Newsletter December 4, 2021: Oak Bay – We Have a Problem
Important Message to Subscribers and Website Visitors
The information provided in this newsletter relates to the proposed densification of Oak Bay’s single-family neighbourhoods. A Council Zoom Open House is planned for Thursday December 9th, 2021 6:00-8:00 pm. No doubt those who will benefit financially from this change will phone in. Oak Bay Watch strongly suggests you read the newsletter’s verifiable information join the meeting, and let your voice be heard. (To join the Zoom meeting, call in or email Council - see instructions Appendix #3)
At the November 16, 2021 Special Council Meeting, the majority of Council members confirmed that they intend to approve a Zoning Bylaw amendment to permit multi-tenant, untaxed basement suites in all of our character-defining, single-family neighbourhoods. The result of the impacts of land-use change will be “the Oak Bay we have lost”.
It is also concerning that Council members Appleton, Ney, Green and Mayor Murdoch not only voiced their approval for this character-changing densification, but also made it clear they favoured very minimal regulation.
These Council members have failed to understand that it is their duty to represent the Community’s interest. There is no benefit to the majority of Oak Bay residents to add a consultant estimated 1500 new untaxed multi-tenant suites in all of Oak Bay’s single-family neighbourhoods.
The Official Community Plan explains. “Many Residents indicated that they would ideally want smaller, one-level houses on a lot with a small private garden.” The OCP Findings stated that our senior residents do not want to downsize by living in a basement. Seniors can have a caregiver in basement accommodation now if they would rather stay in their home and age-in-place.
What is most disturbing about how Council’s Secondary Suite Initiative Process has been conducted is:
This Council and the Administration, for whatever reason, have turned a “blind-eye” to the fact that there is a raging pandemic. Despite this they have continued to step-by-step prioritize adding many more tenants to existing and future suites throughout all of Oak Bay. The Covid Pandemic by all accounts is not going away anytime soon and is currently entering a fourth, perhaps a more deadly, phase.
Canada is in the process of imposing more restrictions. Kingston, Ontario has imposed a 10-people limit on social gatherings in private dwellings, “Ottawa News – “Effective Saturday at 12:01 a.m., indoor gatherings are capped at 10 people, including the residents of the home”. Oak Bay’s response is Council intends to move forward with a densification initiative that could well result in many homes having a 10-people limit as a standard.
Placing so may more tenants in basements during a Pandemic that by all accounts is not going away anytime soon, is reckless and irresponsible.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective. (For more important information)
The irony in all this is that a majority of Council, no matter how slim, can decide the fate and future of our single-family neighbourhoods. No one is doubting that Oak Bay has a basement suite problem: however, how severe can it be? There is only one secondary suite complaint a month: fire and safety statistics have not been presented to raise any alarms and suite expansion it is not out-of-hand.
Conversely, there is a mountain of evidence to show that approving this proposed secondary-suite multi-tenant zoning bylaw without addressing the impacts identified in OCP Objective #1 (see above) will only make this problem much worse.
As indicated the Official Community Plan (OCP) Objective #1 has recognized and listed some of the serious impacts that will occur from even “a modest expansion of housing”. It would be reasonable then for residents to expect our Council and Administration to ensure that the following information had been provided:
It is obvious that the Development and Real Estate industries; investors and speculators and university and college administrators will not have to deal with the serious impacts of permitting multi-tenant suites, however existing residents will.
It is also obvious that, besides intensifying the street parking problem, adding so many cars is not a good preventive climate change strategy. Vehicles burning fossil fuels are major contributor to Climate Change. The OCP states, “transportation is the number one climate impact”. Gridlock and commuting contribute significantly to fossil fuel burning.
Council and the Administration seem not to have noticed that Oak Bay is a bedroom community: There are few jobs in Oak Bay, making commuting a must. The barriers to, and facts about, other forms of transportation are explained in Appendix #2
It also seems to us that all this information mandated by the OCP should have been provided to the public for input by now. This is considering: that Oak Bay Councils in the last decade have spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for this one-housing option, a densification initiative, at the expense of more urgent projects, In addition, that the Planning Department has been significantly expanded at great expense and the OCP has mandated that as part of the secondary suite pubic engagement process, an analysis be conducted that identifies and determines the costs involved.
Without being evidence-based, an informed decision cannot be made. However, based on the council discussions in the last three Council meetings, a majority of Council has indicated they will make the same Zoning land-use, “shoot first ask questions later”, bylaw change taken by so many municipalities in BC. The evidence however, shows that this approach to “take hasty, immediate action without adequately investigating the situation” has proven to have serious consequences.
The impacts identified in the OCP Objectives #1 have not been addressed, nor has there been any indication of when or if a cost analysis will be conducted. Existing taxpayers without suites have been bearing the municipal service costs for seven hundred and fifty suites for years now. A majority Council decision that will almost surely add many more illegal suites to this scenario will be irresponsible and unacceptable .
Please join the Thursday, December 9, 2021 (6;00-8:00 pm) Zoom Meeting, provide your viewpoints, and hear what other residents have to say. If you cannot attend please write to [email protected]
Please pass this Newsletter on to your Family and Friends and request them to join the Open - House Zoom Meeting. The Newsletter link is: oakbaywatch.com (main page - click on Newsletter)
______________________________________
Nothing is inevitable if you are paying attention” Oak Bay Watch
Oak Bay Watch is a volunteer community association and its members have a variety of professional backgrounds in both the public and private sector.
*******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 and sign up for our newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
APPENDIX #1
Council Report: Community Consultation to date
Appendix #2
Barriers to alternate transportation options & Information
The weather, distances and physical abilities make cycling prohibitive. Taking your kids to school by bus and jumping back on a bus to go to work and back again is also very impractical. There are already daily gridlocks on Cadboro Bay Road, both ways; on Oak Bay Avenue at the intersection with Foul Bay Road, both ways; at the traffic lights on Oak Bay Avenue and also through the Village,
There have been on any given day in the past decade, more than 60 cars in the joint Library and Senior’s Rec Centre parking lots - in comparison to at most, a handful of bikes.
Appendix # 3
Zoom Meeting Details
Join Zoom Meeting
(External Link) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83853340133?pwd=ZDlKWTYzMHdlSG5YVFRIZjRaYmIvUT09(External link)
Meeting ID: 838 5334 0133
Passcode: 330917
Toll-free dial-in for callers: 1-855-703-8985Home
Questions? Please contact [email protected](External link)
Oak Bay Watch note: It appears that it is important to click the message: “Don’t have Zoom Client installed? Download Now”. Download and install file.
There are a number of confusing messages regarding the December 9, 2021 Zoom Meeting. It is likely that if you want to call in to speak at the meeting you will need to phone 1-855-703-8985 and perhaps re-enter the Meeting ID and Passcode.
Important Message to Subscribers and Website Visitors
The information provided in this newsletter relates to the proposed densification of Oak Bay’s single-family neighbourhoods. A Council Zoom Open House is planned for Thursday December 9th, 2021 6:00-8:00 pm. No doubt those who will benefit financially from this change will phone in. Oak Bay Watch strongly suggests you read the newsletter’s verifiable information join the meeting, and let your voice be heard. (To join the Zoom meeting, call in or email Council - see instructions Appendix #3)
At the November 16, 2021 Special Council Meeting, the majority of Council members confirmed that they intend to approve a Zoning Bylaw amendment to permit multi-tenant, untaxed basement suites in all of our character-defining, single-family neighbourhoods. The result of the impacts of land-use change will be “the Oak Bay we have lost”.
It is also concerning that Council members Appleton, Ney, Green and Mayor Murdoch not only voiced their approval for this character-changing densification, but also made it clear they favoured very minimal regulation.
These Council members have failed to understand that it is their duty to represent the Community’s interest. There is no benefit to the majority of Oak Bay residents to add a consultant estimated 1500 new untaxed multi-tenant suites in all of Oak Bay’s single-family neighbourhoods.
The Official Community Plan explains. “Many Residents indicated that they would ideally want smaller, one-level houses on a lot with a small private garden.” The OCP Findings stated that our senior residents do not want to downsize by living in a basement. Seniors can have a caregiver in basement accommodation now if they would rather stay in their home and age-in-place.
What is most disturbing about how Council’s Secondary Suite Initiative Process has been conducted is:
- Council have just recently explained they are “All Ears” as they put it (see municipal website main page). At this late stage the District is to hold an open-mic Virtual Townhall on Wednesday December 9th, 2021. It has been three years since the election and secondary suite public engagement opportunities have been few and far between (See Appendix #1).
- There have been two surveys and a show-and-tell charette/ open house with "specified" resident questions and limited public input. Council finally has provided an unrestricted public engagement opportunity to answer your questions. Why, with Public engagement assistance technology available during the 2 years of the Covid Pandemic, has it taken so long to schedule this meeting?
- Why did the majority of Council chose to prioritize only basement suites this term instead of some of the much more acceptable real "gentle densification" housing framework options.
- The mayor stated on many occasions that suites are only one part of the housing framework. What was the reason for completing the most controversial one first and leaving the rest for a new Council?
- All of the promotional arguments used, the amount of biased information provided and the prejudicial language used in reports and publications that supported the proposed multi-tenant, basement suite land-use change.
- The OCP is eight years old. However, after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on densification initiatives the District has not provided “an analysis that identified revenues, costs, and resources required to regulate secondary suites” as prescribed by the OCP Housing Policy H1O.
- What are the reasons property tax payers haven't been provided with the estimated amount of additional funding the District intends to spend on regulation before moving forward.
- The District has not addressed the densification impacts some of which have been identified in the OCP Housing Objective #1 that states, "Support a modest expansion of housing within Oak Bay while addressing concerns such as tree protection, parking, traffic, noise, effects on other properties, and neighbourhood character.” Note: climate change, streetscape impacts and taxation issues could have been added as they are also important concerns."
- Almost all of the conditions approved by council were based on full or near full suite compliance that somehow Council thinks is a reality. However, if this densification initiative is approved it will be the next council that will have to “pick up the pieces” Street parking and effects on other properties are good examples of what residents will have to face. Residents were given two (no-win) suite parking options: either street parking or one additional parking spot on-site. One parking spot on site or not, will mean little when four to six tenants in a basement could each have a car to get to work or school given the commuting difficulties and distances involved.
This Council and the Administration, for whatever reason, have turned a “blind-eye” to the fact that there is a raging pandemic. Despite this they have continued to step-by-step prioritize adding many more tenants to existing and future suites throughout all of Oak Bay. The Covid Pandemic by all accounts is not going away anytime soon and is currently entering a fourth, perhaps a more deadly, phase.
Canada is in the process of imposing more restrictions. Kingston, Ontario has imposed a 10-people limit on social gatherings in private dwellings, “Ottawa News – “Effective Saturday at 12:01 a.m., indoor gatherings are capped at 10 people, including the residents of the home”. Oak Bay’s response is Council intends to move forward with a densification initiative that could well result in many homes having a 10-people limit as a standard.
Placing so may more tenants in basements during a Pandemic that by all accounts is not going away anytime soon, is reckless and irresponsible.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective. (For more important information)
The irony in all this is that a majority of Council, no matter how slim, can decide the fate and future of our single-family neighbourhoods. No one is doubting that Oak Bay has a basement suite problem: however, how severe can it be? There is only one secondary suite complaint a month: fire and safety statistics have not been presented to raise any alarms and suite expansion it is not out-of-hand.
Conversely, there is a mountain of evidence to show that approving this proposed secondary-suite multi-tenant zoning bylaw without addressing the impacts identified in OCP Objective #1 (see above) will only make this problem much worse.
As indicated the Official Community Plan (OCP) Objective #1 has recognized and listed some of the serious impacts that will occur from even “a modest expansion of housing”. It would be reasonable then for residents to expect our Council and Administration to ensure that the following information had been provided:
- How all the serious OCP identified impacts of this zoning change had been addressed;
- The reasons why other municipalities’ millions of dollar attempts failed to overcome the surge in illegal suites and the very low suite registration rates;
- Where the tax dollars were going to come from to fund the services to, and the impacts of, the projected many more suites - most of which the evidence shows, will be illegal.
It is obvious that the Development and Real Estate industries; investors and speculators and university and college administrators will not have to deal with the serious impacts of permitting multi-tenant suites, however existing residents will.
It is also obvious that, besides intensifying the street parking problem, adding so many cars is not a good preventive climate change strategy. Vehicles burning fossil fuels are major contributor to Climate Change. The OCP states, “transportation is the number one climate impact”. Gridlock and commuting contribute significantly to fossil fuel burning.
Council and the Administration seem not to have noticed that Oak Bay is a bedroom community: There are few jobs in Oak Bay, making commuting a must. The barriers to, and facts about, other forms of transportation are explained in Appendix #2
It also seems to us that all this information mandated by the OCP should have been provided to the public for input by now. This is considering: that Oak Bay Councils in the last decade have spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for this one-housing option, a densification initiative, at the expense of more urgent projects, In addition, that the Planning Department has been significantly expanded at great expense and the OCP has mandated that as part of the secondary suite pubic engagement process, an analysis be conducted that identifies and determines the costs involved.
Without being evidence-based, an informed decision cannot be made. However, based on the council discussions in the last three Council meetings, a majority of Council has indicated they will make the same Zoning land-use, “shoot first ask questions later”, bylaw change taken by so many municipalities in BC. The evidence however, shows that this approach to “take hasty, immediate action without adequately investigating the situation” has proven to have serious consequences.
The impacts identified in the OCP Objectives #1 have not been addressed, nor has there been any indication of when or if a cost analysis will be conducted. Existing taxpayers without suites have been bearing the municipal service costs for seven hundred and fifty suites for years now. A majority Council decision that will almost surely add many more illegal suites to this scenario will be irresponsible and unacceptable .
Please join the Thursday, December 9, 2021 (6;00-8:00 pm) Zoom Meeting, provide your viewpoints, and hear what other residents have to say. If you cannot attend please write to [email protected]
Please pass this Newsletter on to your Family and Friends and request them to join the Open - House Zoom Meeting. The Newsletter link is: oakbaywatch.com (main page - click on Newsletter)
______________________________________
Nothing is inevitable if you are paying attention” Oak Bay Watch
Oak Bay Watch is a volunteer community association and its members have a variety of professional backgrounds in both the public and private sector.
*******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 and sign up for our newsletter – bottom of Newsletter Menu Item.
APPENDIX #1
Council Report: Community Consultation to date
- Interviews were conducted with representatives from the University of Victoria and Camosun College (2018).
- An Open House was attended by 120 (April 25, 2019).
795 individuals responded to a secondary suites survey (April/May 2019). - 30-50 people attended pop-up booths at the Oak Bay Night Market (July/August 2019).
- A Secondary Suites Survey on the potential approaches for regulating secondary suites was conducted (May/June 2021).
The Advisory Planning Commission provided input (September and November 2021)
Appendix #2
Barriers to alternate transportation options & Information
The weather, distances and physical abilities make cycling prohibitive. Taking your kids to school by bus and jumping back on a bus to go to work and back again is also very impractical. There are already daily gridlocks on Cadboro Bay Road, both ways; on Oak Bay Avenue at the intersection with Foul Bay Road, both ways; at the traffic lights on Oak Bay Avenue and also through the Village,
There have been on any given day in the past decade, more than 60 cars in the joint Library and Senior’s Rec Centre parking lots - in comparison to at most, a handful of bikes.
Appendix # 3
Zoom Meeting Details
Join Zoom Meeting
(External Link) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83853340133?pwd=ZDlKWTYzMHdlSG5YVFRIZjRaYmIvUT09(External link)
Meeting ID: 838 5334 0133
Passcode: 330917
Toll-free dial-in for callers: 1-855-703-8985Home
Questions? Please contact [email protected](External link)
Oak Bay Watch note: It appears that it is important to click the message: “Don’t have Zoom Client installed? Download Now”. Download and install file.
There are a number of confusing messages regarding the December 9, 2021 Zoom Meeting. It is likely that if you want to call in to speak at the meeting you will need to phone 1-855-703-8985 and perhaps re-enter the Meeting ID and Passcode.