Context
Housing quality, choice, and affordability are essential for a healthy, diverse, and prosperous community. As new individuals and families continue to move to the District, increasing the diversity of housing types and sizes will be important for meeting the needs of both existing and future residents.
A slow and steady growth rate of approximately 1% a year has been the trend in Central Saanich, which is anticipated to continue into the future. The 2020 Housing Needs Report notes the five-year anticipated need for housing (2020-2025) as 557 units distributed as follows: 241 1-bedroom/ studio, 217 2-bedroom, 99 3+ bedroom units. In addition, the findings suggest a need for housing for couples without children (232), families (117), and non-family (208) households.
According to the 2019 Housing Capacity, Needs Assessment and Growth Projections report, accommodating the projected growth within the Urban Containment Boundary would be difficult without policy intervention. At this time, the District’s housing strategy is to increase and diversify our housing stock through the infill and densification policies of the OCP. This strategy should serve our housing needs until 2036. However, ongoing consideration of future policy amendments, housing programs, and identified housing needs will continue to be evaluated.
Carefully managed growth can ensure greater physical and social health amongst residents, preservation of agricultural lands and natural areas, efficient use of existing infrastructure, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy efficiency of buildings, and respect for rural and small-town character and quality of life. To do this, the OCP promotes housing diversity and housing affordability, a high standard of residential design and construction, and compact, walkable communities.
A. Managed Growth
Accommodate residential growth for the projected population within the Urban Containment Boundary, which has generally been approximately 1% a year in Central Saanich.
B. Low Impact, Walkable
Encourage settlement patterns that reduce the District’s carbon footprint by minimizing GHG emissions from transportation and buildings by creating compact, walkable communities.
C. Diverse and Affordable
Promote housing diversity and housing affordability for current and future residents of all incomes, ages, abilities, and household arrangements.
D. Housing for All
Encourage the creation of affordable, rental and special needs housing in the District and support various tenure options to ensure adequate housing for a range of income levels and needs in the community, including housing for First Nations.
E. High Quality Design
Encourage a high standard of residential design and construction towards enhancing community character and quality of life.
F. Climate Action
Acknowledge that housing is within the District’s realm of responsibility and influence, and continue to advance climate mitigation and adaptation measures as part of housing proposals through improved energy efficiency, more sustainable building materials, and site and building design.
1. Focus new residential and mixed-use residential/commercial development within the Urban Containment Boundary in the form of infill and densification as designated on Schedule F: Land Use Plan. Uses outside of this boundary should be rural, agricultural, or open space.
2. Encourage innovative and site-sensitive housing and subdivision designs that reduce storm water runoff, demonstrate energy efficiency in building performance, and demonstrate a sensitive response to the site and its context, particularly the retention of trees. Proposals should use energy efficient design that incorporates alternative forms of energy including earth energy (geo-exchange) and solar energy sources, and meet the tree density target of 50 trees/ ha as required by the Tree Management Bylaw.
3. Within the established commercial village centres of Brentwood Bay and Saanichton, support apartments or mixed-use buildings (commercial/ residential) higher than 5 storeys when they provide a community benefit such as:
- a. Affordable, seniors, or supportive housing;
- b. Public park, public plaza, or community space;
- c. BC Energy Step Code - Step 5 or highest applicable Step for the type of construction (Passive House);
- d. Significant pedestrian/cycling infrastructure;
- e. At least one floor is predominantly devoted to medical services or other healthcare benefits to the community;
- f. A significant community amenity contribution is provided to contribute toward achieving an identified off-site amenity; or
- g. Other significant community benefits identified through a public process.
4. Within the established commercial Village Centres of Brentwood Bay and Saanichton, single storey development is discouraged. Mixed use development at higher densities is the development form that is most encouraged. Mixed use buildings should have commercial services at the street level.
5. Along main travel corridors (e.g., Wallace Drive, East Saanich Road, West Saanich Road, and Verdier Avenue), support moderate and high-density housing forms, including townhouses and apartments up to 4 storeys, where it can be demonstrated that the development is sensitive to the surrounding neighbourhood. The geographical extent of where moderate and high-density housing along main travel corridors is supported as shown on Schedule F: Land Use Plan as “Main Corridor Development”. These development proposals would require approval from Council for amendments to this OCP and the Land Use Bylaw, and require a Development Permit to ensure the form and character is consistent with guidelines and sensitive to the neighbourhood context.
6. A transition in land use from predominantly single-detached residential to higher density, multi-unit residential or commercial/mixed-use is encouraged in the following locations as identified by Land Use Designation:
- a. Dignan Road between West Saanich Road and Stelly’s Cross Road; and
- b. In the central core area of Saanichton Village.
7. The District recognizes that for the lands identified in Policy 6 above, a transition from single-detached to higher density Multi-unit Residential or Commercial/ Mixed Use can be more complex and require more time to redevelop. The following considerations apply:
- a. Land assembly is required to create sufficient land base to support higher density;
- b. Redevelopment should avoid resulting in an orphaned single detached property that would not feasibly be redeveloped otherwise;
- c. Highest density and intensity of redevelopment plans should be oriented toward the major roadways; and
- d. Sensitive transition to adjacent single-detached homes must be considered.
8. Support a more intensive form of residential development on serviced lands at the intersection of Keating Cross Road and West Saanich Road, in conjunction with tourist-oriented uses on parcels that are designated Tourist Commercial lying south of Keating Cross Road and east of West Saanich Road.
9. Encourage underground parking in apartment and mixed-used developments of 3 or more storeys to enhance overall site design and landscaping opportunities.
10. Encourage development applications that address identified housing gaps. In particular, favourable consideration will be given to:
- a. Family oriented rental housing;
- b. Rental housing for seniors;
- c. Affordable, below market housing;
- d. Housing for First Nations or W̱SÁNEĆ Nations;
- e. Proposals that improve housing diversity, particularly those that allow people to remain in the community as they age (i.e., compact, ground oriented);
- f. Fully accessible and adaptable housing; g. Proposals designed for workforce housing, including farm workers, healthcare and emergency personnel; and
- h. Various forms of supportive housing and multi-level care facilities.
11. Encourage small, more compact housing forms and alternative forms of ownership such as cooperative housing, to provide more affordable housing options for a range of lifestyles and income levels.
12. Encourage a social mix within individual developments by mixing housing types and tenure-ship arrangements throughout the community. Support a mix of housing tenures, including market ownership, affordable homeownership, purpose-built rental housing, non-market rental housing, cooperative housing, cohousing, multi-generational housing and other alternative housing forms that may provide more affordable housing options.
13. Support the creation of new and the retention of existing rental housing within Central Saanich and discourage the conversion of rental housing of three or more units to strata ownership.
14. Require covenants to prohibit a strata bylaw from introducing rental restrictions as a condition of development approval.
15. Encourage the provision of at least 10% of dwelling units as affordable housing in new attached or multi-unit residential or mixed-use residential/commercial development. Ideally this would be in the form that addresses an identified housing gap. Cash in lieu of the provision of affordable housing units for inclusion into the District Affordable Housing Fund may be considered.
16. Within residential neighbourhoods, support secondary suites and a mix of infill housing forms, including small lots, panhandle lots, pocket neighbourhoods, duplexes, small scale multi-unit development and townhouses, where they are consistent with infill design guidelines.
17. Pocket neighbourhoods build on the concept of clustering buildings on a site physically by incorporating an intentional design approach that fosters social interaction and creates a strong sense of neighbourliness. To encourage pocket neighbourhood developments, support increasing the density with respect to the number of permitted dwelling units, where dwelling units are size limited and sited around an open space designed to create a communal neighbourhood that fosters social interaction.
18. Support a gradual transition of building density and massing from higher density Village Centres and main corridors to lower density neighbourhoods (see Figure 1 to the right).
19. Support detached accessory dwellings, accessory to a single-detached dwelling, as an alternative to a secondary suite. The two types of detached accessory dwellings supported in the District include:
- a. Cottages: one storey detached accessory dwellings that are incidental, subordinate, and exclusively devoted to the principal residential use. Cottages are supported in residential neighbourhoods within the Urban Containment Boundary and on Rural and Agricultural designated lands.
- b. Carriage Houses: two storey detached accessory dwellings that are incidental, subordinate, and exclusively devoted to the principal residential use. Carriage houses are supported on Rural and Agricultural designated lands.
20. Consider tiny homes (detached accessory dwelling on wheels) as an alternative to a Cottage, where they comply with BC Building Code, or an alternative health and safety standard, and are connected to municipal water, sanitary sewer, and storm drainage services. Tiny Homes are one storey detached accessory dwellings designed to be capable of being transported and relocated to different sites, which may or may not be constructed with wheels, which are incidental, subordinate, and exclusively devoted to the principal residential use.
21. Discourage variances to increase the building height of detached accessory dwelling units. Variances should only be considered where:
- a. The predominant building height on adjacent properties is two storeys;
- b. The principal dwelling is two storeys and the accessory dwelling would have a lower maximum point of elevation than the principal dwelling;
- c. A reduced building footprint is proposed to mitigate impacts to trees or other natural features;
- d. A shadow study is provided to confirm impacts on adjacent properties would be minimal;
- e. Natural topography is utilized to ensure impacts are minimized and/ or impacts are not exacerbated by natural topography and siting of the building; and f. Building design mitigates potential impacts of an upper storey by incorporating it into the roof form, steeping back the upper storey, sensitive window placement, and screening through trees and significant vegetation.
22. Panhandle developments are generally not the preferred form of development within the Urban Containment Boundary and other forms of infill development should be explored first, such as a pocket neighbourhood, a duplex, or small lot subdivision. Challenges with panhandle developments are the lack of street presence and limited opportunities to improve the streetscape, impacts to adjacent properties, and lack of improvement to housing diversity.
23. Discourage two storey dwellings on panhandle lots within the Urban Containment Boundary to reduce privacy and shadowing impacts. Variances to increase the building height to two storeys on a panhandle lot should only be considered where: a. The principal dwelling on the associated standard lot is two storeys and the panhandle dwelling would have a lower maximum point of elevation than the principal dwelling on the standard lot; b. The predominant building height on adjacent properties is two storeys; c. Proposed setbacks exceed the minimum requirements, and in no case are variances to reduce setbacks to adjacent lots proposed; d. A reduced building footprint is proposed to mitigate impacts to trees or other natural features; e. A shadow study is provided to confirm impacts on adjacent properties would be minimal; f. Natural topography is utilized to ensure impacts are minimized and/ or impacts are not exacerbated by natural topography and siting of the building; and g. Building design mitigates potential impacts of an upper storey by incorporating it into the roof form, steeping back the upper storey, sensitive window placement, and screening through trees and significant vegetation.
24. Consider ground oriented live/work buildings and uses in areas currently designated Light Industrial within the Keating Business District. Proposals for live/work buildings and uses must demonstrate appropriate levels of livability for the residential uses and must not significantly reduce the capacity for commercial or industrial uses in these areas.
25. Do not support marine-based housing (e.g., liveaboards and float homes) unless it can be demonstrated that the environmental consequences of marinebased living, including sewage, are mitigated.
26. Partner with senior levels of government, W̱SÁNEĆ Nations, the Capital Region Housing Corporation, and non-profit housing agencies to support the codevelopment of affordable housing strategy.
27. Continue to use a Development Permit process for proposals within the Urban Containment Boundary that include a residential land use, including multi-unit, mixed-use, and infill developments to ensure sensitive design and consistency with guidelines.
28. Consider the use of variances to the Land Use Bylaw, where they would achieve a more appropriate development in terms of streetscape, pedestrian environment, public view protection, overall site design, protection of natural features and compatibility with neighbourhood character and adjoining properties.
29. At key gateway intersections on major municipal routes to Villages Centres and the Keating Business District, new development should include high quality design features and placemaking elements.
30. Update regulations to incorporate Accessible Design standards in site and building design to ensure new developments provide housing suitable for a wide range of ages and abilities, including establishing minimum requirements for new developments.