Presentation: Form and Character Development Permit - 2000 West Park Lane

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

The Development Services Department provides the current and future land use, planning, and zoning work for View Royal and is responsible for the Official Community Plan that guides future growth. Additionally, Development Services supports economic development initiatives and programs.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Starting in August 2021, Development Services staff launched the initiative to update the View Royal Official Community Plan (OCP). Following initial consultation, preliminary analysis indicated that climate change, transportation and mobility, environmental protection, and a strong community identity and sense of place are topics that are top of mind moving forward with the review. Community engagement began with ten public walk shops and two Council walk shops as well as an online community survey.
• The Town was not successful in the grant application for the Lime Kiln on Hart Road. Staff continue to watch for grant opportunities related to heritage to help complete the restoration and interpretation of this site.
• In October, the Town of View Royal began to offer residents a $350 municipal top-up in addition to the heat pump rebates available through the CleanBC Better Homes and Home Renovation Rebate Program for participants that switched from a fossil fuel (oil, natural gas, or propane) heating system to an electric air source heat pump.
• The Town began developing the Community Climate Action Strategy (CCAS) in early September to update View Royal’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, develop climate action policies for the Town's Official Community Plan, and prioritize community actions to mitigate climate change at a local level. The consultant for the CCAS conducted community consultation in October and November, which included two online workshops and two surveys.
• In July, the Town partnered with the CRD, City of Victoria and Township of Esquimalt to submit an application for Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Incentive Program (ZEVIP). Funds from the program would cover 50% of costs to add a Level 2 electric vehicle charger to the existing charging station at Helmcken Centennial Park. The application was coordinated by the CRD and the total grant funding opportunity amounts to $457,500. If approved, 110 - Level 2 charge points would be installed across seventeen sites for public, fleet, and workplace charging. This project has the potential to jump-start the local availability of electric vehicle chargers and provide key foundational support for regional transition to electric vehicles.

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE

The Official Community Plan Update project kicked off with an initial round of public consultation focussed on gathering community members views on the vision, priorities, issues and opportunities to direct View Royal’s future. The consultation included 11 neighbourhood walk shops, 3 online workshops and an online survey.

Community members expressed care about View Royal and provided thoughtful and detailed responses in all engagement streams. Emerging themes included pedestrian/cyclist focused streets, affordable housing, multi-modal transportation, walkability, placemaking, and parks/greenspace/water access.

ENGINEERING & PARKS

The Engineering & Parks Department is responsible for the maintenance and capital programs for View Royal’s roads, streets, bridges, sidewalks, street signage, boulevards, bus shelters, street lighting, traffic signals and storm drains. The Parks section is responsible for the maintenance and development of over 70 parks in View Royal, including manicured and natural green spaces, trails, and sports fields. Parks also maintains the grounds at Town Hall and oversees building and fleet maintenance.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The four-way stop at Chilco Road and Nursery Hill Drive at Six Mile Road was completed. Bike lanes were also installed north of the intersection along Six Mile Road up to Thetis Lake Park. In conjunction with the project, BC Transit added two new bus stops (north and south bound) to the Six Mile corridor.
• Staff began design work for sewer capital projects. Site meetings were held for the Helmcken Bay Pump Station (PS) Upgrade and the sewer gravity main upgrade from the Packers PS to View Royal PS. All the emergency sewer PS generators were programmed to run at regular intervals simulating emergency conditions to help ensure the generators remain in good working order when called upon in an emergency.
• The development of the Crane Place road right-of-way was completed and open to the public. The trail was constructed with wood chips using a geotextile underlay to protect the Garry Oak root system and leads to a viewpoint of the Portage Inlet.
• Staff rolled out a new GIS tool, the Collector app, to collect inspection data in the field. Using this tool, staff can now automatically upload data to the Town’s servers which is more efficient than using paper inspection forms and also makes the information instantly available for digital viewing and analysis.
• Crews installed new culverts along Camden Avenue and a new catch basin on Plowright Road. The contractor for the Thetis Cove Pump Station upgrade project provided a training session for View Royal and Esquimalt staff.
• The community gardens at View Royal Park prepared for its eighth year of operation and welcomed 14 new participants at the garden for the 2021 season.
• A new water fountain was installed at View Royal Park next to the playground. The fountain features a conventional drinking bubbler, water bottle filling station and a dog bowl. This installation location will allow all park users to access the amenity.
• A new Level 2 charging station was installed on the Town Hall Parks shed to accommodate Town-owned electric vehicles.

ENGINEERING & PARKS DEPARTMENT (CON’T)

• Crews completed resurfacing of trails within Portage Park, Garry Oak Meadow Park, Nursery Hill Park, View Royal Park, Knockan Hill Park, Burnside Watkiss, Centennial Park, Robin Hill Park and Edwards Park.
• The Parks Department purchased two new battery powered weed eaters, both made by “Husqvarna”. Staff had tested electric weed eaters previously, but 2021’s purchase were the first models which fit the Town’s needs. One is a dedicated, smaller weed eater for higher maintained areas. The other is an interchangeable head weed eater, which allows the use of attachments such as short & long shears, small tiller for annual beds and small broom for quick clean ups of concrete/asphalt. Rounding out the pieces are two chargers and four batteries.
• Leading up to Earth Day, Parks staff, along with the Habitat Restoration Program Coordinator and volunteers planted 220 Douglas Fir and 220 Western Red Cedar seedlings in Aldersmith, Burnside/Watkiss, Eagle Creek, Edwards, Garry Oak Meadows, Knockan Hill, Nursery Hill, Portage, Robin Hill, and View Royal Parks.

INCLEMENT WEATHER CHALLENGES

During the inclement weather in November, the Engineering & Parks Department received over 120 requests for service, just shy of double the average volume of monthly calls. The severe rain events tested sewer and drainage infrastructure; however, the Town emerged with no sewer overflows and with minimal drain flooding. Staff set up a sand bagging station at Helmcken Centennial Park to support residents with flooding issues.

FINANCE

The Finance Department provides the systems, tools, processes, and personnel to plan, record and report View Royal’s financial position and operations. It is instrumental in preparing the annual five-year financial plan, financial statements, tax and utility billings and ensuring suppliers and employees are paid accurately and on time. Under the Finance Department, the Information Technology function is responsible for the maintenance and security of electronic information systems and the delivery of technology enabled projects, including expanding online and electronic billing services.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Citizen Budget online engagement tool was open in March in conjunction with publication of the 2021-2025 Financial Plan. The survey provided information about the five-year financial plan and showed users the impact of increasing or decreasing various service elements on their property taxes. Results collected by Citizen Budget were presented to Council and shared with the public prior to adoption of the 2021-2025 Financial Plan.
• The Town engaged a consultant to complete the work necessary to update the Information Technology Strategic Plan. In September/October, the consultant met with each department to review current state and anticipated future needs and priorities. The plan provides a high-level roadmap and investment summary to guide the planning and delivery of the various initiatives.
• For the fourth consecutive year, the Town of View Royal received the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The award was presented to the Finance Department for the 2021-2025 Financial Plan and represents a significant achievement that reflects the commitment of the Town to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. To receive the award, the Town’s budget documents were satisfactorily evaluated against standard budget criteria for effective budget presentation. The preparation of the budget is a team effort – not just the Finance team, but the whole organization, and that work is recognized and appreciated.
• The Town launched a new online tool, the Budget Variance Dashboard (the Dashboard). The Dashboard allows citizens to access detailed information about the Town’s budget and finances, providing transparency and accountability to citizens regarding municipal revenue and spending. One of the first of its kind in Canada, the Dashboard provides detailed financial and operating information that is important to local government and citizens. The Dashboard was presented at Municipal Information Services Association of BC’s annual conference and received the Spirit of Innovation Award for its solution for democratizing complex financial information.

PORTAGE PARK BEACH CLEAN-UP

In recognition of Earth Day, eight classes of students from Shoreline Middle School participated in a beach and park cleanup day at Portage Park. They combed the beach, park, and even the north end of the Thetis Cove development area.

PROTECTIVE SERVICES

The Protective Services Department includes View Royal Fire Rescue which is a composite paid and volunteer fire department responsible for fire suppression, fire inspections, and related training and education. It also encompasses policing provided under contract with the RCMP through the West Shore detachment, emergency planning and preparedness, and enforcement of municipal bylaws.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Chief Administrative Officers and the Fire Chiefs of the View Royal, Colwood and Langford met in February to discuss opportunities for advancing West Shore fire department partnerships to create potential synergies and cost savings for our respective local government.
• The Fire Chief met extensively with Capital Regional District (CRD) staff regarding Thetis Lake Park and the proposed Thetis Lake Park Emergency Response Services Cost Recovery Bylaw. As a result of these meetings, the Town agreed to suspend the bylaw due to the CRD committing to a full-time Park Ranger and Bylaw Enforcement in Thetis Lake Park for the summer months. As well, Westshore RCMP and the Fire Department had dedicated patrols and a marine presence on scheduled days in the summer.
• In July, View Royal firefighters started the new stipend overnight shift schedules. This new program, modelled after the COVID-19 staffing model, included a minimum of four firefighters on duty in the Public Safety Building 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On-duty firefighters continued to perform company fire inspections and pre-planning duties under this model. This new schedule resulted in a significant reduction in response times to fires, an increase in drill hours, and an overall improvement in departmental operations.
• View Royal Emergency Management Program staff encouraged residents to sign up for the improved public alert notification system for the Westshore called ‘Westshore Alert’. Westshore Alert notfies subscribers via phone, text, email, etc about major emergencies and disasters (ie. tsunami, earthquake, wildfire) and/or lower severity alerts (ie. traffic, weather) and gives instructions on how to stay safe.
• The Great British Columbia ShakeOut took place on October 21, 2021 with Town Hall staff participating in an associated Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Operations Centre refresher session via Microsoft Teams as well as the “drop, cover and hold” drill at their desks.

ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE

The View Royal Firefighters Association had a banner year for community fundraising initiatives. The most notable: thousands of pounds of food were collected and over $7600 was raised for the Westshore Foodbank in the Annual Food Drive in December.

2021 MUNICIPAL GOALS & OBJECTIVES

The 2019 - 2022 Strategic Plan provides an opportunity to step back, look at the bigger picture and identify a few key areas or opportunities that require special attention or emphasis. Six strategic priorities have been identified for 2019 - 2022:

• ENHANCE LIVEABILITY,
• COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH,
• ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP,
• FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE,
• GOOD GOVERNANCE, and
• COMMUNITY SAFETY AND SECURITY.

The Plan is based on ongoing public input and specifically includes input from a survey conducted in Spring 2019 following the last municipal election. It is the roadmap for Council’s decision-making and for the work of municipal staff.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY - ENHANCE LIVEABILITY IN VIEW ROYAL

GOALS:

• Shift primary transport mode within View Royal away from vehicles to walking, cycling and transit
• Access to a broad range of housing options to meet the needs of various ages, family types and incomes
• Proximity to services
• Build strong relationships and engagement through community events and celebrations

STRATEGIC PRIORITY - COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC GROWTH

GOALS:

• Private investment in redevelopment of strategic sites
• Increase skilled employment
• Business retention/attraction
• Strategic investment in public realm