OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE: WHAT WE HEARD REPORT #2
Staff report presenting feedback from the Community Growth Survey and the first engagement week for the OCP review.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT
TO: Council FROM: Stirling Scory, RPP, MCIP, Senior Planner DATE: May 6, 2025 MEETING DATE: May 13, 2025
OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN REVIEW AND UPDATE: WHAT WE HEARD REPORT #2 – COMMUNITY GROWTH SURVEY AND ENGAGEMENT WEEK #1
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report titled “Official Community Plan Review and Update: What We Heard Report #2 – Community Growth Survey and Engagement Week #1” from the Senior Planner and dated May 6, 2025, be received.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to present to Council a summary of “What We Heard” from the online Community Growth Survey that launched on March 7, 2025, and closed on April 4, 2025, and Engagement Week #1, which took place between March 8, 2025, and March 13, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
On March 7, 2025, the Town launched its Community Growth Survey, which allowed respondents to review concepts identified within the Community Development Framework, including Neighbourhood Centres, Community Corridors, and a Town Centre. The survey closed on April 4, 2025, and the Town received 176 survey responses.
During the same period, there was a social map question on the project website asking participants to use ‘pins’ to identify where they support and do not support growth. Respondents were able to provide a comment along with their pin if desired. A total of 54 pins/marks were placed on the Social Map.
To facilitate discussion and hear directly from members of the public, the Town also hosted an “Engagement Week”, which focused on in-person open houses and workshops. A summary of these events is provided in the table below.
| Date | Location | Time | Activity | Number of Participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 8, 2025 | Victoria Scottish Community Centre | 10:00 am – 2:00 pm | Open House | 42 |
| March 8, 2025 | Victoria Scottish Community Centre | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm | Workshop | 14 |
| March 12, 2025 | Town Hall | 5:00 – 8:00 pm | Open House | 26 |
| March 13, 2025 | Virtual (Microsoft Teams) | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Virtual Workshop | 6 |
| March 13, 2025 | Virtual (Microsoft Teams) | 7:00 – 8:30 pm | Virtual Workshop | 5 |
The open houses had interactive poster boards displayed around the rooms and were a replication of the Community Growth Survey. Respondents were asked to place stickers to indicate support or opposition to growth concepts, and sticky notes to provide written feedback on questions for the project. The data results are provided in Attachment 1.
The workshops focused specifically on the following three questions:
- How do we grow and develop in the future?
- What kind of services & businesses does View Royal need?
- Does the Town of View Royal need a Town Centre?
Participants had 15-minutes to discuss each question amongst themselves and with staff, with a chance to report back and discuss as a group. Each of the workshops included a brief presentation by staff prior to the workshop with information on the project an overview of key concepts. The feedback provided in the workshops are provided in Attachment 1.
To support participation and raise awareness throughout this round of engagement, the project team encouraged participation in the survey and engagement week event by spreading the word as follows:
- View Royal 2050 webpage (engage.viewroyal.ca/view-royal-2050);
- Town’s official website (viewroyal.ca):
- Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky):
- View Royal E-Newsletter:
- Engage View Royal subscriber campaigns:
- Posters:
- Project ‘business cards’:
- Stakeholder e-mails:
- Newspaper ads (Goldstream Gazette); and
- Pop-ups (Portage Park and View Royal Park).
A comprehensive analysis of the engagement completed during this period is available for review in the What We Heard Report – How We Grow (Attachment 1).
ANALYSIS:
Community Growth Survey
The Community Growth Survey consisted of 22 questions, 15 of which were focused on reviewing the current Community Development Framework (CDF) in the 2011 Official Community Plan, or general questions about growth and development. The majority of questions were quantifiable, with the remainder being open-ended qualitative format. The survey was open to anyone that lives, works, or plays in View Royal. Seven additional questions were asked that collected some general information from respondents, including their age, what neighbourhood they live in in View Royal, and whether they owned or rented. All questions were voluntary, and personal information was not collected to protect against an individual being identified.
Overall Themes:
Section 1 – Question Response Summary (Questions 1 – 15)
The following is a snapshot of the overall themes identified through the Community Growth Survey. All responses are provided in Attachment 1.
The majority of respondents indicated that they support expansion of Neighbourhood Centres over the next 20 years, as follows:
- 78% of respondents supported expansion of the Hospital Neighbourhood Centre
- 70% of respondents supported expansion of the Atkins Neighbourhood Centre
- 62% of respondents supported expansion of the Lakeside Village Neighbourhood Centre
- 59% of respondents supported expansion of the Burnside Corner Neighbourhood Centre
The majority of respondents indicated that they support expansion of Community Corridors over the next 20 years, as follows:
- 83% of respondents support expansion of the Western Gateway Community Corridor
- 82% of respondents support expansion of the Eastern Gateway Community Corridor
- 76% of respondents support expansion of the Northern Gateway Community Corridor
- 61% of respondents support expansion of the Helmcken-Harbour Community Corridor
The majority of respondents indicated that they support the concept of a Town Centre, as follows:
- 63% of respondents support the development of a Town Centre in View Royal and 52% of respondents support the Fort Victoria RV location for a future Town Centre.
Based on pins placed on a map, respondents generally identified the following areas as alternative sites for a Town Centre:
- Western Gateway Community Corridor
- Helmcken-Harbour Neighbourhood Corridor (Helmcken Road and Island Highway)
- Eagle Creek Village
- Eastern Gateway Community Corridor
- Atkins Neighbourhood Centre
The top three types of businesses or services that respondents like to see in mixed-use developments are:
- 87% of respondents would like restaurants or cafes
- 82% of respondents would like health services (doctor office, clinic, labs)
- 64% of respondents would like a grocery store
The top three responses on how the Town’s Western Gateway Community Corridor should be developed in the future are:
- 51% of respondents said commercial and light industrial uses with some residential
- 18% of respondents said commercial and light industrial uses
- 10% of respondents said residential only
The majority of respondents indicated support to increase the height of buildings within the Town’s existing Neighbourhood Centres, as follows:
- 82% of respondents indicated that they supported an increase in height in the Hospital Neighbourhood Centre, whereas 16% do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 82% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Hospital Neighbourhood Centre, 35% support 10+ storeys, 29% support up to 10 storeys, and 18% support up to 6 storeys.
- 76% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in height in the Atkins Neighbourhood Centre, whereas 26% do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 76% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Atkins Neighbourhood Centre, 18% support 10+ storeys, 29% support up to 10 storeys, and 29% support up to 6 storeys.
- 68% of respondents support an increase in height in the Lakeside Village Neighbourhood Centre, whereas 20% do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 68% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Lakeside Village Neighbourhood Centre, 14% support 10+ storeys, 19% support up to 10 storeys, and 35% support up to 6 storeys.
- 64% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in height in the Burnside Corner Neighbourhood Centre, whereas 26% do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 64% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Burnside Corner Neighbourhood Centre, 16% support 10+ storeys, 20% support up to 10 storeys, and 28% support up to 6 storeys.
The majority of respondents indicated support to increase the height of buildings within the Town’s existing Community Corridors, as follows:
- 78% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in the height in the Western Gateway Community Corridor, whereas 17% of respondents do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 78% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Western Gateway Community Corridor, 21% support 10+ storeys, 33% support up to 10 storeys, and 24% support up to 6 storeys.
- 77% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in height in the Eastern Gateway Community Corridor, whereas 19% of respondents do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 77% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Eastern Gateway Community Corridor, 22% support 10+ storeys, 24% support up to 10 storeys, and 31% support up to 6 storeys.
- 73% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in height in the Northern Gateway Community Corridor, whereas 20% of respondents do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 73% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Northern Gateway Community Corridor, 21% support 10+ storeys, 25% support up to 10 storeys, and 27% support up to 6 storeys.
- 61% of respondents indicated that they support an increase in height in the Helmcken-Harbour Community Corridor, whereas 32% do not support an increase in height.
- Of the 61% of respondents that indicated support for an increase in height in the Helmcken-Harbour Community Corridor, 13% support 10+ storeys, 14% support up to 10 storeys, and 34% support up to 6 storeys.
The top five factors that respondents indicated would influence their support for taller buildings are as follows:
- 33% of respondents said felt that the building and site design would influence their decision to support taller buildings
- 29% of respondents felt that density (number of people/units) would impact their decision to support taller buildings
- 23% of respondents were conscious of the building character/height transition between existing neighbourhoods and the impact of new development on these areas
- 16% of respondents felt strongly that affordable housing had to be included if the height of a building was to be increased
- 14% of respondents felt strongly that proximity to transportation to service residents was important
Section 2 – Demographics: Who are we hearing from? (Questions 16 -22)
The following is a summary of the voluntary information that was provided by respondents in the “tell us about yourself” section of the survey:
- 93% of respondents live in View Royal
- 24% of respondents live in the Harbour Neighbourhood
- 20% of respondents are between the ages of 40 and 44 years old
- 69% of respondents live in a single detached house
- 83% of respondents own their home
- 25% of respondents or someone in their household is a caregiver for children
- 34% of respondents said found out about the public engagement process through social media
Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:
| Impact Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Community Impact: | Engagement during an OCP review and update provides an opportunity for the public to be involved in a critical municipal policy and land use-decision making process. |
| Financial Implication: | The Community Growth Survey and Engagement Week are within the project scope and budget. |
| Inter-governmental Relations Impact: | The Town is expected to complete required inter governmental referrals to neighbouring municipalities and provincial ministries to notify them of the OCP update as the project advances. |
ALIGNMENT:
The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:
Strategic Plan:
- Enhance Liveability
- Goal 5: Build strong relationships and engagement through community events and celebrations.
- Community Engagement and Good Governance
- Goal 1: Strong and active citizen participation in community engagement in Town of View Royal meetings, open houses, surveys, budget development.
Official Community Plan:
- 2011 OCP: Community Vision and OCP Framework, Goal: 9
- Ensure that all citizens of View Royal have opportunities to be informed and meaningfully involved in planning and decision making processes.
Other Policy Documents:
- N/A
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:
The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:
[X] Inform [ ] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A
TIME CRITICAL:
This report is not time critical.
CONCURRENCE:
| Role | Initials | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Administrative Officer | SS | I concur with the recommendation. |
REVIEWED BY:
| Role | Initials |
|---|---|
| Director of Corporate Administration/Deputy CAO | N/A |
| Director of Finance & Technology | N/A |
| Director of Development Services | LT |
| Director of Engineering | N/A |
| Director of Protective Services | N/A |
ATTACHMENTS:
- What We Heard Report #2 – How We Grow, May 2025
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