I read utter disbelief that Saanich council has added an amendment to the OCP potentially allowing for 18-storey buildings in the Quadra-Mckenzie area.
Even more unbelievable is where one of these monstrosities could be built; not sure that so close to UVic could still be called the “Quadra-Mckenzie area,” but apparently there’s even room for one somewhere on Gordon Head Road as well.
And of course council is insisting that they have to be used as “non-profit affordable housing.” Really? What percentage of the entire 18-storey building is going to be non-profit?
With projected population growth on the Island, future councils will consider it part of densification and cramming more people into less space in the “population centres” of Saanich. There are no specific plans at this time to build one of these towers and it’s always subject to rezoning approval but take notice: a seed has been planted.
Karl Schreiner
Saanich