Correspondence from J. Jones Vickers re: Rezoning Application No. REZ 2022-01

31 August 2022

Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Avenue Victoria, BC V9B 1A6

Mayor and Council Members of the Town of View Royal

Re: Notice of Public Hearing Rezoning Application No. REZ 2022-01, Civic Address: 110 High Street

I was very dismayed when I received the Notice of Public Hearing last Friday for the application to rezone the property at 110 High Street from R-1 (Detached Residential – Large Lot) to R-2 (Duplex) to permit the construction of a new duplex. I know that this letter will not mean very much to most people, but I wanted to give a brief history of this house from day 1 in 1938 before it is unceremoniously demolished in the name of progress.

I am the granddaughter of the original owners of this property which began its existence as 94 High Street, Saanich, BC. As a young married couple (married on this date 31 August 1935 – 87 years ago), my grandparents, Jack and Doreen Jones, purchased the land about 1936 to build their home and raise their family in the Strawberry Vale community. My grandparents rented 79 High Street from Marjorie Martin (nee Dawson) after they were married to live on the same street while they built their home. In May of 1938, my grandfather applied for the original Saanich building permit to construct “a five-room dwelling on High Street to cost $1,000”.

Jack and Doreen Jones were very prominent Strawberry Vale community members. At the initiation of my grandmother, Doreen, who was the chairman of the playground group, the first meeting was held in 1947 with the idea of forming a community club. Just one year later, the Strawberry Vale and District Community Club was incorporated and thanks to almost 75 years of volunteer time and hard work, the Community Club is still actively providing a most unique venue for meetings, groups, weddings, milestone celebrations, Bingo and community membership of Strawberry Vale. If my grandparents could see it now, they would be proud to know that they helped to make this community a very nice place to live.

Their home at 94 High Street (then 3864 High Street and now 110 High Street) has housed three generations of the Jones family including myself who lived there with my husband for about a year before we purchased our first home. Fast forward 28 years and we now have lived two blocks from High Street for the past 16 years and love everything about our Strawberry Vale community.

I truly hope that there is some way for the Town of View Royal to keep up their Archives and Heritage statement that is displayed prominently on the website – “…incorporated in 1988, View Royal is a young town that invites you to step back in time…” Perhaps we need to step back in time and keep a little of the tradition of a warm and helpful community while we build bright, shiny new duplexes.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Jones Vickers Strawberry Vale, BC

Attachment: First photo of the newly constructed 94 High Street [Jones Family Collection]

94 High Street, Saanich c. 1939 [Jones Family Fonds] submitted by Jacquie Jones Vickers