The Plan’s ‘goals’ and the Reality

The Quadra McKenzie Plan:

(Quoted from Saanich’s Hello Saanich)

Project Overview
The Draft Quadra McKenzie Plan promotes sustainable land use principles and accommodates new housing and employment growth within well designed Centres, Corridors and Villages (CCV).

Many residents dispute the purported goals of the Plan, recognizing that ‘sustainable’ land use (replacing all the single-family homes) is a fallacy; and the “well designed Centres, Corridors and Villages” are simply development opportunities.

  • There has been what has been called ‘consultation’ (several meetings and a survey) but at those meetings the Quadra McKenzie Plan was delivered as a fait accompli. Residents were upset, even angry or in tears, when they realized how their lives would be upended.
  • Residents have been completely misled about those ‘Consultation’ opportunities. In the flyer sent to area householders, Saanich said:
    • “Key items we will be exploring include:
      Identifying the location of new housing options.“
  • Nothing was ‘explored‘. There were no ‘options‘. Residents were presented with a completed Plan, showing dense development along both Quadra Street and McKenzie Avenue, and in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
  • Any ‘consultation’ – notes made on Post-It notes – were made in reaction to the Plan. There was no opportunity to object to the Plan itself. Unlike previous Local Area Plans, the community has had no part in developing it. Reactions of residents to the ‘consultation’ process brought up the phrase: “would you like your poison served on toast, or on crackers?”
  • At the Open Houses, planners showed slides, noting that, (as examples), both “Heritage” and “environmental concerns” were given full consideration in the development development of the Plan. However, neither of those subjects appear in any substantive form in the Plan. “Heritage” is to be “incentivized” (?) and former Park Buffer Zones have been opened up to Mid-Rise and High-Rise development. The subject of park acquisition – important to cope with all of those new residents in new condo or rental buildings, without any private green space – is missing entirely. All this in a Plan that is supposed to direct Saanich’s development over the next 20 years.
  • Scheduling a last open house on the evening of the U.S. Presidential election (when most politically-savvy residents were otherwise occupied) was, ironically, a clear example of a lack of planning.
  • Many residents have stated the Quadra McKenzie Plan Survey was a biased document, written so answers would support a desired outcome.
  • The Quadra McKenzie Plan’s recommendations on traffic and street changes have already been roundly derided. Both Quadra Street and McKenzie Avenue would have to be widened extensively to achieve the hoped-for traffic lanes, bicycle paths and sidewalks, likely through purchase or expropriation.
  • North Quadra Street (for example) would, along its length, lose trees, rock outcrops, and front gardens – the distinctive neighbourhood characteristics recognized in the previous Local Area Plan – which were deemed important by residents. In the Quadra McKenzie Plan, ALL of Quadra Street – from Tolmie Street in the south to Chatterton Way in the north – would be lined with Mid-Rise (5 to 11 storey) buildings; and Hi-Rise buildings (12 to 18 storeys) in “Hubs” – eliminating many more trees and landscape features. The beautiful treed hill full of houses at Cloverdale Avenue/Cook Street and Quadra Street would disappear, replaced with Mid-Rise buildings (5 to 11 storeys).
    (Please see our ‘Roadworks’ page for more information and graphics).
  • More disturbing is the wholesale planned destruction of all of the neighbourhoods. Not one single-family home is shown on any map of the Quadra McKenzie Plan. All are multiple dwellings, from townhouses (3-storeys); to apartment buildings (four storeys); mid-rise (5 to 11 storeys), and high rises (12 storeys and taller).
  • The anger and mental anguish being suffered by tax-paying residents of Saanich due to the Quadra McKenzie Plan is very real. Both their homes – counted on to provide stability and calm – and their neighbourhoods – are now threatened with unknown development. This is a bad Plan.

Save Our Saanich.
Please Sign the Petition on the Home Page.

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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.