Better Neighbours:
A plan for improved CARSA project consultation efforts by UVic.

http://www.uvic.ca/resources/carsa.php

There is simply not enough information available from the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Baptist Housing Society to decide on such an important project, councillors said. And they are also concerned it may not be the right site for a facility of its size.

Mayor-elect Nils Jensen and councillor Tara Ney voted against it, as did Hazel Braithwaite, the defeated mayoral candidate.

Councillor John Herbert voted in favour, as did retiring mayor Christopher Causton.

A full report on their reasons will be posted later today.

About 250 people attended a special meeting at the Monterey Centre Monday night. They had 4.5 hours of questions for VIHA, Baptist Housing and Oak Bay council. At the end, many told council they couldn’t imagine how council, in all good conscience, could make a decision given the lack of detailed information and lack of community consultation.

The proposed development would see the current building at 2251 Cadboro Bay Rd. replaced with an $80-million, six-storey, 320-bed facility.

The joint project between the Baptist Housing Society and the Vancouver Island Health Authority would provide a home for Greater Victoria seniors with dementia who require complex care.

The project needs variances from the municipality to allow a two-storey increase in height to built to six storeys, and a reduction of required parking from 320 to 107 spots.

The meeting Monday night was held because so many people wanted to speak at a meeting scheduled last week.

A repeated concern was that VIHA was bullying the current council and threatening to put the project in another municipality if approval isn’t given this week.

In a letter to council, the authority said they need council to approve the necessary variances on the project so they can meet their December funding deadline.

Heather Vincent, who lives on Cranmore Road, said a new building for seniors is needed and wanted in the community, something many at the meeting reiterated.

“Our concern is due process or lack of it. … Please listen to us tonight and allow for more due process and community input.”

Many speakers emphasized they are not against such a facility, but they want details from VIHA.

“I think that VIHA’s threat to take its ball and bat and go home is just a bullying tactic,” said Mike Hayes. “We have been told by Baptist Housing and VIHA in the past that they do not have other zoned land. The zoning on the lodge site is vitally important to this whole debate. That is council’s strongest card and it should be played.”

The proposal has also brought up a split on council.

Mayor-elect Nils Jensen and councillor Tara Ney tried at the start of the meeting to have discussion by council and a decision on the project adjourned so the new council could deal with it. The new council, which will have three new councillors, is to be sworn in Dec. 5.

Jensen said the project is too big and important to the community for it to be rushed through to decision. Council were only shown a model of the proposed project a week ago, he said, and the community has not had enough time to have their many questions answered.

Mayor Christopher Causton, defeated mayoral candidate Hazel Braithwaite and John Herbert voted against that though, so the meeting carried on.

kwestad@timescolonist.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Drop in from 4:00-8:00 PM

Presentations will be held at 5:00 and 7:00 PM

Mackinnon Building, Apparatus Gym, University of Victoria

For more information, please email planning@uvic.ca

The Oak Bay Emergency Program and the District of Oak Bay would like to invite you to a presentation by the Master in Disaster and Emergency Management (MADEM) students from Royal Roads University. We have been privileged to partner again with Royal Roads in the above project. It is very exciting for our community!

A team of 10 students have worked tirelessly over the past 2 1/2 weeks, meeting with staff, Council, community members and emergency management staff and volunteers, as well as reviewing documents, plans and community initiatives. They have worked to identify our community’s strengths, gaps and strategies to address those gaps which will help us to move towards applying to receive a United Nations designation as being a Disaster Resilient “Role Model” for other cities worldwide.

The Oak Bay RRU team will present their final report on how Oak Bay can move forward to become designated internationally as a Disaster Resilient “Role Model” City. Their assessment is based on a 10-point Checklist identified by the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The UN initiative on Disaster Resilient Communities is called ” Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready”.

“The best way to get to know a neighbourhood, is to walk it.”
- Jane Jacobs

The weekend of May 7th and 8th, there will be a number of Jane’s Walks throughout the region. You’ll get a little exercise, fresh air, and learn some things you likely never knew about the history of your neighbourhood, or even some of the issues facing it today.

If you’re looking for one nearby, check out the Shelbourne Valley Jane’s Walk.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011
7:00 PM in the Garry Oak Room, Monterey Recreation Centre at 1442 Monterey Avenue

Oak Bay Municipal Council invites residents to a Town Hall meeting to discuss in an open forum any items of interest. Everyone is welcome to attend.
For more information contact the Oak Bay Municipal Hall at 250-598-3311.

The Bowker Creek Initiative along with the respective municipalities that the Bowker Creek runs through, have been working for several years on developing The Bowker Creek Blueprint, A 100-year Action Plan to restore the Bowker Creek watershed.

You can have a look at the the final version of the 100-year Action Plan here.

The Bowker Creek Blueprint is an opportunistic plan that suggests ways the creek can be better managed to reduce flooding and create a community amenity of a natural creek, greenways for walking/biking, etc.

Bowker Creek Initiative will be making a short presentation about the Blueprint and seeking endorsement from the Municipality Oak Bay Council on February 28th.

Under the Blueprint the current major projects that BCI is focusing on in Oak Bay are:

Report Card 2010

CURRENT STATUS:

Does our community have walkable and multi-use pathways?

North-south routes in Oak Bay are few, with limited crosswalks, and no official community plans for improvement;

Municipality of Oak Bay actions November 2009 to 2010:

Budgets and expenditures, Oak Bay municipality:

OBTAINING EXTERNAL FUNDING:

Oak Bay municipality made two grant application proposals to the Province of BC and the Government of Canada for transportation infrastructure in last 5 years:

Source: Municipal Clerk and Province of BC Local Motion Website

OTHER MUNICIPALITIES:

Effective Steps by Other Municipalities:
1. Do the Planning
2. Adopt the Policies
3. Submit the Proposals
4. Receive the Funding
5. Build the Connections to local and regional networks

2010 AND BEYOND
INITIATIVES OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES

A summary of the activities, initiatives and results of other municipalities in Greater Victoria are highlighted below:

Central Saanich – 2010:
Population 16,000
$575,000 Local Motion Grant
Bicycle lanes on both sides of East Saanich Road and separate walking path near Peninsula Recreation Centre
Largest roadway improvement in recent years
Completed September, 2010
Population 16,000
East Saanich Road – 2.7 km from Island View Road to Cultia Ave
Total Cost is $7.0 million
Build Canada Fund pays $4.66 million
2.7 kilometre roadway will provide separate bike lanes, and separate walking trail
Includes sidewalks and bus stops
Completion scheduled for March 2012

View Royal – 2010:
Population: 9000
CRD Travel Choices 2007 – 2011
Island Highway – Admirals to Colwood Interchange – $15.0 million
E&N Rail Trail Project – 11.0 Million
2 photos showing major benefits for all roadway users
View Royal Official Community Plan
Adopted revised OCP on April 1st, 2010
Roads designated a “community resource” for benefit of all users
Neighborhood-wide planning – not each problem in isolation
Pedestrian access and movement to be enhanced
Quantifiable, measurable goals set
10 Year Cycling Action Plan endorsed
Links with neighboring municipalities and
Part of regional network
Bicycle parking, showers, lockers, change rooms.

Saanich – 2010
Population: 109,000
Multiple Use Trail / Roadway
Completed 2010
San Juan Greenway
East to West Connector Route
UVIC to Tyndall Soccer Fields
Shelbourne Street to Lochside Trail
Safe and convenient for pedestrians, students, teams and cyclists
Local Motion Billboard – Total Cost $1.1 million

Langford – 2010
Official Opening of Goldstream Village
Pedestrian and Cycling Friendly
Using Traffic Circle as Key Feature
Reduces overall accidents and reduces pollution
Improves safety for cyclists and pedestrians
Langford received ICBC Grant for $78,000 to pay for new Traffic Circle with Fountain
(Source: Claire Eraut – Oak Bay Resident, Former Deputy Superintendent of Motor Vehicles 1994 – 1998)
No curbs which allows more movement and improved pedestrian safety, Light up crosswalk included in project

Victoria – One Block Away from Oak Bay
Small traffic circles used to reduce speed and avoid accidents
Allenby and Dean intersection
Bike route to Camosun College
Park with children’s play area
Bay Street cross-town route upgrades to Royal Jubilee Hospital

CRD Finishes 5 Year Investment Plan in 2011

Rails to Trails Project: $11.0 million
CRD Ped Cycling Master Plan: $150,000
Esquimalt Craigflower Rd: $8.0 million
View Royal & Island Hwy: $15.0 million

PROVINCIAL FUNDING CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

Bike BC Cycling Infrastructures Partnerships Program (CIPP)

This cost-shared program to funds new cycling paths and multiple use trails, with a goal to reducing traffic congestion and green house gas emissions. The program has $31 million over three years. Deadline for applications: Sept. 1st, 2010 for this year.

CIPP Funding – North Vancouver

CIPP Funding – City of Kelowna:

Challenges for pedestrians on Foul Bay Road

On Thursday, November 25, the Community Association of Oak Bay
will host Oak Bay’ s second annual Active Transportation Forum. The three-hour forum,
titled “ Connecting regionally, connecting locally” , will be open to the public. Councillor Pam
Copley will provide opening and closing remarks.

The Forum will explore two projects with special interest for Oak Bay citizens.
Redeveloping Oak Bay High School with a budget of $54 million provides great
opportunities for civic space, public walkways, and cycle paths. With a presentation from
Mr. Rod Windjack of CEI Architecture, the forum looks at upgrading local corridors such as
Elgin Street, Hampshire Street, and Bowker Creek walkways. Such improvements will allow
citizens of all ages to connect safely to the new Neighbourhood Learning Centre, the new
Performing Arts Theatre, and to the Oak Bay Recreation Centre.

By the end of December, 2010, the Capital Regional District will release its draft Pedestrian
and Cycling Regional Master Plan which covers all 13 municipalities. After approval by
the CRD Board, this master plan launches five years (2011 – 2016) of multi-million dollar
investments in active transportation. With presentations from CRD representatives, and
citizen advisors, the Forum looks at the Oak Bay streets identified as regional priorities, and
will hear citizen’s comments on pedestrian and cycling routes, sidewalks and roadways.

The forum will examine how the municipalities of Langford, View Royal and Central Saanich
changed their transportation policies, spending, priorities, and creatively built new sidewalks,
bike lanes and improved roadways.

This public event will be held on Thursday, November 25, 2010, starting at 6:30 pm for
an open house, with a discussion panel 7-9 pm, and focus groups on specific topics at 9
pm, at the Windsor Park Pavilion, Sports Rooms 1 and 2.

Please RSVP to Michelle Hilts mhilts@shaw.ca to reserve a seat. (Space is limited)