Council recently adopted a new Strategic Plan — a future-focused plan that will guide our community from 2024 to 2027. The plan is built on the community direction provided by the Official Community Plan as well as what we heard from the 2023 Community Satisfaction Survey and community feedback.
How We are Putting Vision into Action
The Strategic Plan is actioned through new and existing work by the District, from ensuring we have enough funds put aside to replace aging infrastructure to investing in needed community improvements. Check out CSaanich.ca/Plans(External link)
Each January, the District publishes its Draft Financial Plan. It’s at this point each year when Council can assess what grants the District has received, how investments are performing, and the extent to which new projects can be funded.
Focusing on our Financial Future
To ensure our infrastructure is well maintained and a financial plan is in place that won’t unfairly burden future taxpayers, the District’s Asset Management Plan sets Central Saanich up for resiliency. The Plan lists the state of our assets (such as roads and buildings) and details our financial model: where we are at, where we are going and how we are getting there.
Accelerating Active Transportation
We're accelerating planned improvements to our active transportation network. The District has earmarked $10.4 million in investments over the next five years thanks to a $5.5 million grant from the province’s Growing Communities Fund. Timing is coordinated with upcoming road, sewer and water infrastructure works to be cost effective, as well as future land developments and external funding opportunities (see Active Transportation Plan)
2024-2027 Anticipated Schedule
| Start | Project | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bike Lanes Wallace Drive | 2025 |
| Crosswalk Wallace Drive at North end of Willow Way | 2024 | |
| Pathway Wallace Drive (Stelly's Secondary to Willow Way) | 2025 | |
| Bike Lane East Saanich Rd (Wallace Drive to Polo Park Cres) | 2025 | |
| Bike Lane Wallace Drive (Prosser Rd to Mt Newton X Rd) | 2024 | |
| Pathway Wallace Drive (Hovey Rd to Prosser Rd) | 2025 | |
| Pathway Central Saanich Rd | 2026 | |
| Pathway Mt Newton (Saanichton to Hwy 17) | 2025 | |
| 2025 | Bike Lane East Saanich Rd | 2025 |
| Bike Lane & Sidewalk Improvements Tanner Road | 2025 | |
| 2026 | Bike Facility ‐ Brentwood Bay Community Hall | 2026 |
| Sidewalk Design Wallace Dr (Marchant to Sluggett) | 2027 | |
| Pathway Design Hagan Rd (Wallace to Clarke) | 2027 | |
| 2026 | Pedestrian Crossing Marigold neighbourhood | 2027 |
Exploring Civic Redevelopment
The District owns two large properties with aging buildings requiring replacement. The 2021/22 Strategic Plan highlighted the need for a study, now underway, to explore redevelopment. The study seeks to find ways the sites can best contribute to the vision for the growing community by providing needed community amenities and diverse housing opportunities, in addition to municipal facilities.
The properties include 1903 Mt Newton Cross Rd, home of the Municipal Hall, Police Services and Fire Hall #2, and 1703 Keating Cross Road, home of the Municipal Yard. All of the buildings are at the end of their useful lives and require replacement to address seismic and accessibility deficiencies, energy efficiency and to meet post-disaster standards.
This is an opportunity that only comes around once every 50+ years to reimagine public spaces and design multi-functional buildings that enable us to provide more amenities and integrate space for needed services in our community.
If the feasibility study finds there are viable options, concepts and financing will be carefully looked at and shared with the community in 2024.
Follow the project: LetsTalkCentralSaanich/RedevelopmentofMunicipalFacilities
Building Missing Middle Housing
Central Saanich recognizes our housing options need to be more diverse, and we are working to encourage more secondary suites, rental housing, missing middle housing (carriage houses, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, etc.), below-marketing housing and more. While the District needs more housing, it must fit the vision articulated in the Official Community Plan, Saanichton Village Design Plan and Residential Infill and Densification Guidelines.
Agricultural and Rural Housing
The District is exploring ways to incentivize more secondary suites, cottages and carriage homes. This includes allowing more dwellings on agricultural lands, as supported by the Agricultural Land Commission. See letstalkcentralsaanich.ca/alr-ruralhousing to learn more.