Victoria council is bracing for what could be another long night of debate over the proposed "missing middle" housing initiative, with a public hearing set to restart Thursday evening.
Over the last few weeks, council members have not been allowed to discuss the matter outside of the public hearing, which is a continuation of the forum that started Aug. 4, just before council took its summer break.
City spokesman Bill Eisenhauer said there were dozens of people who did not get the chance to address the first public hearing in August and he expects they will be lined up on Thursday either in person or by phone.
As at the first meeting, only a small number have signed up to speak, which is not a requirement.
“There hasn’t been any more than last time, and that’s not uncommon,” he said. “The last time the list looked pretty thin, but then it was just like everybody showed up.”
Eisenhauer said given the number of people who didn’t get to address the hearing last time, the new speakers who have signed up and the pre-recorded statements that will be played, the evening could be a long one.
The first meeting lasted nearly 4½ hours, with 50 speakers making impassioned pleas for council to enact the program, drop it entirely, or set it aside for the next council to tackle after the Oct. 15 election.
That night, speakers were split equally between support for the initiative and concern over what it could do to neighbourhoods.
The missing-middle initiative is designed to increase the number of housing options available between single-family homes and condo towers, in the hope more families will be able to stay in the city, while ensuring new development suits the character of neighbourhoods.
The program requires amending bylaws, land-use procedures and official community plans to permit infill, houseplexes and corner townhouses where zoning currently only allows for single-family homes. Townhouse projects would be permitted on assemblies of multiple lots.
The initiative also recommends allowing city staff to approve permits for projects that comply with all design guidelines and zoning, in hopes the time saved by not requiring council approval would reduce costs for consumers.
If the meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m., does run long, council can choose to adjourn to deliberate another day and make a decision then.
But they could also decide the fate of the initiative Thursday night.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
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