The local Times-Colonist has an article that speaks to Saanich council considering to allow 6 storey apartment heights in all apartment zoned properties. The need for more housing is well understood by all.
How does this impact the area of the CCA? Since the Shelbourne Valley Action Plan was adopted in May 2017, promising planning guidance for the next 30 years, it’s been standard practice for multi-unit, multi-storey housing proposals to request greater heights than the SVAP recommends.
“If we truly wish to have a housing formula that preserves the opportunity of our residents to secure their own housing, we need to ‘flex’ to six floors,” Haynes said. “We’re told that by the banks, we’re told that by the development industry.”
…
Haynes said one concern is that neighbourhoods containing the municipality’s 211 properties with apartment zoning are governed by local-area plans that are up to 20 years old.
“The issue is now nobody knew 20 years ago we’d be dealing with the housing crisis, the planet crisis, the climate crisis that we have know.
Times-Colonist article
You may find this being discussed along with a report from the Director of Planning on this topic here. A few points made in this discussion:
- This is not a change to zoning. This is a change to policy that makes it easier for council to allow an increase to 6-storeys to occur.
- The 6-storey height is the effective maximum height for timber frame construction, after which a builder would need to move to more expensive concrete or mass-timber construction.

