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

Well – it is official! The JBNEA has dropped Environment from its name and officially become the "James Bay Neighbourhood Association" (JBNA). The new name will bring the organization more in line with the other neighbourhoods in Victoria, each of which has a similar volunteer association of residents concerned about quality of life in their communities. The change will clarify the role of the association in comparison to similar community groups and make it easier to do internet research to access information on James Bay. This name change has been approved by the Registrar of Companies.

Ongoing

Initial field monitoring is well underway. The active involvement of the community in volunteering access to private property has given researchers a wide choice of locations on which to house monitoring equipment throughout James Bay. Initial sampling at ten sites has been completed and the second sampling at ten new sites was launched early in August.

Half of the planned sampling for evidence of heavy metals from traffic has been completed at six sites (three each in June and July). Six more sites are to be monitored over August/September. Initial results from the June monitoring seems to indicate low levels of metal emissions at a site on Dallas Road adjacent to Ogden Point, but not at sites located farther into James Bay.

Traffic counts and bus routes on Dallas Road, observed over two weekends in July by students from Royal Roads University, will be used to supplement the traffic count data and bus observations taken at Ogden Point.

The mobile mass spectrometer on loan from Malaspina University & College in Nanaimo was used at Ogden Point on two separate occasions to capture the unique emissions signatures of significant sources. The equipment was then driven around James Bay to see where these unique signatures could be detected and to establish background concentration levels for the area.

An emissions inventory of the major emissions sources in the area is being developed to be used in the advanced dispersion modeling of 2007 data. Specific information has been requested from all carriers serving Ogden Point: motor coach operators, Black Ball Transport (COHO), Clipper Navigations, and the 20 cruise vessels scheduled to visit Victoria in the 2007 season. It is anticipated that data acquisition for the modeling will be completed by the end of August.

Belleville

Development Permit Application – 427 Belleville Street

The design for a hotel tower on the site of the current Days Inn at 427 Bellville Street were greeted with dismay by JBNA members. The presentation to the August meeting of the JBNA was a courtesy. City Council has final say on the design because the site is within a Development Permit Area, but Councillors feel they have limited latitude to reject the application when it meets current zoning requirements with no variances requested.

Council initially rejected the proposal because of an unsatisfactory colour choice. The Advisory Design Panel subsequently requested redesign of the northern stairwell, a prominent feature of the building which will face the Inner Harbour. JBNA members commented that the design fails to contribute to the current atmosphere of the Harbour.

In the meantime, after three months of deliberations, the Belleville Street Terminal Task Force presented their vision for development of an international marine transportation terminal on the Inner Harbour. Although the task force was commissioned by the City, as owner of the land, the Provincial government will play a key role in the future of the site. The province established the key terms of reference for the project – that it be developed as a private/public partnership with no new public funding.

Given that restriction, and requirements that border security arrangements be upgraded if Victoria is to maintain its status as an international terminal, the task force has done what can be expected in three months.

Two items from the report may jump out as concerns for James Bay residents. Within Planning Context, the task force comments "Planning for the entire Inner Harbour should occur immediately." The harbour forms an important part of the boundary for James Bay. We should be involved.

The second concern is in regards to Belleville Street and the recommendation that a traffic analysis examine the potential merits of making Belleville one way leading west. Sending additional vehicles into James Bay on a one-way street may not meet the concerns of residents regarding existing traffic congestion.

The report of the Belleville Street Terminal Task Force with all of its architectural renderings can be viewed at the city website at Victoria.ca.

Crystal Court - 701 Belleville Street

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is still hoping to be part of the proposed mixed use development at the Crystal Court site at 701 Belleville Street. In exchange for the increased density which will permit a multi-storey tower of condos, the developer has committed to building a public exhibition space on the site. Finally a downtown location for the gallery – again?

There is no indication that the ramifications of any, let alone all, of these proposals have been considered for their impact on Belleville Street, the Harbour, downtown or James Bay.

Join us on September 12th at 7pm at James Bay New Horizons as the discussions on developments continue.