A six-unit houseplex and two townhouse projects that will replace single-family homes cleared another hurdle on Thursday, as Victoria council moved them forward despite a city staff recommendation that two of the applications be declined.
It was a strong statement that this council plans to lean into “gentle densification” in some areas and that details like parking requirements may no longer be barriers that hold up projects.
Staff had recommended against approving the six-unit houseplex on Belton Avenue in Vic West for a lack of off-street vehicle parking, and the seven-unit townhouse project on Shelbourne Street on the grounds that it was inconsistent with relevant guidelines, would affect the privacy of neighbouring properties and would create a vehicle-dominated environment, among other concerns.
A third application that had staff support — a redesigned nine-unit townhome project on Kipling Street and Fairfield Road — was also approved Thursday.
“I need a really good reason to reject housing during a housing crisis,” said Coun. Jeremy Caradonna of the Shelbourne project, noting minor design concerns and an outdated neighbourhood plan were not enough to dissuade him from approving the townhouse development.
Caradonna said the Vic West project’s lack of off-street vehicle parking is consistent with the city’s goal of moving away from a vehicle-centric approach.
“What we have here is a very innovative proposal that aligns with sustainable urbanism,” he said. “The whole point here is to have fewer cars. This is exactly what we want — we get density without having more cars.”
Coun. Dave Thompson noted that councillors, unlike staff, were in a position to feel less constrained by policies adopted by previous councils.
While he said he respected staff’s recommendations, the applications offered the chance to get new family-friendly units to replace single-family homes.
Coun. Krista Loughton said the city’s annual housing report noted that an average of 283 family-sized homes need to be approved each year to meet a 2025 target of 1,600 homes. “So we need to get cracking,” she said.
Loughton said the Vic West project wasn’t just about housing but climate action and affordability. “This gives people an option to not have to own a car, and the expense of that is huge.”
However, Coun. Marg Gardiner said the parking requirements served the city well in the past and warned that council should “not be discarding city policies until we actually review them,” so the public will understand why decisions are being made.
Coun. Stephen Hammond said council is sending developers a message that staff reports and recommendations can be ignored.
“I think if you’re a developer you’re cluing into this — basically you don’t have to worry about what our staff say about these kinds of things because it’s really not going to mean a lot,” he said. “So just go ahead, if it doesn’t fit the plans that we’ve got now, then just allow for staff to reject it. Don’t worry about it. You can come to this council and they’re going to go in favour of it.”
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