News release

For immediate release

With a focus on increasing diverse housing choices within a vibrant, walkable centre, the above design rendering illustrates how new multi-family homes are taking shape in Cordova Bay Village.

 

Future vision for Cordova Bay Village reflected in newly adopted local area plan 

Saanich, BC – District of Saanich Council endorsed the Cordova Bay Local Area Plan at a public hearing on March 15, 2022.

The Cordova Bay Local Area Plan (LAP) provides a framework to guide growth and change in Cordova Bay, looking ahead 20 to 30 years. Having last been updated in 1998, the creation of the Cordova Bay LAP provided the community with the opportunity to have conversations about important topics like housing affordability, a true telling of history, sustainability and the village’s future.

Through an extensive multi-year consultation process with residents, First Nations, property owners, business owners, neighbourhood groups, community stakeholders and developers, the community was able to identify priorities and create a comprehensive vision for change using planning tools and land use policy.

The Cordova Bay LAP also contains content on Indigenous history, culture, values and rights, and policy direction that outlines how the District of Saanich can collaborate with and support local First Nations.

“Completing a significant update to Cordova Bay’s local area plan is a momentous occasion, and I want to congratulate everyone involved in the process – well done!” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes. “I’m pleased to know this special, seaside community has a thoughtful and long-term plan that will guide development over the next 20 to 30 years, and that aligns with Saanich’s Official Community Plan, the MOU with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council, Climate Plan, Housing Strategy and Active Transportation Plan.”

The plan builds on current policy and adds new focus to topics such as Indigenous relations, housing diversity, sustainability, creating a vibrant, thriving village, enhancing the public realm and the integration of land use and transportation. Below are some highlights of key directions in the Cordova Bay LAP. Staff will report to Council in five years with an evaluation of the plan.

Plan highlights

• Honoring First Nations including the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, as the original inhabitants of Cordova Bay, and including First Nations in the fabric of the community.

• Creating a strong and vibrant village to serve as a centre for the neighbourhood was a key focus of the plan and informed the creation of a Village Sub-Area Plan and the Cordova Bay Village Development Permit Area Design Guidelines.

• Diversifying housing choices by expanding options within the village and by providing opportunities for sensitive residential infills around the core while maintaining the large lot character of Cordova Bay.

• Expanding the ridge surrounding Claremont Secondary School to create a small neighbourhood hub that supports a modest increase in density through a range of attached building forms close to open space and public transit.

• Slowing traffic through the village and along the Cordova Bay/Fowler/Sayward Road Corridor generally, was a key mobility focus area, as was enhancing multi-model options to encourage active transportation.

• Road improvements will be implemented over time and include eight pedestrian crossings in the main village corridor to improve pedestrian safety.

• Lochside Drive and Lochside Regional Trail received considerable focus throughout the planning process, and the plan recognizes and looks to enhance the trail as a key mobility asset for the community and provides the vision, policies and road design sections to inform future improvements to Lochside Drive.

• Affordable Housing and the feasibility of developing a non-market housing option are being explored for a Saanich-owned parcel of land on Doumac Avenue.

• Beach access improvements ranked high on the list of priorities for Cordova Bay residents. They will occur within road rights-of-ways, through improvements to sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, and by prioritizing opportunities to include amenities like bicycle parking, steps, ramps, picnic tables and benches at access points.

• Addressing climate change and sustainability goals, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation and protecting environmental assets, are integrated into all parts of the plan.

Quick facts

• The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council and District of Saanich recently signed an ÁTOL,NEUEL (“Respecting One Another”) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the site of the ancestral village called ȾEL,IȽĆE.
• 8200 residents call Cordova Bay home
• Population in this area has grown by over 18% between 1996 and 2016
• The Lochside Regional Trail is a key mobility asset for the community
• There are 18 parks in Cordova Bay totaling 30 hectares of park space

Learn more

To view the plan visit saanich.ca/cordova

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Media contact:
Erika Schade
Communications Manager
erika.schade@saanich.ca
250-812-0952