I was one of the outsiders [to Cadboro Bay] who responded to the Local Area Plan survey and was thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Having grown up steps from the village, I moved away for work opportunities but hope to return when I semi-retire in a few years. I have been tracking the real estate market and development applications and am disappointed in the lack of condo/townhouse options. Almost every development application listed on the Saanich Municipal website is for yet another single-family lot. The Local Area Plan was very enlightening regarding Cadboro Bay’s failure to increase density in the twenty years I have been gone. The demographic data futher emphasizes that the neighbourhood remains virtually unchanged since my departure, with an abundance of aging, single-family homeowners reaping the rewards of escalating real estate prices, while those not yet in the market, see their ability for home ownership slipping away.
I thought the Local Area Plan was fantastic. It provides a chance to welcome more residents into a fabulous community at price-points that are not currently available. It also offers more options for those who want to get out of their single-family home, but remain in the area.The emphasis on increasing the commercial spaces at the village to allow for a truly walkable neighbourhood is something we should all be striving for.
Warm regards,
Annette Floyd
Hello Annette, I understand your concern, but local democracy doesn’t work that way. There is a reason why only locals get to vote in a local process, so that they are not manipulated by outside interests, this is a very basic concept enshrined in Democracy, one that is being attacked by the Minister of Housing David Eby: https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/360682/B-C-prepares-to-remove-some-housing-approval-powers-from-local-governments-minister