Local Area Plan – Meeting in a Box

The City of Victoria is in the process of updating the Local Area Plan for North Park, Fernwood, and Hillside Quadra. Your input is incredibly important to this process. You are invited to participate in an online meeting on Wed, March 3 @ 6:30pm to provide your feedback on the ideas proposed in the Local Area Plan.

• Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
• Time: 6:30-8:00pm (see agenda below)
• Location: Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9333505704)
• Attendees: North Park Village business owners, NPNA Land Use Committee, Land Use Chair (Harold Stanley), NPNA Land Use Planning Advisor (Eleni Gibson), City of Victoria Community Planners: Marc Cittone and Lauren Klose (not confirmed)
• Purpose:  To provide North Park residents with information on the LAP and receive your feedback on the  “big ideas” proposed in a way that is easy and convenient for you. If you would like to learn more about the LAP process before the meeting you can visit the website.

Context about the Local Area Plan
The goal of the Local Area Plan is to help neighbourhoods grow in a way that includes more housing choices, better transportation options, new services, amenities, and improved public spaces for the next 10 to 20 years and beyond.
The final outcomes of the process will include:

• Updates to the Official Community Plan and neighbourhood plans
• New design guidelines
• Updates to zoning, other regulations and policy documents

The “big ideas” currently being proposed will impact North Park Village. Proposed ideas include: short-term creation of flexible public spaces at North Park and/or Grant Streets, pop-up patios, long-term creation of a permanent shared or car-free street, small-footprint buildings with smaller commercial spaces, wider sidewalks with patios and street trees, new multi-family housing of varied scales east of the village, and public access to Royal Athletic Park.

Agenda: 
6:30pm: welcome
6:35-6:45pm: What is the LAP and how does it impact North Park Village?
* The following questions are from the LAP’s “Meeting in a Box” presentation * 
6:45-8:15pm (approx. 15 minutes per question)
Big Idea #1: Quadra Corridor 
– place making and gathering spaces, upgrade transit stops, redevelopment up to 6 storeys, traffic calming, commercial uses across from Central Park, Curling Club reimagined
Big Idea #2: New Homes and Green Leafy Streets
– Reimagine Green Street, with front yard set backs, leafy green trees, step-back upper floors, smaller footprint but taller buildings, rental housing and public amenities to support new and existing residents.
Big Idea #3: Maker Spaces for Artisans and Employment
– maker spaces in new housing developments, traffic calming and landscape improvements that maintain access for trucks/parking/delivery
Big Idea #4: Adding and Enlivening Public Spaces in North Park Village
– Short term: pilot a partial closure of North Park Street with single lane traffic and public seating, planters, etc. Add people spaces and landscaping at other corners (Grant Street, Castle corner, etc), sidewalk bulb outs, parking management measures
– Long term: explore full street closures, redevelopment or capital planning and investment, long term plan for RAP, permanent plaza for food trucks and gathering.
Big Idea #5: People Focused Village Evolution in North Park Village 
– Long term: new buildings to have small footprints and be up to 4-5 storeys with upper storeys stepped back, support to small-scale and locally focused businesses. Greater setbacks for healthy street tree canopy, and space for patios and open spaces at corners. New laneway connecting Grant and North Park Street, remove requirements for underground parking, and integrate car lite lifestyle alternatives. Single row of buildings of up to 4-6 storeys east of North Park Village, and encourage commercial uses to extend down Mason Street, retain existing historic commercial buildings on Mason Street.