A controversial proposal to erect an 11-storey condo tower in Royal Oak next to Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park is going to a public hearing.
Saanich council voted 7-2 to hear from residents before deciding whether to approve the Doral Forest Park proposal on Elk Lake Drive.
Mike Geric Construction Ltd. wants to put up two buildings on the site, starting at 11 storeys and “terracing down” to a five-storey structure beside the existing apartments and townhouse developments, a city report says.
The project would have a total of 242 condos — including 43 that would be secured in perpetuity as “affordable” and sold at 15 per cent below the appraised value.
Residents have voiced concern about the project’s proximity to the park as well as its density and height, which exceeds the four-storey limit in the official community plan
There’s also a covenant on the 1.3-hectare property that restricts the site to 98 residential units.
Saanich staff said in a report to council that they were unable to support the project due to the policy conflicts. They also highlighted the significant public opposition.
“The proposal is an extremely dense development, at the edge of the urban area next to Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park, with a height, scale and massing that is out of context with surrounding development and exceeds the density limits of the current covenant registered on title,” the report says, noting the development is not supported by the Royal Oak and Falaise Community Associations or by many of the neighbouring residents.
Coun. Judy Brownoff voted against sending the project to a public hearing, saying she still has too many questions on a range of issues, including the impacts on parking, traffic, roads and groundwater.
“I have to ask myself, do I have all the information I need to have this move forward to a hearing?” Brownoff said. “And, unfortunately, I find that there are many issues I need more information on.”
But Mayor Fred Haynes and a majority of councillors felt the project was ready for a hearing.
“This is not an approval of this project,” Haynes told council. “This is not an agreement that it will be done. This is council saying … ‘We’re ready to hear more fulsome information.’ ”
Coun. Rebecca Mersereau acknowledged that the development conflicts with some of Saanich’s policies. But she said some of those policies might be out of step with the district’s pressing need for a range of housing options.
And she said there’s merit in the idea of housing more people in proximity to Royal Oak.
“I think that is enough for me to warrant going to that next step of public hearing — notwithstanding that there are some clear concerns from the public, and many of them very understandable,” she said.
Coun. Colin Plant acknowledged that the project is “challenging” because it falls outside neighbourhood policies. But he noted that a recent housing assessment showed Saanich is becoming unaffordable for new generations of families.
“So if we can provide additional affordable options, that’s something I think Saanich is going to consider,” he said in an interview.
Haynes agreed, saying council has to weigh older policies against the urgent need to address housing affordability and the climate-change emergency by having people living in denser centres, villages and corridors.
“People like things as they are, but if we carry on as they are, we have a climate disaster on our hands [and] we have a housing disaster on our hands,” he said in an interview.
A date for the hearing has yet to be set.
