James Bay Neighbourhood Association

We've been busy...

An on-going Beacon feature on land use & planning - to alert, inform, and prompt community action - and to celebrate success!

While the Beacon took a month off this summer, the James Bay Neighbourhood Association (JBNA) continued with a full schedule of activities. Following is a synopsis, gleaned from various July/August'09 minutes and reports, of interest to James Bay residents.

Committee Reports

Board of Directors - Several board members attended the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) Board meeting. A meeting was requested so that the GVHA Board could be made aware of neighbours' concerns and the "triple bottom line" planning approach.

The Board's objective is to broaden membership in the JBNA and its committees in order to have a stronger voice with the city.

A Priorities document (issues of importance to residents) has been put together by the JBNA. Other priorities are expected to emerge as the JBNA Quality of Life survey results become available.

Councillor Madoff has taken the list of priorities to her Council colleagues and to City staff.

Cruise Tourism Committee continued to meet with GVHA's Cruise Tourism Partnership. Doug Craig submitted his resignation as committee chair after serving the community for over 4 years on the JBNA Board.

Development Review Committee meets with developers to hear proposals at a preliminary stage, often making recommendations for adjustments, prior to presentation to the JBNA membership. This process has enabled the presentation of consistent information on projects at general meetings.

Quality of Life and Environment Committee

Community Survey:

Responses to a JBNA Quality of Life (QofL) Survey will provide information related to a variety of quality of life indicators.  Over 500 responses will provide statistically valid survey results.  Codification of the numerical parts of the survey, along with the entry of the resulting data into a spreadsheet, is near completion, and analysis has begun.  Work is also underway on entering/analyzing written comments.  The survey results will be presented at future JBNA meetings and published in the JB Beacon.    

Traffic Noise Study:

The monitoring phase of a traffic noise study along the Dallas-Erie corridor undertaken by Wakefield Acoustics Ltd. was completed at two locations near Ogden Point on both cruise ship and no cruise ship days in June.  The results are currently being analyzed and will be reported at a future JBNA meeting.

Parks Committee

A Management Plan for Fisherman's Wharf Park has been developed with resident input through 2 open houses and consultation with the public advisory committee. Following approval by the City's Standing Policy Committee for Environment and Infrastructure on July 23^rd, the plan was scheduled for Council endorsement on August 27th.

The City's website reports that "adoption of this plan will conclude a nine-month planning process and see a City park transformed from an underused sports field to a "natural" park with a broader range of amenities that meet the needs of the greater community. The plan recommends the introduction of a stream to promote biodiversity, extensive areas of natural plantings, a new playground, improved seating and a small plaza, and further development of Victoria's harbour pathway."

An updated list of James Bay park land and green space by the JBNA Parks Committee identifies site ownership as follows: 13 city-owned, 1 Provincial Capital Commission, 2 Legislative Assembly of B.C., 1 Royal B.C. Museum and 1 Transport Canada.  This information (with analysis) will be presented to the JBNA prior to the city's Parks Master Plan Open House, scheduled for 'fall or winter'.

Councillor's Report:

Councillor Madoff congratulated Janis Ringuette on successfully highlighting aspects of Victoria's history in the Globe and Mail (August 10, 2009).

Madoff 's report of recent Council-related activities included:

- New federal regulations for managing waste water were announced on August 6th. A rain gardens project to reduce run-off into Bowker Creek near Jubilee Hospital and St. Patrick's School is underway.

- A design contract for the Johnson Street Bridge replacement has been signed, and a citizens advisory committee formed.

- An elevator, accessible by handicapped persons, has been installed at City Hall.

- A long term lease with Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling will allow them a wider range of activities on the site. Pathways, being developed for the adjacent Cridge Park, will link the courtyard in front of the Aria through to St. Ann's and Beacon Hill Park.

- An Official Community Plan amendment encourages the creation and retention of rental housing.

- The Library Board is undertaking a facilities and planning study of all branches. The city has put a priority on having a new downtown library branch.

- Council has had meetings with provincial and federal politicians and staff regarding the proposed International Marina, to ensure that everyone is aware of the city's plans for a small, community-based marina at the Royal Quays site.

- A report on public engagement with the city's public art program will lead to a planned public art review. An open lecture on the public art process will occur at City Hall on September 29th.

- The Standing Committee on the Harbour Airport was scheduled to meet with officials from Transport Canada on August 18th. The Committee's recommendations to Council will be presented at a public meeting on September 17th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Development Proposals:

337 St. James St. - Revised

Previously presented in January'09 as a 23-unit apartment addition, this proposal is based upon replacing an existing little-used parking structure with a 4 storey addition of rental accommodation. The revised L-shaped project has been reduced to 17 units, with the 4th floor stepped back on the east and south sides.

As anticipated subsidization for the project from BC Housing has not materialized, market rates for the 500 to 700 sq. foot rental housing units will be about $1,000/month.

The project will include secure bike storage inside the building for residents, guest bike parking at the front door, and a car-share co-op car. On-site vehicle parking is proposed at .5 spaces per unit (56 spaces for 110 rental units), including guest parking. Boulevard Transportation has been engaged to do a parking study of the area, at the request of the city engineering department. While 55-75% of the on-site parking spaces are currently used, over 85% of available space is in use on the street, creating a "critical capacity" situation.

Extremely high density in the 3 block area from Menzies to Oswego includes approximately 190 rental units, plus townhouses and duplexes. Residents note that cutting the parking from 81 to 56 stalls, while increasing the number of rental units, sets a dangerous precedent for James Bay and the rest of Victoria.

Re-zoning Request - 425 Oswego Street - Small Lot, Site Specific Zoning

The re-zoning request was presented by the Victoria Design Group on behalf of the owner, who lives at 429 Oswego Street. The intent is to build a 3-bedroom home that would complement the neighbouring residence, with variances related to lot size and setbacks.

The applicant intends to proceed with dual applications: small lot zoning for 425 Oswego, and front-yard parking variance for the adjacent four-plex apartment on the NE corner of Oswego and Superior (404 Superior St.) The 425 property has been used as the parking lot for 404 Superior as a result of Board of Variance rulings, when construction of 429 Oswego was approved in 1997.

Re-zoning Request - 300 Michigan St. - 13-unit Condominium Development

This request was presented by Michael Moody of KMP Architecture Inc. and Steve Copp of Steve Copp Construction. Adjustments to the plans, made since a previous presentation, relate to the interface with adjacent buildings, and the switching of the ground floor and second story unit plans. Now proposed are 3 two-bedroom ground floor units, 4 one-bedroom-plus-den second story units, 3 two-bedroom third story units, and 3 two-bedroom-plus-loft fourth story units, for a total of 13 residential units. Suite sizes range from about 700 sq. ft. to about 1,200 sq. ft., not including the lofts on the top floor. Vehicle and bicycle parking would be provided for residents and guests. All entrances would be external, from covered walkways on the eastern side of the building. Suites are expected to sell in the $300,000 to $600,000 range. Variances include site coverage, the floor-space ratio, setbacks, and parking requirements. 

Community Concerns

Issues of concern include: the policing of water restrictions, receipt of adequate notice of water shut-offs during construction of the city's sanitary sewer project, the redesign of five corners as a pedestrian plaza, air quality, and the impact of construction restricting sight lines, and blocking sidewalks and driving lanes.

Join us for the next JBNA meeting at 7 p.m., September 9, 2009 at New Horizons, 234 Menzies Street:

• JBNA Priorities 2009/10 - Tom Coyle
• Development proposal - Laren House - 138 Dallas
• City Planning - Steve Gauley - Process to update Official Community Plan and Neighbourhood Planning
• Noise - The JBNA Traffic Noise Study (time permitting)