Public Hearing

Good evening uh folks and welcome to the town of View Royal.

The first part of the council meeting tonight will be a public hearing for Tuesday, November 4th, 2025.

Um before we begin, I'd like to start with a territorial acknowledgement that we recognize our neighbors, the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking people, known today as the Esquimalt Nation or Xwsepsum Nation and the Songhees Nation, and that their historic connections can uh continue in these lands today.

Um before I go to an approval of the agenda, I wanted to actually we'll do that first before I read a statement of public hearing procedure.

Elena had it all laid out for me perfectly, and it's just up to me to screw up the order.

Um so can I get a motion to approve the agenda, please?

Moved by Councillor Brown, seconded by uh Councilor Rogers.

All those in favor?

Any opposed?

I think none opposed.

Councillor McKenzie, if I don't see your hand, I'll just uh assume it's in the affirmative.

Um and uh now I'll just read a brief statement of the public hearing procedure.

The proposed bylaw has been introduced and has received a second reading of council.

Before the bylaw can be legally adopted by council, it must receive two more readings.

Your input via the public hearing process is important to council uh in making a decision.

At this public hearing, any persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed bylaw amendment shall be given an opportunity to be heard.

However, it is important uh that all who speak at this meeting restrict their remarks to matters contained in the bylaw, and it is my responsibility to ensure that all remarks are so restricted.

This evening we'll hear a presentation from staff, and then we will hear from the public during the comments from the public portion of the agenda.

A reminder that council chambers is a safe, respectful, and inclusive space.

All members of the audience are asked to refrain from clapping, cheering, or openly expressing your opposing opinions when others are speaking or when they're done speaking.

When it's your turn to talk, do not speak disrespectfully about anybody else, including counsel or staff.

Please do not use rude or offensive language and do not make statements or allegations that call into question the character of anyone else.

Council wants to hear the views of those participating in the meeting in an open and impartial form.

If you wish to provide comments at the podium, please begin by indicating your name and just your street name, no street numbers required.

You may then give us the benefit of your views.

I've let Elena know that'll give uh folks the normal period of time for public participation, and that is five minutes.

And I will be absolutely ruthless in enforcing five minutes.

Seeing how I'm not seeking reelection, you can be assured of that.

If you wish to provide comments virtually, the chat feature will be open for you to submit your comments.

Again, we ask that you provide your name and street name to begin your comments.

Your comment will be read aloud at the appropriate time by Carl of our webcast team.

Members of council may, if they wish, ask questions of you.

However, the main function of council members this evening is to listen to the views of you, the public.

And it is not the function of council at this public hearing to debate the merits of the proposed bylaw amendment with individual citizens.

This meeting will be recorded by participating in this webcast.

You are consenting to being recorded, and the recording will be available on the town's website for future access.

After this public hearing is concluded, the council may, without further notice, give whatever effect council believes proper to the representation made at the public hearing.

The public is reminded that after the public hearing, council cannot hear any new information until a decision about that application has been made.

So the notice that advertised this public hearing was posted on the notice board at the municipal office on October 28th, 2025.

The notice that advertises public hearing was posted on the town's website on October 28th, 2025.

The notice was also published on the town's social media platforms on October 30th.

Now I will move into the presentation.

So there are approximately six major amendments that we are making to the OCP.

So the first amendment is to replace the residential and large lot residential land use designations with a new small-scale multi-unit housing land use designation to allow up to six dwelling units.

Establish a new hospital transit-oriented area land use designation in a designated transit-oriented area to allow mixed-use office and apartment buildings up to 10 stories and a floor space ratio of 3.5.

These amendments, these land use designation amendments, will now also align with the town's zoning bylaw that was updated in June 2024 to align with the provincial legislation.

We are also establishing a new neighborhood village land use designation within the transit oriented area to allow mixed use commercial and apartment buildings up to six stories and a density of 2.5 floor space ratio.

We are also updating relevant policies to ensure consistency with provincial housing legislation.

In the Local Government Act it is clear what we need to update in the OCP to align with the legislation, and we have done that in these in these amendments.

We will be adding a new housing needs requirement subsection under Section 3 housing, which summarizes what our housing needs, our five and 20 year housing needs are, as well as a breakdown of those number of units, as well as add a new policy called mixed commercial development to our land use and urban design section.

And what this new policy is is to encourage a ground floor commercial or community space in mixed use buildings of four stories or greater.

Next slide.

Here is the proposed land use map designation map with an inset showing our hospital transit oriented area.

The purple pinky on that slide, purple on my slide, um layer is the hospital transit oriented area that allows up to up to 10 stories.

And then the pink layer are the lands within the neighborhood village designation, which allows buildings up to six stories.

And again these OCP amendments now align with our zoning bylaw.

And then all the yellow parcels are within the small scale multi unit housing designation uh which allows up to six stories depending six stories six units depending on where the parcel is located um in the town parcels that are in close proximity to frequent transit um can have uh up to six units and all other designations are remain the same there's no other changes next slide so the recommendation uh this evening is uh that the following the public hearing that the bylaw is given third reading thank you thank you.

Um Elena, just a question.

Is it appropriate for council to have ask questions?

I know we got it to second reading.

Is it appropriate to ask the questions of staff now?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Uh does uh council have any questions for uh senior planner?

Go ahead, council Roger.

Uh yes, thanks.

Um just for uh my uh refresher and and uh perhaps the audience, it uh it's at the committee suggested the reference to the buffer area for the TOA Um be referenced by the tier system used by the province.

Can you can you give some plain English on that?

Uh through the mayor, uh thank you for the question, Councilor Rogers.

So the um Bill 47, which is the transit-oriented areas amendment bill, um specifies different types of transit-oriented areas, and View Royal's hospital transit-oriented area falls under tier two, which is parcels that are within 400 meters of a bus exchange can are allowed to have those parcels can have between can have buildings up to six or 10 stories from that um bus exchange.

So that is considered the tier two requirement.

Thank you.

And I just have one question on my own, Leanne.

With this, and I know it's not detailed specifically um uh in in this amendment, but it does have impact.

That's uh within 400 meters of the bus stop by the Helmcken uh by the hospital, six to ten stories with no mandatory parking is that correct uh thank you for that question yes um only for the residential uses uh parking is not mandatory but if a developer would like to provide parking that is fine it's just it's up to the developer if they would like to provide parking for the residential uses or not thank you uh I think that brings us down and I think that includes your comments from staff unless there was some other comments you wanted to make on it.

Thanks Leanne appreciate it.

Uh now's your opportunity, folks.

We'll go uh anybody in the room that wants to make a comment specifically uh regarding this by law and nothing else but this bylaw that's in front of us on the official community plan.

If anybody would like to make a comment, uh please make your way to the microphone.

Thank you.

The one I can't see.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor and Council.

My name is Judy Estrin.

I live on Lund Road, and if you don't mind, I'm going to read my comments to stay to make sure that I stay on point.

I have reviewed the documents for this public hearing and understand that the proposed amendment is intended primarily as a housekeeping measure to ensure that the official community plan aligns with the zoning bylaw and provincial legislation.

However, I was very surprised to see that the map indicates that my property, along with nearly 100 of my neighbors, is being designated for small scale multi use housing.

This is an area, an error that must not proceed.

My home is located in a part of Chilco that is currently zoned Comprehensive Development 5A.

This area was not among those that the town of View Royal rezoned for small scale multi-unit housing in 2024.

A review of the zoning bylaw will confirm that comprehensive development 5A is not included in those areas.

If this amendment is passed as currently written, it would change the OCP land use designation for my neighborhood, increasing the potential density and height of future development.

The province did not designate our area for small scale multi use housing, and the town's existing bylaw does not include us in that category.

The purpose of this amendment is to align the OCP with the zoning bylaw, but changing the land use designation for my neighborhood is not consistent with that goal.

Since this is the only public hearing on the matter, I am here tonight to bring this issue to council's attention and to respectfully submit, excuse me, to respectfully request that the error be corrected before the amendment proceeds.

Thanks, Judy.

Thank you for your positive consideration.

Good evening.

Appreciate it.

Oh.

This button.

Is there anybody else that would like to address counsel on the bylaw amendment?

Good evening.

Doug Wilson View Royal Avenue.

Successfully amending the OCP to include SSMUH means aligning the OCP to the zoning bylaw.

The town's zoning bylaw identifies the correct location of every SSMUH lot in View Royal.

The OCP amendment strives to identify the same lots.

The mapping method applied in the amendment is to delete the RL and R and R land use designations from the OCP and recycle them into a new SSMUH land use designation on the map.

But that new land use designation does not identify the lots that are zoned for SSMUH.

It's not even close.

More than 400 lots are either incorrectly identified or missing.

Chilco, Stone Ridge, View Royal Ave, Atkins, Jedberg, Connor, Connard, Glantana, on and on.

The most concerning issue is the 146 SSMUH exempt lots, Chilco, that will be mistakenly designated as SSMUH.

The lots are exempt by legislation.

They are not SSMUH zoned in the zoning by law.

This amendment changes their permitted land use and increases both height and density, effectively repeating what the province imposed on View Royal, but this time on property that the province made exempt.

In addition, 276 SSMUH zoned lots are simply omitted.

Entire SSMUH zoned neighborhoods are missing from the proposed land use designation.

Confirmation of what I'm saying is dead easy.

Compare the proposed SSMUH land use designation map to the zoning bylaw.

They will not match, not even close.

As written, this amendment fails to achieve the goal set by council, and it will not bring you into compliance with the legislation.

It will cause real harm to property owners and their neighbors.

I thought you were going to cut me off at two minutes, but if there's five, I'd like to add the transit area oriented area is correct.

How come?

Because it's taken from the zoning bylaw and put into the OCP.

But the SSMUH areas are taken from a 13-year-old land use designation in the OCP, and it's supposed to rent is supposed to represent a zoning bylaw that was passed in 2024.

It would take great foresight to do that.

And it just they don't match up.

So there are ways to repair it, but this amendment it it just doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

That's all there is to it.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mr.

Wilson.

Linda.

Hi, good evening, Council.

Uh Linda Jeaurond, Ardenley Place.

I was a member of the sixth-person standing committee on housing that worked on the SSMUH bylaw.

A comparison of the proposed OCP amendment and the areas of View Royal that are actually zoned for SSMUH in 2024 show there are large discrepancies in the amendment map.

I can see them just by comparing the fuzzy maps.

There are non-SHMOO properties captured in the amendment that are real SSMUH properties that have been left out of the amendment.

The amendment will not achieve the goal of aligning the OCP with the zoning bylaw, and council should send the amendment back for correction.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Linda.

Anybody else on the issue specifically of the bylaw amendment for the OCP.

Going once oh just state your name and your street name there go red is good red is good.

Red sign.

So town council uh thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.

I appreciate this.

I was also ecstatic because I can see my house from here.

Um I guess I just want to mirror what has been said before me.

I've had only a few hours to look at this, but essentially the fuzzy maps that were just referenced were also brought to my attention and was raised for concern to come and speak on uh my neighborhood's behalf.

I live on Cahilty, so just around the corner from one of the previous speakers.

And ultimately, yes, I would like to see that these maps are looked at again to make sure that they are correct before we move forward.

So rather than pushing us through, that something is uh corrected.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

Elena, you had a point.

No, you had a point, but it slipped.

Uh is there anybody else that would like to speak from Council Chambers?

Nobody else that would like to uh speak.

Um Carl, do we have anybody online that has sent something in for us?

Tobias, we have no messages so far.

Okay, and Elena, just to confirm we have no correspondence correct okay uh then we don't uh make a decision now we terminate this because that will be on our next agenda uh for the council meeting so can I get a motion to terminate the um the hearing moved by councillor brown seconded by councillor lemon all those in favor any opposed seeing none opposed motion carries