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Image Credit Estevan Rezoning Application

In February, 2008, the Oak Bay Council was presented with an application to rezone property in the Estevan Village area of Oak Bay, at the corner of Estevan Avenue and Dunlevy Street. The objective of rezoning is to permit redevelopment of the existing two story structure to three stories plus a small fourth level mezzanine area. The proposal calls for commercial use on the ground floor, with residential above. The developer has registered the project with the Canadian Green Building Council and proposes to build to a LEED certification.

In early April Oak Bay’s Committee of the Whole heard again from the developer and from members of the public. In general terms, concerns were expressed over increased density issues, increased traffic to the area, increased demand for street parking, privacy issues arising from the addition of a third floor to the existing building, and unsuitability of the proposed structure within the existing streetscape.

Additionally, the developer’s representative was unable to say with certainty whether the 20 residential units proposed (12 on the second floor and 8 on the third) would be rental or strata condo apartments.

Image Credit Existing Structure

Consequently, the developer was asked to return to Council again after further review of issues of concern. The request for more information included: a traffic generation and parking study; an investigation of the feasibility of providing underground parking; line of sight photographs from the proposed third level; confirmation of the ‘ownership model’ for the residential units; and some further detail concerning parking, square footages and the like.

So, we can look forward to further input from the developer and the public before any decision is taken. Of all the issues raised, I would speculate that parking will prove to be most problematic.

One might be foolish to speculate that underground parking will not be feasible from the developer’s perspective, but bearing in mind that the initial proposal called for no changes to the existing basement, such a conclusion wouldn’t be a shocker. On the other hand, the proposal includes only 17 parking spaces, and it seems existing rules would call for 43. I’m betting that issue is this proposal’s Achilles heel. I would bet if they can somehow resolve the parking issue, everything else will fall in place.

But we’ll have to wait and see.

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