Skip to content

Cadboro Bay residents push for updates to 17-year-old local area plan

The Cadboro Bay Local Area Plan has not been updated since 2002
19219078_web1_CaddyBayInstitutionalLandUseCROPPED

Residents of Cadboro Bay hope to update the 17-year-old Local Area Plan to potentially allow for the creation of more housing. The Cadboro Bay Residents Association is now drafting a document to update the plan, which will then go before Saanich council for approval.

The Cadboro Bay Local Area Plan helps identify, discuss and create plan policies to address neighbourhood issues. The plan has not been updated since it was created in February 2002, and residents say this means it no longer accurately represents the needs of the community.

On Oct. 28, executive members of the Cadboro Bay Residents’ Association, representatives of the Saanich Planning Department and University of Victoria director Mike Wilson met to discuss potential updates to plan for the neighbourhood. The association has identified six properties it suggests could be used to build new housing.

READ MORE: Cadboro Bay charts a course for future

A half dozen properties identified could be used for some kind of housing, said Cadboro Bay Residents Association Chair Eric Dahli, while another six already have appropriate designations. /One property has seniors housing, one has reverted to single-family homes, and one is now a park.

For example, Dahli suggests, there is a one-acre plot of land on the University of Victoria’s property with no trees or structures on it that could easily be used for housing visiting scholars.

However, Dahli said the advisory committee on this issue, including the Cadboro Bay Residents Association and Saanich council representatives, is dealing with some landlords who won’t take action to update the neighbourhood plan until push comes to shove. The University of Victoria has been working closely with the advisory committee on this project.

“We can sit and scream, and hold our breath, but we can’t get anything done until they decide to do something with the property,” Dahli said.

Dahli said he hopes as many residents from the area as possible come out to the meeting when the draft document goes to Saanich council for approval. He expects this to happen in early 2020.

“It’s great to care about federal politics, but this is what’s important,” said Dahli.

“It’s the pothole in the middle of the street that pisses people off.”

Saanich council meetings are open to the public. You can also keep track of upcoming discussions and read past meeting minutes online.

READ ALSO: New Caddy Bay board in Saanich faces old, but familiar issues

To have your concerns or suggestions heard, Dahli suggests attending the meeting where the document is presented to council, contact Saanich council through their webpage, or contact the Cadboro Bay Residents Association.

sophie.heizer@saanichnews.com