I was so relieved to hear that The Quest proposal in Oak Bay was voted down. It was good to see that so many concerned residents turned out for the meeting to address this proposal.
When I left the meeting that Monday evening it brought back so many memories of how Abstract’s proposal on Bowker Avenue was pushed through without any regard to what residents voiced as concerns to structure size, increase in traffic and the loss of nine Garry oaks. Perhaps people are now ready to fight back as they’ve witnessed the gaping hole on Bowker Avenue and seen that this sort of luxury development is a reality here. As a resident of Bowker we are now living with the rumble of trucks all day long as well as drilling and blasting – and this is only the beginning.
I am hoping that council has learned that it is their duty to consult with the residents who elected them. Time and time again we heard council go back to the argument around density and that Oak Bay needs to fulfill a quota in this regard. However, luxury condos will only be attainable to a very elite minority. Throughout the rest of Oak Bay what I see is an older home being torn down and added to our landfill, only to be replaced by a bigger, more luxurious single family dwelling home. And this is solving the density issue how?
I am hoping now that people feel empowered to voice their opinions and work together with council to decide the changes that will inevitably come to this very special community.
Marilyn Lapointe
Oak Bay