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Oak Bay priority plan includes continued work on infill housing

List of potential priorities expected at council Feb. 6
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Oak Bay council whittles down its priorities, with a list expected back at the table Feb. 6. (Black Press Media file photo)

Priorities big and small come up at the start of every year as councils dig in to projects – that also span the complexity spectrum – in preparation for their spring budgets.

For Oak Bay, large top-of-mind projects such as the infill housing policy well underway and the village area plan expected this year are among the large items, says Mayor Kevin Murdoch.

They’re all part of the planning process the council of seven has pursued since its inaugural meeting last November.

READ ALSO: Infill housing ideas spur new Oak Bay neighbourhood association

Smaller projects span clarifying home-based business bylaws, potential planning for erosion mitigation at McNeill Bay and looking at adding community events to add vibrancy of and interaction in this phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They’re just a handful of the myriad items council members hope to address.

In December, council perused a long list and made hard cuts to create an intermediate list to send back to tho staff for rough estimates on associated time and monetary costs.

Based on that information, expected before council for the Feb. 6 meeting, council will whittle down the priorities to what it deems manageable in the budget.

“Unless we fund it, it can’t be done” Murdoch noted.

Spring budget meetings have not yet been set, but municipalities must adopt financial plans before adopting tax rate bylaws due by May 15 each year.

Oak Bay council meets most Mondays at 6 p.m. Find the agenda and attendance options, including streaming, at oakbay.civicweb.net.

christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca


 

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Christine van Reeuwyk

About the Author: Christine van Reeuwyk

I'm dedicated to serving the community of Oak Bay as a senior journalist with the Greater Victoria news team.
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