Please continue with OCP consultation

From: Marc Cittone Sent: Monday, February 13, 2023 7:41 AM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Cc: Sid Tobias mayortobias@viewroyal.ca; Don Brown dbrown@viewroyal.ca; Damian Kowalewich DKowalewich@viewroyal.ca; Gery Lemon GLemon@viewroyal.ca; Alison MacKenzie amackenzie@viewroyal.ca; Ron Mattson RMattson@viewroyal.ca; John Rogers JRogers@viewroyal.ca Subject: Please continue with OCP consultation

Dear Mayor Tobias and Councilors,

I participated in the Official Community Plan update process, both through an in-person neighbourhood walk and online engagement and survey. Throughout, I found staff and consultants approachable, willing to listen to ideas and discuss concepts. I feel the draft OCP, largely building on the existing OCP, to be a strong document to provide a foundation for View Royal to grow in a responsible manner addressing housing needs, climate change, transportation and quality of life. Like many in View Royal, I support the key concepts including more walkable neighbourhoods with housing near transit, shops and services; integration of green spaces; and support for transit and active transportation. Many projects approved recently further these goals in our area, and like many of my neighbours, we are looking forward to improvements such as the potential for a new neighbourhood grocery store and meeting spot at Helmcken and Old Island Highway, near our home and our daughters' school. Together with a robust (and funded) Active Transportation Plan and a refresh of our Parks master plan, I believe the draft OCP provides an excellent foundation.

Now that we are able to do further in-person engagement, especially as the weather turns warmer, I encourage Council to move forward with a next round of engagement, and any other steps (Council work session?) that are needed to advance the OCP, recognizing that these steps may lead to revisions to the draft.

Like many of my nieghbours I've spoken with, I am surrpised and very concerned that a vocal minority would now like to start over. I feel this would be an irresponsible course to take:

• It is fiscally irresponsible, as it seems it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and more importantly, tie up staff time that needs to be used instead to address all the important planning and implementation projects the Town needs.
• It is disrespectful to the hundreds of people who took time to participate. Many of us have families and jobs and do not have unlimited time to participate. Online engagement - something Mayor Tobias has spoken to eloquently - allowed for greater diversity of engagement.
• Frankly, I'm unclear what the "problem" is that is to be "solved" by starting over. If tweaks - or bigger changes - are desired, that is what the next round of engagement is for - to hear from the community what we think, and for Council to then reflect.

Starting over, no matter how much we consult, won't change the realities, nor move us forward in responding to them: we face a climate emergency; we need to build walkable communities with housing near shops, services, transit and amenities; we want to invest in parks and active transportation. We are a growing region (about 1% a year) in a growing country, with a good economy and quality of life. Walkable communities are important as more of us work from home, raise kids, or age in the community. Canada is a nation of immigration, something I (who counts immigrants among my parents, spouse, friends, coworkers and favourite business owners) support, and if one doesn't, a small town's OCP is not the place to debate that. Those who need a place to live are our friends and coworkers (or future friends and coworkers) and relatives, and those who are well-housed should talk to them to learn their storeys. And, we should be doing our fair share appropriate to our context in the region.

Of course there are some additions I'd like to see. I'd like to see more clarity that we will adopt a Missing Middle program. I'd like to see a few added ideas for parks and trails, which I shared through the Active Transportation planning processs, including partnership to make Craigflower Manor more like a park, to add safer walking routes and a new park along the coast in the Harbour Area, and to create a trail and greenway along Six Mile Creek. I'd like to see an emphasis on advocating for Rapid Transit along Trans-Canada Highway to Six Mile and beyond to Millstream and points west in Langford, to get folks around the "Colwood crawl". And a refresh of the parks master plan.

All of this can be suggested through the next round of engagement, something I'm much more comfortable with than a reboot which would not necessarily contain any of these ideas anyway, at what cost in resources and time?

Restarting the process is also likely to mean many people with jobs and young families, younger people, the 1/3 of our community who are renters, may "tune out", wondering why we're repeatintg this process; why the initial input is being ignored; or suspecting the goal was simply to throw out that input and replace it with that of an entitled minority who have more of time and resources.

As a Council, you have only so much staff capacity and funding available to you. I urge you to respect the taxpayers and use that capacity in a way that moves our community forward.

In short, what we need is a next round of engagement on what is a solid draft OCP, to refine and make it even better and consider any concerns arising.

Thanks sincerely,

Marc Cittone 26 Demos Place