Link to the article on the Times Colonist website
Mayor Marianne Alto noted residents of the area showed up in droves during recent public hearings to say their neighbourhood had been asked to carry too much of the load of new development.
The City of Victoria is looking at designating James Bay as a heritage conservation area.
Council asked staff this week to explore the possibility and its implications for development, as part of an ongoing review of the city’s heritage program.
The motion was proposed by Mayor Marianne Alto, who noted James Bay residents showed up in droves during public hearings for the recently adopted official community plan to say their neighbourhood had been asked to carry too much of the load of housing and new development.
Alto said James Bay is unique in the city as its first colonial neighbourhood, and is somewhat isolated, with few entry and exit points.
The area also feels the impact of thousands of visitors as home to the city’s cruise-ship and Belleville Street terminals, hosts thousands during parades, races and protests, and has seen poorly planned urban sprawl in the form of towers built in the 1970s, the mayor said.
Alto said the timing is right to look at the issue, since the city is already updating its entire heritage program, including heritage policies, programs, regulations and bylaws.
Coun. Matt Dell stressed that exploring the possibility of designating the neighbourhood as a heritage conservation area does not mean an end to development in the area.
“I don’t see this necessarily as a way to stop or slow housing construction, but it may be another layer that we add on, such as design guidelines or heritage considerations,” he said. “While I want more new housing more than anyone, I’m not interested in doing it at the expense of neighbourhood story, uniqueness, or history that makes residents want to live there.”
Heritage conservation areas like Victoria’s Chinatown and Old Town tend to have a framework for protecting and conserving heritage elements through policies and guidelines for new development.
Andrea Hudson, the city’s acting director of planning and development, said heritage conservation status is not meant to stifle growth.
“They’re really meant to provide design guidelines to help guide change within special heritage areas just to ensure that those new developments are compatible with the existing heritage fabric,” she said.
She added that the review of the city’s heritage plan will consider heritage policy for all neighbourhoods.
“We will also be reviewing other existing heritage tools like heritage conservation areas, the heritage register, heritage incentive programs and really thinking about our heritage objectives in the context of change and growth anticipated in the OCP,” Hudson said.
Coun. Marg Gardiner said she supports exploring establishing James Bay as a heritage conservation area as soon as possible.
“The residents of James Bay have spoken loudly, clearly of their need to have the remaining heritage area structures acknowledged and maintained,” she said.
Coun. Chris Coleman also supported the motion to have staff come back with recommendations to council, but expressed concern that such a designation could just shift density from one area to another.