Email from SUE HENRY regarding REZONING application for 3, 5 and 9 Helmcken Road

To View Royal Mayor and Council,

We are writing to express our concern about the agenda item being presented at the virutal Public Hearing on Tuesday June 16, 2020 by D. Foord, Invictus Commercial Investment Corp., Re: Rezoning of Eagle's Nest - 3 and 5 Helmcken Road and 1447 and 1449 Burnside Road West, Victoria, BC. We are opposed to the development proposal and rezoning application for 3 and 5 Helmcken Road and 1447 and 1449 Burnside Road West. The density of the development design does not lend itself to a welcoming and attractive gateway corridor to View Royal. The three-building development design which includes 5 and 6 story buildings on the east, west and north sides of the development adjacent to Saanich ALR farmland is not appropriate as a rural/urban interface. This over height 5 and 6 story building design, is not conducive with the rural area, and would have a negative, imposing impact on the neighbouring Saanich and the Hidden Oaks residents.

If floors 5 and 6 were eliminated from the development it would be similar to the Eagle Creek development residences which have 4 floors each, and are located adjacent to a commercial development and across from the Victoria General Hospital. Allowing the development buildings to have 5 and 6 floors will only provide the developer with a larger profit but will not provide any benefit to the local area. Therefore, allowing the proposed development to have 5 and 6 floor buildings does not seem like an appropriate height for a development located next to rural/ALR properties, single family dwellings, two storey townhouses, and multiple unit apartment buildings which are only 4 floors in height. Eliminating floor 5 (with a total number of 25 suites) and 6 (with a total number 8 suites) would reduce the number of suites from 247 to 214 a much more reasonable number of suites for the development and surrounding area. Reducing the number of suites to 214 would also reduce the number of parking stalls required to approximately 294, and would decrease the number of cars that this development would bring to an already excessive traffic challenge. Allowing this rezoning would then open the doors to other higher density development applications wanting to increase density in a residential area, including adding additional floors and height to their proposed developments.

Adding 247 units and over 600 people to the area has the potential for increasing the number of cars living in and moving throughout the neighbourhood by 339 cars. Even though the developer may try to limit the number of cars allowed per suite, there will be overflow into the neighbourhood whose streets are already congested with recent increase in density resulting from the Eagle Creek development. The surrounding streets have very limited street parking. In the 30 years we have lived near this corner we have seen a massive increase in commuter traffic due to west shore development and the resulting flow of traffic to and from the Western communities to Camosun College and the Saanich Pennisula. Adding at least 339 more cars to our neighbourhood, would be irresponsible before a regional traffic plan is developed. If the development is approved the developer should be responsible for the cost of improving the intersection. Otherwise, the traffic will back up continuously especially at rush hour everyday with the addition of over 300 cars commuting in the area. Traffic from the development will need to be accommodated into the flow on Helmcken and Burnside which would require an intersection realignment, and a separate additional right turn lane onto Helmcken. A slice off of the property should be provided by the developer for the intersection improvements. The View Royal Planning staff report indicates it appears that waiting to see how Mackenzie interchange impacts traffic flow would be prudent, and noted the Town is doing the same for several other traffic issues.

We urge you to reject this development proposal and rezoning application because as much as the developer has reduced the density, the small percentage reduction from 262 suites to 247 is negligible, and is still excessive density and the development site plan with its five and six floor plan is not in keeping the rural nature of the area, and would have a negative impact on the neighbourhood. The additional traffic challenges due to the over 339 cars this development would bring, also should not be supported.

Thank you for your careful and thoughtful consideration of our input on this development proposal and rezoning application.

Sue and Steve Henry 3906 Holland Avenue, Victoria, BC