Official Community Plan

• Download the Official Community Plan 2008 (PDF) Here (4.6MB)
• What is the Official Community Plan (OCP)?
• Where can I get a copy of the New Official Community Plan?
• How was the New Official Community Plan prepared?
• Where can I find general information on Community Planning?
• Contact Planning Staff.

What is the Official Community Plan (OCP)?

The Official Community Plan (OCP) applies to the entire municipality and is the principal policy document that Council uses to make decisions on matters such as: land use; growth management; design of the built environment; protection of the environment; transportation and mobility; economic development; infrastructure; and housing needs. The Official Community Plan is basically a tool to help Council and citizens manage change in our community.

The Official Community Plan is not a static document.  To remain relevant the Official Community Plan will evolve over time to reflect the changing needs and desires of the community.  Typically Official Community Plans are reviewed every 5-10 years, with Council, the public, staff and other key stakeholders, to determine if the vision, goals and objectives of the document are still valid, and where the document might need to be altered to reflect changes in our community. In addition, the Official Community Plan needs to be updated on a regular basis to ensure that it reflects current practices, policies and procedures.

A number of other policy documents work in tandem with the Official Community Plan, such as: 12 Local Area Plans; a number of Action Plans; and the Development Permit Area Guidelines. All of these policy documents must conform to the policies of the Official Community Plan, but are meant to capture issues unique to neighbourhoods or other specified areas within Saanich.

The Official Community Plan also works in tandem with the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) which is administered by the Capital Regional District. The purpose of the Regional Growth Strategy is to encourage the Regional District and member municipalities to prepare for growth and future change in an integrated manner.  The Official Community Plan of each municipality within the Capital Region must acknowledge and account for the eight strategic initiatives of the Regional Growth Strategy, namely:

• Keep urban settlement compact;
• Protect the integrity of rural communities;
• Protect regional green and blue space;
• Manage natural resources and the environment sustainably;
• Build complete communities;
• Improve housing affordability;
• Increase transportation choice; and
• Strengthen the regional economy

Where can I get a copy of the New Official Community Plan?

• Online
• Hard Copies, can be purchased at the Saanich Planning Department, Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Avenue ($15 per Black & White Copy (with colour maps), $25 per full colour copy.)
• Reference Copies are available for viewing at the Saanich Planning Department.

How was the New Official Community Plan prepared?

The general steps or phases of the 2007 – 2008 Official Community Plan review were as follows:

Public and Stakeholder input was collected through a variety of means to ensure as many, and as broad range of citizens as possible could participate in the review process.  Input was collected through:

• Surveys (online, paper and telephone)
• Open Houses
• Focus Groups
• Written and verbal feedback throughout the review process
• Neighbourhood Associations
• Stakeholder Groups

Where can I find general information on Community Planning?

For general information on community planning you may wish to review the web links below, speak with Saanich Planning staff, visit the web-site and/or offices of the CRD Regional Planning Department (regarding the growth strategy), or explore your local library or bookstore.

Official Community Plan

Section 1.0 Introduction  (PDF 379 KB) 2.0 Vision (PDF 115 KB) 3.0 Planning Context  (PDF 245 KB)   3.1 Physical Setting   3.2 Past and Present   3.3 Residents   3.4 Planning Framework   3.5 Regional Context 4.0 Environmental Integrity (PDF 1.4 MB)   4.1 Natural Environment     4.1.1 Climate Change     4.1.2 A Sustainable Ecosystem   4.2 Built Environment     4.2.1 Sustainable Land Use     4.2.2 Urban Design & Accessibility     4.2.3 Centres & Villages     4.2.4 Neighbourhoods     4.2.5 Rural     4.2.6 Institutional     4.2.7 Industrial     4.2.8 Parks, Trails, Open Space & Vistas     4.2.9 Mobility     4.2.10 Public Infrastructure 5.0 Social Well-Being  (PDF 929 KB)   5.1 Basic Needs     5.1.1 Agriculture & Food Security     5.1.2 Housing     5.1.3 Employment     5.1.4 Public Health & Safety   5.2 Strengthening Community     5.2.1 Community Involvement & Partnerships     5.2.2 Recreation     5.2.3 Arts & Culture     5.2.4 Heritage 6.0 Economic Vibrancy  (PDF 572 KB)   6.1 Economic Infrastructure   6.2 Diversification and Enhancement 7.0 Taking Action and Tracking Progress  (PDF 714 KB)   7.1 Implementation   7.2 Indicators   7.3 Regional Context Statement Appendices   A.1 Glossary  (PDF 118 KB)   A.2 Local Area Plans (PDF 118 KB)   A.3 Bylaw & Amendments (PDF 159) Maps Map 1 Environmentally Sensitive Areas (596 KB) Map 2 Urban Forest (1.6 mb) Map 3 Watersheds, Waterways and Floodplains (646 KB) Map 4 Urban Containment and Villages and Centres (346 KB) Map 5 Development Permit Areas (678 KB) Map 6 General Land Use (314 KB) Map 7 Institutional Lands (299 KB) Map 8 Industrial Lands (245 KB) Map 9 Parks, Recreation, Trails & Open Space (394 KB) Map 10 Greenways (320 KB) Map 11 View Corridors (4.8 MB) Map 12 Bicycle Network (296 KB) Map 13 Pedestrian Network (306 KB) Map 14 Transit Network (290 KB) Map 15 Road Network (298 KB) Map 16 Water Infrastructure (294 KB) Map 17 Storm Water Infrastructure (405 KB) Map 18 Sewer Infrastructure (344 KB) Map 19 Agricultural Lands (300 KB) Map 20 Cultural Resources (342 KB) Map 21 Heritage Resources (357 KB) Map 22 Local Areas (305 KB)

Survey Results Earlier this year Malatest Consulting, on behalf of the District, contacted a random cross section of Saanich residents by telephone. Residents contacted by Malatest were asked to provide feedback on future community planning in Saanich, based on a survey covering a broad range of issues. The same survey used during the telephone interviews could also be completed online. Paper copies of the survey were also available at all of the Saanich Community Centres, at the Municipal Hall, and at two public Open Houses. Notices were placed in the Saanich News, Times Colonist and on the Saanich web page regarding opportunities to provide input on the Community Plan update. Survey Questions It is important to note that the survey results have been split into the two response categories as outlined below. Statistically Significant results reflect those surveys completed by telephone. These results are statistically significant as the selection of individuals to complete the survey was random, and the sample size was large enough to give us an accurate reflection of how the greater Saanich community feels about an issue. Self Selecting results reflect those surveys completed on-line or paper copies completed at an Open House or at one of the Community Centres or at the Municipal Hall. This group is referred to as "Self Selectors" because they made the active choice to obtain and complete the survey, rather than being randomly selected. The results from the "Self Selecting" group are fairly similar to the "Statistically Significant" group. The results from the survey, along with other forms of stakeholder input have been used to inform the writing of the Official Community Plan. RESULTS Community Priorities and Arts & Culture Housing Issues Personal Decisions General Growth Management Local Agriculture Demographics Open ended Questions COMMUNITY PRIORITIES AND ARTS & CULTURE How important are the following issues to Saanich in the coming years. a. Making efforts to lessen the impacts of climate change. b. Taking action to protect the natural environment. c. Encouraging people to use alternative transportation (e.g., walk, bus, bike, carpool) d. Ensuring that young people and families can afford to live here. How important are the following experiences to you. a. Viewing public art in parks, squares, and other public spaces. b. Attending a live performance in a local park. c. Attending live theatre in your community. d. Attending a municipally-sponsored festival (e.g., Gorge Canada Day Event, Strawberry Festival) e. Participating in activities at a local school. GENERAL GROWTH MANAGEMENT In order to accommodate future residential growth in Saanich, additional housing will be required.  How supportive are you of residential buildings of the following height in "Major Centres". a. 3 to 4 stories b. 5 to 8 stories c. 9 to 12 stories d. 13 to 16 stories e. 17 to 20 stories f. 21 stories or more Major Centres are areas adjacent to: (1) Hillside Mall, (2) University Heights Mall, (3) Tillicum Mall, (4) Town and Country Mall and (5) Royal Oak/Broadmead Mall. How supportive are you of each of the following options for managing future traffic demands. a. Widen existing roads to accommodate more cars. b. Create dedicated transit lanes for buses so they can bypass vehicle congestion. c. Create dedicated High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes (buses and two or more people per vehicle). d. Make biking to work a more realistic option by developing more bike lanes. e. Make biking to work a more realistic option by encouraging shower and change facilities in all commercial/office developments. f. Encourage the development of a range of housing adjacent to major employment or commercial centres. HOUSING ISSUES Saanich has a number of different options for encouraging more affordable housing. How supportive are you of each of the following options. a. Legalize basement/secondary suites. b. Encourage smaller single-family lots in existing residential neighbourhoods. c. Allow for conversion of single-family houses to duplexes/tri-plexes/four-plexes. d. Build affordable housing overtop or adjacent to Saanich recreation centres. e. Require developers to set aside 10% of the multiple family units they build for affordable housing. f. Increase the property taxes in Saanich by $5 per year and use the money to build more affordable housing. Currently for the owner of an average single family home in Saanich, assessed at a value of $492,000, $6.50 of their total residential taxes goes towards building affordable housing in the Region. This money administered through the Capital Regional District, Regional Housing Affordability Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is overseen by a board, with repersentation from each of the participating municipalities. Participating municipalities include Saanich, Victoria, Esquimalt, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Metchosin, View Royal, and Sooke. If secondary suites were to be legalized, please tell us how important you feel it would be to have the following controls in place. a. Allow only one secondary suite per house. b. Do not allow secondary suites to occupy more than 40% of the single-family dwelling's total floor area. c. Require the appearance of the single-family dwelling from the street to be maintained (e.g., the frot door to the suite must be from the side or rear of the building). d. Require one additional off-street parking spot to be provided. e. Increase enforcement of nuisance bylaws (e.g. noise). Increased enforcement would not involve hiring bylaw enforcement officers. Rather, the duties of officers would be reallocated to focus more or their time on complaints arising from Secondary Suites. f. Require houses with a secondary suite to be owner-occupied. LOCAL AGRICULTURE How supportive are you of the following actions for encouraging local agriculture. a. Protecting existing farmland from development. b. Encouraging the sale of locally grown farm products in neigbourhoods. c. Subsidizing local farmers. d. Ensuring water service is provided to all agricultural lands. e. Supporting agri-tourism (e.g., Corn Maze). PERSONAL DECISIONS If you were to relocate to a new home, what would be the farthest you would be willing to locate from each of the following? a. Travel time to work. b. Travel time to grocery shopping. c. Travel time to schools. As you age into your 70s, 80s, and 90s, what changes would you consider making in order to be able to continue living in your home and/or neighbourhood? a. Move to a townhouse that is within walking distance of basic commercial services and public transit. b. Move to a condominiuim/apartment that is within walking distance of basic commercial services and public transit. c. Rent out a room/suite in my home to someone who can provide or help me with the services I require (e.g., housekeeping, shopping, basic health care). d. Make alterations to my home to accommodate my physical changes (e.g., stair lift, wheelchair access, grab bars in the tub, etc.). e. Move to a supportive seniors' facility that provides basic services (e.g., meals, laundry, transportation, etc.). DEMOGRAPHICS What is your gender? How long have you lived in Saanich? Into which age category do you fall? Which neighbourhood do you live in? Do you rent or own your dwelling? Which of the following best describes your dwelling? Where do you work or go to school? Annual household income (gross income-before taxes)? OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS What do you want Saanich to look like in 30 years ? Is there any other community planning issue that we have missed in this survey and that you think the District of Saanich should address ?

Contact Planning Staff