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NEWS REVIEW
Watch for breaking news at www.vicnews.com
Friday, July 18, 2014
Steven Heywood/News staff
Speakers lined up for four hours Monday night during a public hearing to express their support for, or opposition to, increased housing density and new projects in North Saanich.
North Saanich supports housing change Council sticks to its guns on the divisive issue of increasing housing density and development Steven Heywood News staff
North Saanich Councillor Craig Mearns agrees both sides of the debate over housing do not want to change the atmosphere and culture of their community and says what Monday night’s public hearing will do is add diversity without a drastic impact. Mayor Alice Finall says it’s unrealistic to think that the housing developments proposed in North
Saanich will not change the community in a significant way. Mearns and the council majority, Dunstan Browne, Ted Daly and Conny McBride led the voting on seven bylaw and official community plan amendments which will allow increased residential housing density in specific locations within North Craig Mearns Alice Finall Saanich. The result sent the large audience at the Bodine Hall the crowd was clearly in support at the Mary Winspear Centre into of the change. Monday’s public hearing was applause and cheering, as most of
well-attended and many speakers took to the microphone to express their opinions on council’s work to designate increased housing densities in two parts of the district — the Canora and Rideau road area and along McDonald Park Road. Both areas have development proposals pending, which could see the construction of up to 164 new units on lots smaller than what has been the norm in North Saanich. The hearing Monday night
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included phased development agreements for those projects. Council’s vote moved them closer to reality. It’s a reality most of the people at the public hearing want to see happen. A majority of the speakers supported changes to the district’s regional context statement (RCS) and official community plan (OCP) as well as the development plans. PleaSe See: OCP review could happen, page 3
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