TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT: OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE – WESTERN GATEWAY CORRIDOR SURVEY
Staff report presenting the draft Western Gateway Corridor Survey and an overview of upcoming public engagement activities.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT
TO: Council
DATE: August 14, 2025
FROM: Stirling Scory, RPP, MCIP, Senior Planner
MEETING DATE: September 9, 2025
OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE – WESTERN GATEWAY CORRIDOR SURVEY
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report titled “Official Community Plan Review Update – Western Gateway Corridor Survey” prepared by the Senior Planner, and dated August 14, 2025, be received for information.
ALTERNATIVE OPTION
There is no alternative option with this report.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to present and seek feedback on a draft Western Gateway Corridor Survey and provide an overview of upcoming engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor.
BACKGROUND:
The proposed Western Gateway Corridor (refer to Figures 1 below) is identified as a special planning area in the Official Community Plan (OCP) review and update with a special focus on land use, heights, density and urban design. In the spring, the Town carried out engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor by launching of a Community Growth Survey and organizing open houses and workshops to gather early feedback from the public on growth and development along the corridor. The public input received from these engagement activities helped inform upcoming engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor.
Figure 1. Aerial Photo of the Proposed Properties within the Western Gateway Corridor
Western Gateway Corridor Survey
At the Regular Council meeting on June 17, 2025, Council passed a motion to extend the length of the corridor from the Colwood Border to the intersection of Island Highway and Burnside Road recognizing that it is a significant transportation corridor within the region and ideal for transit-oriented development.
The OCP Review Advisory Committee reviewed and provided feedback on the draft Western Gateway Corridor Survey at their meeting on Monday, August 25, 2025. The committee provided the following feedback on the draft survey:
- provide a link to the Housing Needs Report in the preamble,
- add landmarks on the maps to allow for better orientation of survey respondents,
- remove re-affirming questions on density that were previously asked in the Community Growth Survey,
- shorten the preamble to improve clarity and only include relevant information, and
- reduce the number of open-ended questions.
Staff will revise the draft survey following additional feedback provided by the Committee.
Upcoming Engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor
Staff are planning engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor to take place this October and November. During this engagement period, the project team will focus on both in-person and online engagement activities to consult with the community. A summary of the engagement is provided below.
Online Survey
- Review the draft Western Gateway Corridor land use scenarios
- Ask respondents to identify which scenario they prefer.
- Ask respondents more broad visioning questions on the Western Gateway Corridor to understand what opportunities and challenges exist.
- Ask respondents to reflect on what values and aspirations they have for the Western Gateway Corridor and what aspects of land use and urban design elements are important to them as this area grows and develops in the future.
Open Houses and Workshops
- Participants will provide feedback on draft Western Gateway Corridor scenarios and dive more deeply into the values, aspirations, opportunities, and challenges this area has in the future, and what land use and urban design elements may be important to consider.
- Stakeholder workshops with business and property owners along the Western Gateway Corridor will be organized to understand their interests, needs, wants, and concerns, and seek feedback.
The expected outcome of this engagement period will be clear direction to inform land use designation changes to the area of the Western Gateway Corridor. In addition, it will help establish new land use, housing, economic development, and general planning policy for this area.
ANALYSIS:
Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:
| Category | Impact |
|---|---|
| Community Impact: | Engaging the community on the Western Gateway Corridor provides a unique opportunity to help shape how this area is to develop in the future. |
| Financial Implication: | The proposed work is within the project scope and budget. |
| Inter-governmental Relations Impact: | As part of the engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor and general policy review, staff will be consulting with external agencies, including BC Transit, the Ministry of Transportation and the City of Colwood. |
ALIGNMENT:
The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:
Strategic Plan:
Sustainable Development
Goal 1: Managed Growth
1a| Official Community Plan (OCP) review to align with Housing Needs Report and Zoning Bylaw, update Development Permit Area design guidelines, and other aspects of the OCP.
Goal 2: Increased Skilled Employment
2a| Hold a visioning session form the employment corridor (“Western Gateway”)
Enhance Liveability
Goal 5: Build strong relationships and engagement through community events and celebrations.
Community Engagement and Good Governance
Goal 1: Strong and active citizen participation in community engagement in Town of View Royal meetings, open houses, surveys, budget development.
Official Community Plan:
2011 OCP: Community Vision, Goal 9:
Ensure that all citizens of View Royal have opportunities to be informed and meaningfully involved in planning and decision-making processes.
Other Policy Documents:
N/A
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:
The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:
☐ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower ☐ N/A
TIME CRITICAL:
The timing of this report is critical, because staff are preparing to begin engagement on the Western Gateway Corridor in October.
| CONCURRENCE: | Initials | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Administrative Officer | SS | I concur with the recommendation. |
| REVIEWED BY: | Initials |
|---|---|
| Director of Corporate Administration/Deputy CAO | N/A |
| Director of Finance & Technology | N/A |
| Director of Development Services | LT |
| Director of Engineering | N/A |
| Director of Protective Services | N/A |
ATTACHMENTS:
- Draft Western Gateway Corridor Survey
Document Images
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