that had been obvious to the Community from the start. This was that, with so large a pilot project and so little detail, design or information to go on, they could not possibly consider it.
The United Church’s Development Proposal and the way Council has handled the process is really just a symptom of a much bigger problem: that is Council’s lack of policy and guidelines even for complex developments. Without getting into the issue of allowing over-building on single-family lots that concerns many Oak Bay residents, there is no better example of Council’s flawed process than the King George Terrace Bare Land Strata Subdivision. The reports on this environmentally sensitive Subdivision Development have been extremely hard to come by. It is Oak Bay Watch’s understanding, as well as that of the residents most impacted by this development, that many vital reports were never carried out.
Oak Bay Watch is aware that subdivisions play an important housing role. The problem we are concerned about, however, lies with the scale and destruction of the site. There are a number of existing subdivisions in Oak Bay that presumably were built with better zoning rules and standards that this Council has adopted. The Provincial Government requirements for these specific Strata and Heritage Revitalization subdivisions are extensive and other Communities have interpreted them accurately. These Communities have adequate policy and guidelines in place to ensure profit is not the only driving force.
Oak Bay Watch and neighbours are still waiting for the District’s King George Terrace Arborist Report that is now the subject of two freedom of information requests. Our next newsletter will explain how the King George Terrace Bare Land Strata Subdivision has been allowed to proceed, and is now in an advanced stage. This is without any input from the general Community, the neighbours or Council. We will explain how complex development policy and guidelines are in place and followed in other communities. These include opportunities for residents to be heard, fully informed, and therefore allowing them to be become involved.
Oak Bay Watch strongly recommends residents pay attention to the King George Terrace Development “Non- Process” because these strata and Heritage Revitalization Agreement subdivisions not only override zoning, tree protection and place a lot of stress on infrastructure, but also disregard OCP resident protection (see Attachment #1). You are without Council policy and guidelines and proper notice to ensure your awareness. With the increasing number of these subdivisions you just might notice one going up next door as the King George Terrace neighbourhood did.
*******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 newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
Attachment #1
In the last two Council terms, Oak Bay residents have continued to ask Council for greater advance notice on governance, finance, development and other important issues. Council’s message has always been that a weekend is ample notice. The only exception to this policy is if advance notice is required by statute. However, even the legislated notice they provide often:
- Is in a form that barely meets the minimum legislated time frame and is often only 24 hrs,
- Does not adequately identify the subject matter and,
- Does not provide enough background information or reports for analysis.
At the Council Committee of the Whole meeting on January 15, 2018 however, Council broke with their convention and overlooked what the Mayor has told residents on many occasions, “Council cannot discuss or consider a development proposal until a development application has been submitted”. On this occasion however, Council, for an unexplained reason, allowed the United Church to provide a presentation on a large development they hope to build on their church property at Granite and Mitchell Streets. Little detail was provided, e.g. no design and an ambiguous number of proposed housing units.
The Church presentation followed Council’s usual Committee of the Whole procedure of: a weekend’s notice and “last item on the agenda” when a large contingent of residents is expected to show up. However to be fair, in the end Council did make the right decision that had been obvious to the Community from the start. This was that, with so large a pilot project and so little detail, design or information to go on, they could not possibly consider it.
The United Church’s Development Proposal and the way Council has handled the process is really just a symptom of a much bigger problem: that is Council’s lack of policy and guidelines even for complex developments. Without getting into the issue of allowing over-building on single-family lots that concerns many Oak Bay residents, there is no better example of Council’s flawed process than the King George Terrace Bare Land Strata Subdivision. The reports on this environmentally sensitive Subdivision Development have been extremely hard to come by. It is Oak Bay Watch’s understanding, as well as that of the residents most impacted by this development, that many vital reports were never carried out.
Oak Bay Watch is aware that subdivisions play an important housing role. The problem we are concerned about, however, lies with the scale and destruction of the site. There are a number of existing subdivisions in Oak Bay that presumably were built with better zoning rules and standards that this Council has adopted. The Provincial Government requirements for these specific Strata and Heritage Revitalization subdivisions are extensive and other Communities have interpreted them accurately. These Communities have adequate policy and guidelines in place to ensure profit is not the only driving force.
Oak Bay Watch and neighbours are still waiting for the District’s King George Terrace Arborist Report that is now the subject of two freedom of information requests. Our next newsletter will explain how the King George Terrace Bare Land Strata Subdivision has been allowed to proceed, and is now in an advanced stage. This is without any input from the general Community, the neighbours or Council. We will explain how complex development policy and guidelines are in place and followed in other communities. These include opportunities for residents to be heard, fully informed, and therefore allowing them to be become involved.
Oak Bay Watch strongly recommends residents pay attention to the King George Terrace Development “Non- Process” because these strata and Heritage Revitalization Agreement subdivisions not only override zoning, tree protection and place a lot of stress on infrastructure, but also disregard OCP resident protection (see Attachment #1). You are without Council policy and guidelines and proper notice to ensure your awareness. With the increasing number of these subdivisions you just might notice one going up next door as the King George Terrace neighbourhood did.
*******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 newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
Attachment #1
