Link to letter on the Times Colonist website
Monstrous building planned for James Bay
I support the Aug. 13 letter, “James Bay tower will destroy neighbourhood,” and disagree with the Aug. 14 letter, “James Bay tower better than a parking lot.”
The Aug. 14 letter missed the point: we oppose over-development, not development and change.
The developer proposes a commercial and residential mixed-use building and has reduced the tower from 17 to 14 storeys, but it is wider and only seven metres shorter.
Height and density go so far beyond the Official Community Plan bylaws that the city must consult on the variation to current zoning.
Neighbours have been asked to send their views to senior planner Rob Bateman by Sept. 20.
James Bay is dense and already meets provincial housing targets. The needs of the “missing middle” and affordable rentals are OCP priorities.
The proposed development does nothing for these priorities. If council approves these OCP amendments, it will be opening the door to more densification and towers, setting a precedent for future developments. Why?
James Bay is in earthquake and tsunami zones with restricted egress. We face climate change and other changes like redevelopment of the BellevilleTerminal and Admiral Inn that affect traffic safety and transportation.
We need to know how the city plans to manage evacuations and emergencies.
Thank you to those city council members and staff who have continued to oppose this proposal. We implore all council members to stop this insidious, monstrous development!
—Debbie Andersen, James Bay