Oak Bay Council’s Single–Family Neighbourhood Basement Suite Campaign
Special Council meeting July 19, 2021: The announced purpose of the meeting was to brief Council about the results of the “Secondary Suites Study - Community Survey and the Draft Strategy”.
The reason for informing Council ahead of the public was not given. An attached note explained (“No public input period for this item as the consultant presentation is for Council's information and direction to staff”). A “public input period” was committed for this coming fall.Newsletters
Notwithstanding that this was a “briefing”, and it was explained that the Secondary Suite Study is still in the consideration stage:
The experienced Director of Strategic Initiatives has not alerted Council that clearcutting lots is a very serious District problem. It has environmental, infrastructure, financial, character changing, and neighbour impacts. This indicates that this is far more problematic than Oak Bay’s currently perceived basement suite problem.
To put this in perspective, planning staff reported that Oak Bay has only a dozen or so basement suite complaints a year (one a month), and the fire department has not reported any fire and/or safety issues.
Council has shown no interest in solving a serious problem it has: and one that residents have often alerted Council about. However, Council is spending considerable amounts of taxpayer funds, staff time and resources on a problem they don’t have.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
One has to wonder who is driving this densification initiative and why? It was obvious that the last two councils' main objective was densification of all types throughout Oak Bay. However, three members of those Councils are still in Office and they opposed this-over development agenda. So where is that opposition now? Is Council allowing staff to dictate priorities and timelines?
What could be the reason this Council has condoned, and is continuing to condone, and allow staff to pursue this expensive densification agenda ahead of much more urgent priorities? Council has conceded that the present zoning requires a review but has delayed this until 2023. The former Director of Building and Planning often stated, “You want a big house you buy a big lot”.
Why is so much factual secondary suite information being presented at such a late stage (July 2021) – in vacation season with Municipal Hall shut down. This is 2 years and three months after the April 2019 Secondary Suite Open-House. Shouldn’t residents have been alerted before this public engagement event and the two Resident surveys to the fact 80% of Vancouver’s suites, 78% of Saanich’s and most in BC are unregistered?
Besides building code upgrading costs another primary reason given for so many suite owners reluctance to register their suite is they do not want to pay income tax on their rental income? Existing taxpayers have to absorb the cost of the additional municipal services suite owners' tenants require.
Very little evidence-based research has been done to find out how, after legalizing multi-tenant suites, other communities have fared in dealing with their basement suite impact problems. While it is true that information has been provided on the conditions imposed, this is a far cry from reporting how successful these sanctions have been.
For example: it is known that an owner-occupied secondary suite condition can be applied: however, it would be much more informative to know how successful has other communities have been in enforcing this condition.
The parking options provided were: paving lots for additional parking for the consultant-estimated 1,500 new multi-tenant suites; or lining Oak Bay’s already congested streets with even more cars causing gridlock. It is not hard to see that this is a no-win situation for non-suite owning residents.
However, to her credit Councillor Braithwaite did put these parking proposals into perspective. Responding to another Councillor’s position, that not providing off-site parking would disincentive (discourage) car use, Councillor Braithwaite stated. “You are not going to get people out of their cars anytime soon” (indicating no off-street parking would mean more on-street parking) and “you know when you are in Oak Bay because the streets are not lined with cars.”
What Will This Council’s Legacy Be?
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.
Special Council meeting July 19, 2021: The announced purpose of the meeting was to brief Council about the results of the “Secondary Suites Study - Community Survey and the Draft Strategy”.
The reason for informing Council ahead of the public was not given. An attached note explained (“No public input period for this item as the consultant presentation is for Council's information and direction to staff”). A “public input period” was committed for this coming fall.Newsletters
Notwithstanding that this was a “briefing”, and it was explained that the Secondary Suite Study is still in the consideration stage:
- The “briefing” lasted over three and a half hours. Two councillors provided pro-suite personal testimonials and others gave their reasons for supporting multi-tenant suites, an indication of how they intended to vote. However, evidence to support these positions was hard to come by.
- In effect three Councillor’s have declared that, ahead of the promised future public input, they had made up their mind to vote to approve densifying Oak Bay’s single-family neighbourhoods with multi-tenant secondary basement suites.
The experienced Director of Strategic Initiatives has not alerted Council that clearcutting lots is a very serious District problem. It has environmental, infrastructure, financial, character changing, and neighbour impacts. This indicates that this is far more problematic than Oak Bay’s currently perceived basement suite problem.
To put this in perspective, planning staff reported that Oak Bay has only a dozen or so basement suite complaints a year (one a month), and the fire department has not reported any fire and/or safety issues.
Council has shown no interest in solving a serious problem it has: and one that residents have often alerted Council about. However, Council is spending considerable amounts of taxpayer funds, staff time and resources on a problem they don’t have.
Oak Bay Watch Perspective
One has to wonder who is driving this densification initiative and why? It was obvious that the last two councils' main objective was densification of all types throughout Oak Bay. However, three members of those Councils are still in Office and they opposed this-over development agenda. So where is that opposition now? Is Council allowing staff to dictate priorities and timelines?
What could be the reason this Council has condoned, and is continuing to condone, and allow staff to pursue this expensive densification agenda ahead of much more urgent priorities? Council has conceded that the present zoning requires a review but has delayed this until 2023. The former Director of Building and Planning often stated, “You want a big house you buy a big lot”.
Why is so much factual secondary suite information being presented at such a late stage (July 2021) – in vacation season with Municipal Hall shut down. This is 2 years and three months after the April 2019 Secondary Suite Open-House. Shouldn’t residents have been alerted before this public engagement event and the two Resident surveys to the fact 80% of Vancouver’s suites, 78% of Saanich’s and most in BC are unregistered?
Besides building code upgrading costs another primary reason given for so many suite owners reluctance to register their suite is they do not want to pay income tax on their rental income? Existing taxpayers have to absorb the cost of the additional municipal services suite owners' tenants require.
Very little evidence-based research has been done to find out how, after legalizing multi-tenant suites, other communities have fared in dealing with their basement suite impact problems. While it is true that information has been provided on the conditions imposed, this is a far cry from reporting how successful these sanctions have been.
For example: it is known that an owner-occupied secondary suite condition can be applied: however, it would be much more informative to know how successful has other communities have been in enforcing this condition.
The parking options provided were: paving lots for additional parking for the consultant-estimated 1,500 new multi-tenant suites; or lining Oak Bay’s already congested streets with even more cars causing gridlock. It is not hard to see that this is a no-win situation for non-suite owning residents.
However, to her credit Councillor Braithwaite did put these parking proposals into perspective. Responding to another Councillor’s position, that not providing off-site parking would disincentive (discourage) car use, Councillor Braithwaite stated. “You are not going to get people out of their cars anytime soon” (indicating no off-street parking would mean more on-street parking) and “you know when you are in Oak Bay because the streets are not lined with cars.”
What Will This Council’s Legacy Be?
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.