Home Page and Our Petition:
Under Saanich’s Quadra McKenzie Plan,
over the next few years,
around 8,000 single-family homes
will be demolished and sent to landfill.
However,
“The most sustainable building is the
one that already exists.”
(Quote: Kimberly Dowdell,
Architect and President of the American Institute of Architects.
From CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE by Saint-Gobain, 2023)
How does this make sense?
Our sign on Quadra Street. This entire block – composed of 27 private properties – has been rezoned to a ‘12-storey Special Zone’ in the Quadra McKenzie Plan – without any consultation with the homeowners. Two other ‘12-storey Special Zones’ are proposed further south on Quadra Street, with another five elsewhere in the Quadra McKenzie Plan Area.
Please see ‘UPDATES‘ page to see what Save Our Saanich is doing to fight the passing of the Quadra McKenzie Plan: a Plan that will upend the lives and neighbourhoods of the 25,500 people who live in the area.
• During canvassing, our volunteers have heard of developers making inroads into all of the neighbourhoods affected by this Plan. Homes are being purchased; other offers are being made; and developers are trying to assemble land for developments. In a few cases, Surveyors and Engineers have already been on site, staking land and preparing for development; even before Saanich Council passes the Quadra McKenzie Plan early in 2025.
• This Plan will break local communities; destroy Saanich’s Urban Tree Canopy; block wildlife corridors and bird flyways; and demolish Heritage Buildings.
• The Quadra McKenzie Plan is a moveable target: In 2023, Planners at Saanich – without any consultation – changed the zoning on a huge swath of Saanich from the existing single-family zoning to “Mid-Rise” (5 to 11 storeys). [See ‘Mid-Rise’ definition on p.133 Quadra McKenzie Plan.] When finally presented to residents at so-called “community workshops” in late 2023, the only ‘consultation’ with residents that was accepted was their reactions to the already-formed, complete Plan on Post-It notes. There was no opportunity to oppose the Plan itself. (See our page on the Quadra McKenzie Plan to read the complete Plan).
• Then, in the October 2024 version of the Quadra McKenzie Plan, various properties were upzoned again – once more without any consultation – to be ‘Special 12-storey zones’. The goal-posts keep changing. How much density is required?
This Plan is not ‘in the future’. It is happpening NOW:
• A 12-storey tower, with architectural plans prepared, is already proposed on Quadra Street at Nicholson Street.
• An 18-storey tower is planned (by Saanich) for the site of the Nellie McClung Library at McKenzie Avenue at Cedar Hill Road.
• Other projects, including three 6-storey towers in a Garry oak meadow (on top of a Heritage House, to be moved or demolished), in North Quadra, are already in the works. The property has been surveyed and staked.
• Saanich has already hired a consultant group to facilitate “two maximum 18-storey buildings on McKenzie Avenue and Borden Street” on the current Saanich Public Works yard (to be commercial units; offices; and residential with underground parking), while planning to borrow up to $150 million by an “Alternate Approval Method” (and not by a referendum to tax payers), to facilitate this work.
• These projects are imminent. They only wait for Saanich council to approve the Quadra McKenzie Plan in January 2025
Petition to Saanich Mayor and Council:
Stop the Quadra McKenzie Plan. We understand growth must occur and we support this. However, growth should not result in the destruction of our homes, our neighbourhoods, and the Saanich that we love.
Sign the Save Our Saanich Petition
and leave a comment!
- Please note that a request for a donation on the Petition page is from Change.org, and not from Save Our Saanich.
To make your views known, PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION (above) and leave a comment. Additionally, please send an email to each of Saanich’s Mayor and Councillors.
TIME IS SHORT, before Final approval is given in February 2025. (This date has been changed from January)
Here are the direct Email addresses for the Mayor and Councillors:
Mayor Dean Murdock:
Saanich Councillors:
For official background information for each member of council, click here:
https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/mayor-council/meet-your-council.html
Also: Please Email Lana Popham, NDP M.L.A. for Saanich South
Her email address is:
[email protected]
Her constituency office is at:
Mailing address: Saanich South Constituency Office, MLA Lana Popham
260 – 4243 Glanford Ave
Victoria, BC V8Z 4B9
The B.C. NDP Government under Premier David Eby is responsible for requiring municipalities to meet certain development targets. The government recently passed Bill 44, mandating the removal of all single-family zoning to increase density;
and Bill 47, mandating the establishment of TOAs (Transit Oriented Areas), requiring municipalities to establish these [around Skytrain stations; West Coast Express; OR, in Saanich’s case, ‘RapidBus’ stops (yet to be developed)]. Around each TOA – in a 400m (1/4 mile) radius – development is unfettered by the local municipality. Once these ‘transit hubs’ are created, Saanich will have no control of developments as to height, density, parking requirements, or ensuring any other amenities – such as the continued existence of Heritage Buildings – for the community, in a 400m (1/4 mile) radius.
You can also email NDP Premier David Eby.
His email address is here:
Save Our Saanich.
Please Sign the Petition (above).
Contact: [email protected]
We acknowledge that the District of Saanich lies within the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples represented by the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples represented by the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout), W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum) and MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat) Nations.