On May 12 2021, Abstract Developments met with the community to provide an update on changes to their proposal for the development of 1647 McRae Avenue. A video of the proposal updates is presented on this page.
Feedback on the Abstract proposal should be directed to
Teresa Sullivan
Senior Manager, Community Building and Engagement
Telephone: 250.883.0817
Email: tsullivan@abstractdevelopments.com.
The minutes of the April 8, 2021 meeting of the CCA board of directors may be found here.
Abstract Developments has made revisions to their planned development for the properties making up 1647 McRae, 1641 McRae, and 3226 Shelbourne. They are seeking feedback from the community via two hour-long Microsoft Teams virtual meetings to be held on Wednesday, May 12 at noon and then at 6 pm.
Please read all about the work they’ve done here.
Our application at 1647 McRae is inspired by Saanich’s long term land use and transportation vision for the area as outlined in the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan (SVAP).
Abstract Development brochure re: McRae / Shelbourne development proposal
The Shelbourne Valley Action Plan may be viewed via links on this page on the Saanich website. The relevant image from the SVAP showing the plan’s advice regarding developments is shown in the image below, copied from page 46 of the SVAP.
Please RSVP your interest in attending one of the virtual meetings by 4:30 pm on May 10th by emailing tsullivan@abstractdevelopments.com.
As posted earlier, the Greater Victoria School Board is planning to sell a major section of the Lansdowne Middle School grounds. They are hosting an information session for the community to learn more and provide feedback on the sale of 7.3 acres of land at Lansdowne Middle School for $15 million. The land will be sold to the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) for a future new school.
The information session will include a presentation about the land sale and how the funds from the sale of the land will fund future capital upgrades to existing schools and respond to growing student enrolment in the Greater Victoria School District. The presentation will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
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Once public consultation has concluded, the Greater Victoria School Board will give final consideration to the disposal of the Lansdowne lands to School District 93 by three readings of a disposal bylaw. If approved, the CSF will then commence the municipal land-use process to rezone and subdivide the property.
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The Lansdowne property located in the Shelbourne neighbourhood of Saanich, BC is 25 acres in size and 7.3 acres will be sold. A sale of lands between two school districts does not require Ministry of Education approval.
SD61 web page
ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION:
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zoom Meeting: https://gvsd61.zoom.us/j/61313393772?pwd=UE5ZZUo3bWRPcGhzNWwzUjBadlNwZz09
This issue is pretty much decided based on what SD61 has written to date, so learn all about it by attending their Zoom meeting.
The minutes of the March 11, 2021 meeting of the CCA board of directors may be found here.
A word about the housing strategy recommendations developed for Saanich by the Housing Strategy Task Force, and a chance to win some gift cards!
What are your thoughts on the Housing Strategy Task Force recommendations? Complete the survey today!
The Task Force was formed to propose recommendations for a Housing Strategy that will help achieve greater housing supply, affordability, and diversity over the next 10 years.
How to get involved:
Phone: 250-475-5471
E-mail: planning@saanich.ca
You may learn a lot about Bowker Creek, the major creek in our community’s watershed, from this article courtesy of the Bowker Creek Initiative.
Also see the Friends of Bowker Creek Society.
What about the name? The site for BC Geographical Names provides some history on that:
| After John Silvester Bowker (1821 – 1898), one of the early settlers at Oak Bay. Born in Massachusetts, he came to BC in the 1850’s and spent some time in the Cariboo gold fields before turning to farming on the San Juan Islands; he would paddle across to Oak Bay to visit his friend, John Tod, who owned a large farm in the Willows area. Bowker married Tod’s daughter, Mary, in May 1864 and the newlyweds established the Bowker Farm on a portion of Tod’s property. Mary Tod Bowker lived on at the farm for some time after his death; she died in California in 1911. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC’s Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
| The farm today would cover an area approximately from Bowker Creek to Bowker Avenue and from St. Anne’s Street to the waterfront; the original farm house is still standing on Bowker Place. Most of Bowker Creek is now in culverts (see Times Colonist 21 April 1982 for a description of its course.) Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC’s Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
The minutes of the February 11, 2021 meeting of the CCA board of directors may be found here.
A Saanich resident who lives in the neighbourhood of 1544 Christmas Ave. is taking the Saanich Planning Department to task, and for good reason. From 2012 until 2017, Saanich-led planning efforts identified the subject property as a target for acquistion to become a park.
The Shelbourne Valley Land Use and Urban Design Study and the draft Shelbourne Valley Action Plan included 1544 Christmas Ave. as planned park space. The final Shelbourne Valley Action Plan did not show this same intended park space, but the Saanich Planning Department stated at an open house event that they still intended to acquire the property for a park. Despite Planning Department words, and as a portent of what was to come, that final plan showed the property as a designated apartment space.
In 2018 the porperty was sold, purchased by a developer. Now that developer is applying for a rezoning and development permit for 1544 Christmas Ave.
If Saanich had no intention of acquiring this property, why did they not tell the truth instead of misleading stakeholders for 5 years until towards the end of the SVAP process when they stealthily changed the Park designation to Apartment? I want to suggest that it is still not too late for the Planning Department to please explain the rationale for their actions in disappearing not just 1544 Christmas Ave but also the other two proposed new parks.
A Park was promised at 1544 Christmas Ave and I urge the Mayor and Council to uphold the integrity of the District of Saanich by honouring this promise. Please reject this development application.
letter to Saanich Mayor and Council
The Times Colonist‘s Jeff Bell has reported on the strong possibility of a new French school being built within the 10 hectare green space that makes up the playing fields next to Landsdowne Middle School.
The Conseil solaire[sic] francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) hopes to buy about three hectares of the 10-hectare Lansdowne site to provide a permanent location for l’École Beausoleil, home to 86 students from kindergarten to Grade 3.
The sale is contingent on public consultation by the Greater Victoria School District.
Times Colonist article
Please see the article on the Times Colonist website for full details. Or if you prefer, read the news at the website of Le Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique in both French and English.
