TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT: ZONING BYLAW NO. 900, 2014, AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 1160, 2025 (October 20, 2025)

ZONING BYLAW NO. 900, 2014, AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 1160, 2025 TO AMEND THE CD-26 ZONE FOR 258 HELMCKEN ROAD

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, Amendment Bylaw No. 1160, 2025 receive first and second reading and a public hearing date be set.

ALTERNATIVE OPTION:

THAT Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, Amendment Bylaw No. 1160, 2025 be declined.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to introduce Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, Amendment Bylaw No. 1160, 2025 to amend the Island Highway / Helmcken Comprehensive Development Zone (CD-26) zone to permit additional commercial uses at 258 Helmcken Road (“The Royale”) and convey information from the proponent’s community consultation.

BACKGROUND:

The initial proposal to add Café, Medical Clinic, Office, and Retail as permitted commercial uses can be found in the staff report (see Attachment A) that was introduced at the September 9, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting. At the meeting the Committee passed the following resolution:

COW-25-25 THAT the Committee recommend to Council to instruct staff to prepare the necessary Zoning Bylaw amendments to amend the CD-26: Island Highway/Helmcken Comprehensive Development Zone as follows:

a. Add Café, Medical Clinic, Office, and Retail as permitted uses; and b. Add a condition that Café, Medical Clinic, Office, and Retail uses, with the exception of parking, are only permitted on the ground floor of a building;

AND THAT first and second reading of the Zoning Bylaw amendment be considered by Council and a public hearing date be set.

At the September 16, 2025, Council meeting, the Committee of the Whole resolution was not ratified. Instead, Council carried the following motion:

C-142-25 THAT staff work with the developer of 258 Helmcken Road to achieve the intent of the grocery store originally envisioned by Council, recognizing this may be accomplished through separate partitioned businesses.

ANALYSIS:

The primary uses permitted in the CD-26 zone are Residential Apartment and Neighbourhood Grocery. As the applicant explains in Attachment B, it is proposed that the CD-26 zone be amended to permit the following commercial uses (Zoning Bylaw Definitions can be found in Attachment C) in addition to Neighbourhood Grocery:

• Café
• Medical Clinic
• Personal Service Establishment*
• Retail Store.

*Personal Service Establishment is a new use requested by the proponent as those uses tend to be neighbourhood focused.

In addition to the proposed uses, conditions for the above commercial uses would include the following:

a. With the exception of parking, the proposed uses may only be located on the first storey (same as for Neighbourhood Grocery) b. Hours of operation between 6:00am and 10:00p.m. daily (same as for Neighbourhood Grocery) c. A minimum floor area of 150 m² on the first storey shall be allocated to a Café use. A leasing survey (Attachment D) confirms that the floor space of most leases for new builds over the past few years are in this range.

The initial request to permit Office Use has been removed from the proposal, following discussion at the Committee of Whole meeting. The reasons for removing “office use” are due to these uses generally having a lack of strong commercial draw for surrounding neighbourhoods and do not animate the streetscape as street-level.

It should be noted that parking variances may be required for some uses depending on the unit mix, which would be brought forward in a subsequent development variance permit application for Council’s consideration.

Discussion

Rezoning to partition Neighbourhood Grocery use into constituent uses only (e.g. produce market, bakery, delicatessen, dry goods etc.) would restrict the opportunity for this space to be viable in the future. A wider range of commercial uses that are suitable for mixed-use buildings and urban villages should be permitted to enliven this neighbourhood centre as envisioned by the OCP.

The proposal can be supported for the following reasons:

1. Compliance with current Official Community Plan The proposed land uses are consistent with the Official Community Plan (OCP) “Neighbourhood Centre” designation, which supports commercial with apartments up to 6 storeys.

The subject property is in the heart of the Harbour-Helmcken Community Corridor at the Island Highway intersection with Helmcken Road. The OCP vision for the corridor (see Attachment E) is for street-oriented small format commercial development that would serve local residents in both the Harbour and Helmcken neighbourhoods. Revitalization of this corridor would reinforce the Island Highway-Helmcken Road intersection as an important crossroads in the community.

2. Neighbourhood Grocery use would still be permitted Leasing efforts during the three years after the development permit was issued in 2022 indicate that market conditions are not suitable for a neighbourhood grocery to occupy the entire commercial space on the ground floor. Notwithstanding, proposed Bylaw No. 1160 would preserve Neighbourhood Grocery as a permitted use so that a neighbourhood grocery at a smaller scale is still possible.

3. Cafés are an ideal community gathering place While the rezoning focussed on a Neighbourhood Grocery as the sole commercial use to provide service for the neighbourhood, the use that would be the most effective as a community gathering place would be a café with outdoor patio. The applicant is willing to secure a minimum floor area of 150m² for a Café use on the ground floor to provide an activated street front.

4. Complementary small-scale commercial uses help create an urban village The proposed uses are commonly seen in commercial residential mixed-use buildings. They can help to add vibrancy to the pedestrian streetscape, provide services within walking distance of the Harbour and Helmcken neighbourhoods. Furthermore, the applicant indicates there is neighbourhood interest in a wider range of uses such as Medical Clinic, which is not limited to medical doctors’ offices only.

There are many local examples of mixed-use buildings with uses similar to what is proposed in Bylaw 1160 that foster community interaction and a sense of place as shown in Figure 1. These small businesses, especially cafés, depend on foot traffic as well nearby residential density to be viable. Demising the space could allow complementary uses that support each other. For example, a health and wellness related use could increase foot traffic to support a café or neighbourhood grocery use.

It is recommended that the application advance to a public hearing for public comment on additional commercial uses that can anchor the Island Highway / Helmcken Road intersection, revitalize the Harbour-Helmcken Community Corridor as envisioned in the OCP, and provide a walkable destination, small-scale local-oriented services and a community gathering place for the residents of the Harbour and Helmcken neighbourhoods.

Proponent’s Community Consultation

The proponent has submitted an analysis of exit surveys (see Attachment F) from a community meeting on the proposal held on August 19, 2025. The proponent advised staff that:

• notices of the meeting were delivered by the project team to residences within 400m of the subject property, which staff notes is the same radius used for public hearing mail notifications
• approximately 50 people attended
• attendees were local residents and neighbours, primarily from:
  • The Royale (subject property)
  • Lions Cove residences
  • Ashley Gate Townhomes
  • nearby Island Highway properties
  • a total of 16 exit surveys were submitted.

The applicant concludes that “community feedback from the [neighbourhood meeting] indicates strong general support for the proposed amendment to allow broader commercial uses, particularly a neighbourhood café and medical services. Respondents value local character, daytime-only operations, and services that benefit seniors and nearby residents.”

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Strategic Plan: Vision: The local economy is diversified and strong, providing employment, shopping, and service options to local and regional residents.

Official Community Plan: Residential and commercial mixed uses are supported on this site within the Neighbourhood Centre land use designation.

Policy LU1.4 Diversity of Forms and Uses Support a variety of residential and commercial forms and uses to encourage socio-economic diversity, and provide for the diverse needs of youth, families and an aging population.

Other Policy Documents: Community Climate Action Strategy – Big Move: Shift Beyond the Car - Strategy 1.1.3: Allow for more mixed used and greater density along corridors (especially those well served by transit), and close to service and employment areas

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

☐ Inform ☒ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower ☐ N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

There are no timing considerations for the Town.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

A. “Development Variance Permit 2025-02 - 157 View Royal Avenue” – Senior Planner, September 25, 2025 B. Letter from Applicant C. Zoning Bylaw excerpt – definitions D. Coffee shop and medical office lease comparables - Colliers International, September 16, 2025 E. OCP Harbour-Helmcken Community Corridor statements F. Community Workshop Exit Surveys and Analysis