The Community Association of Oak Bay celebrates a decade with its 10th annual general meeting at Windsor Park Pavilion on April 14. They’ll mark the occasion with talk of community and speaker Gene Miller who will offer another view on density.
“I thought I would talk about my latest preoccupation which is something called gentle density,” Miller said. “Gentle density, as I mean it, is a growth strategy where the growth doesn’t alter or reduce the physical character of the assets or character of a neighbourhood or community.”
Miller’s focus is on Victoria and, to a lesser degree, Oak Bay.
“There’s less of a challenge in Oak Bay because much of the growth in the central area is taking place in the City of Victoria,” Miller said. “But I think there are some highly controversial projects in Oak Bay an there will be more in the future it’s inevitable. The community needs tools to convince its politicians and to convince property owners and property developers that there is an option to multi-storey development.”
He has been active for years in promoting urban sustainability in Victoria and western Canada.
“I’m going to try to make the argument for gentle density as a growth strategy so nobody gets the idea that I’m anti growth or anti development,” he said. “I think our neighbourhoods are being transformed for the worse not for the better.”
The CAOB AGM and talk is Saturday, April 14 at 1:30 p.m. at Windsor Park Pavilion.
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
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