Saanich has moved a step closer to realizing the vision laid out in the Uptown Douglas plan, setting staff to work on pre-zoning the area to streamline and encourage development.
Once the pre-zoning is complete, it will make it much easier for developers to get major projects off the ground, including large residential towers of up to 24 storeys.
Council approved the terms of reference on Monday (April 22), which outlines the plan for district staff to do the rezoning work.
Staff can now begin working on the zoning changes that will allow larger buildings and mixed use developments in Uptown Douglas, which once complete will allow streamlined development by avoiding individual rezoning applications.
“That allows a property owner or proponent of an application to come forward with a degree of certainty about what they would be able to build,” Mayor Dean Murdock said in a Thursday morning phone call with Black Press.
He said this should in effect shortcut the development process by about 18 months, allowing change to happen much more quickly.
“It makes the process much faster and much more predictable,” he added.
The Uptown Douglas plan was adopted in February 2022, and aims to transform the area along Douglas Street between Saanich Road and Tolmie Avenue into a walkable, mixed-use city centre.
“It’s the crossroads of the South Island,” Murdock said. “So from a transportation perspective, it’s the natural place to build up that density.”
A major component of the plan is making sure the development is well served by public transportation.
Some of this area is to be developed with light industrial uses allowed, while other parts are to be more residential, with storefronts and walking paths.
Murdock said the district is also seeking to encourage residential development that is affordable and includes purpose built rental units. To accomplish this, the plan would include “density bonuses” in the pre-zoning. This means if a development meets certain criteria, such as a pre-determined number of rental units, it will qualify for “bonus” units to be built.
That will likely be a requirement that must be met for buildings to reach the max 24-storey height.
The work to develop the pre-zoning plan is to involve consultation and engagement with property owners. The actual zoning changes should be before council sometime late in the fall, if all goes according to plan.
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