Sept. 10: The development proposal is to be scheduled for an Oak Bay public hearing on October 8th. Again, this development is not within Saanich or the CCA geography, but borders both and will be of interest to Saanich residents in the neighbourhood.

Sept. 5, 2025: Oak Bay council on September 8th will be asked to accept the OCP and Bylaw amendment report that Oak Bay Planning staff have created as a result of Camosun College’s development proposal. Some highlights from the report:

• permissable building height in the affected zone to be increased from 3 storeys to 6 storeys
• setbacks to be defined to provide a reasonable buffer between the proposed building and the University Woods neighbourhood to the north, largely by retaining the existing vegetation in that area
• a reduction of on-site parking stalls as the proposed building is planned for an existing parking lot area; but only a loss of 5 parking stalls compared to the peak demand they counted
• bike parking: 107 long-term and 43 short-term spaces planned; let’s hope the long-term at least are reasonably secure!
• trees: 42 on-site and 14 municipal trees protected by the Tree Protection Bylaw to be removed, while 65 replacement trees will result in a total canopy coverage for the affected area of 67.5%
• infrastructure: the sanitary sewage connection presents some challenges that should be resolvable given the proximity of both Oak Bay and Saanich sewage infrastructure; other infrastructure connections should be more easily planned
• costs to build: Camosun College will pay Oak Bay just shy of $1.4 million when a building permit is issued

The above referenced report has expansive appendices that include a site design and building layout, and is well worth a read if only for the views of what is planned.

Notice of a development proposal has been posted by Camosun College on the Foul Bay Road side of their Lansdowne campus. This proposal for student housing has been a part of their long term vision, presented in their 2019 Master Plan, and commented on here more recently with respect to provincial government funding.

You may read about the proposal to the District of Oak Bay and track its progress on the Oak Bay online Development Tracker.

The proposed development will be on land that lies within Oak Bay, but a large portion of the Lansdowne campus lies within Saanich and the geography of the Camosun Community Association.

The stated purpose of the development:

This is an application for a zoning bylaw amendment to facilitate a six storey, 429 bed student housing building for Camosun College which would include a combination of single (dormitory style), studio (single suite) and quad (four-bedroom apartment style) units as well as retail and food services. It is accompanied by an Official Community Plan amendment application.

This much needed student housing will have an impact on the neighbourhood well beyond Oak Bay’s borders. Area residents will want to stay informed on this initiative as it moves forward.