Advisory Planning Commission recommendation on Abstract Design's Bowker-Bay Foul Proposal not meaningful
I am very surprised that the Advisory Planning Commission ( APC) made a recommendation on the Abstract Design's multi-million dollar condominium proposal at the intersection of Cadboro Bay Rd and Bowker Avenue. I understand that the APC has no decision making authority, they only make recommendations. The concern is that the APC did not have the information to make an INFORMED recommendation. My understanding is that the Official Community Plan (OCP) states that legally land use proposals must thoroughly examined and studied for their effect on: parking, traffic, affordability, trees, forest canopy, infrastructure, noise, neighbourhood feedback, density etc. Any informed APC recommendation MUST include looking at all the OCP objectives and requirements.
On Tuesday January 3, 2017 after having seen the staff report for four days (three of which were holidays) and approximately two hours of discussion the APC made a recommendation. The Commission did not have access to either a traffic or parking study including the safety issues for Willow School and Oak Bay High students; no infrastructure impact report was presented. Members did not even make a site visit so streetscape and urban forest considerations could have been intelligently assessed.
Clearly the APC was not in a position to make an informed recommendation.
Council should either give the APC the ability to make informed recommendations (what I believe the community expects) or disband it (and save people a lot of time and effort). There is no middle ground.
In the meantime the APC should have a second look at the proposal when it can provide an informed recommendation.
Mike Wilmut
Oak Bay
I am very surprised that the Advisory Planning Commission ( APC) made a recommendation on the Abstract Design's multi-million dollar condominium proposal at the intersection of Cadboro Bay Rd and Bowker Avenue. I understand that the APC has no decision making authority, they only make recommendations. The concern is that the APC did not have the information to make an INFORMED recommendation. My understanding is that the Official Community Plan (OCP) states that legally land use proposals must thoroughly examined and studied for their effect on: parking, traffic, affordability, trees, forest canopy, infrastructure, noise, neighbourhood feedback, density etc. Any informed APC recommendation MUST include looking at all the OCP objectives and requirements.
On Tuesday January 3, 2017 after having seen the staff report for four days (three of which were holidays) and approximately two hours of discussion the APC made a recommendation. The Commission did not have access to either a traffic or parking study including the safety issues for Willow School and Oak Bay High students; no infrastructure impact report was presented. Members did not even make a site visit so streetscape and urban forest considerations could have been intelligently assessed.
Clearly the APC was not in a position to make an informed recommendation.
Council should either give the APC the ability to make informed recommendations (what I believe the community expects) or disband it (and save people a lot of time and effort). There is no middle ground.
In the meantime the APC should have a second look at the proposal when it can provide an informed recommendation.
Mike Wilmut
Oak Bay