The public is invited to have a say on the future of Ogden Point on Thursday night.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is hosting a “community conversation” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to look at the Ogden Point Master Plan. Information has also been gathered through an online forum and workshops and from stakeholders, including the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, James Bay residents and tourism operators.
The effort is looking at Phase 3 of the master plan, which focuses on development at Ogden Point, short-term and long-term possibilities, and how the harbour authority and stakeholders will be affected.
Phases 1 and 2 of the plan were concluded in 2013. Phase 3 is due to be completed this month, while Phase 4 — which will include an illustrated layout plan for the site — is due to start this December and be completed in a year.
Ogden Point is a port facility owned and operated by the harbour authority, and is the centre of the region’s cruise ship industry.
The public session will be held in the main building on Ogden Point’s Pier B at 185 Dallas Rd.
“This is the process that will determine what the area will look like over the next 25 to 30 years,” said harbour authority chief executive officer Ian Robertson.
Robertson said the harbour authority hopes to hear from people around the region about what they would like to see — and what they are against. Among the preferences so far are maintaining open spaces and keeping views of the water, he said.
Turning warehouses into a community area is another suggestion, perhaps with a performance venue, Robertson said. “Those are the kind of interesting things I think that are really great about the feedback we’re hearing.”
