Saanich council has endorsed a plan mapping out future growth and potential changes in the 383-acre Uptown-Douglas area.
The district’s goal is for the area, home to 4,400 residents and more than 10,000 workers, to serve as the heart of Saanich.
Mayor Fred Haynes said in a statement Wednesday that the area is “uniquely positioned” as the geographic centre of the Capital Regional District, adding he’s looking forward to seeing an increase in diverse housing, employment, transit, green spaces and amenities for pedestrians “come to life around this hub” over the next 20 to 30 years.
While large, the municipality lacks a single shared place for residents to gather, the main planning document says.
The new vision aims to allow for diverse and vibrant development, including employment areas, new homes, and a variety of transportation options, including cycling, transit and motor vehicles.
Saanich council unanimously approved third reading of the plan at a public hearing on Tuesday.
The area is bordered by the City of Victoria at Tolmie Avenue to the south, Huxley Street just north of the municipal hall on the north side, between Burnside and Harriet roads on the west and Leslie Drive and Calumet Avenue on the east.
The plan includes a focus on affordable and varied housing, as well as employment possibilities, and encourages sustainable development, climate-change mitigation and resilience.
Development of mid-to-high-rise towers of up to 24 storeys could be permitted, making a major change in how the area is now developed. Homes would be located near transportation options, services and amenities.
Saanich favours redesigning major roads into streets able to accommodate a range of types of travel, which is happening elsewhere in the capital region.
Industrial uses could expand and have the chance to diversify with more density under the plan. The area makes up 30 per cent of the district’s industrial area.
Larger commercial sites could be redeveloped as mixed-use developments with different types of housing.
The district says it supports the concept of a transportation hub near the Uptown shopping Centre to function as a central place for regional transit routes.
It is also keen to improve the popular Galloping Goose Trail by widening it, installing better connections and encouraging neighbouring land uses to make it a little livelier.
Upgrading and expanding green spaces in the area is also on the agenda. The idea is to create green corridors to improve the environment and support biodiversity and make the area more livable.
Developing the plan has been a years-long endeavor. Saanich has worked with residents, businesses, property holders, the province and other stakeholders, such as B.C. Transit.
The plan is intended to be a “living document” able to adapt to trends and best practices in the future.
At the meeting, Coun. Zac de Vries said: “I think it truly is a bold plan and a plan for tomorrow that is very future-oriented and focused more on where the puck is moving as opposed to perhaps redefining what’s already there.”
