Central Saanich
First time here? This site focuses on helping buyers buy newly constructed property in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. It updates frequently, so to avoid missing any new info, why not subscribe to my RSS feed.
The Land of Plenty.
And home to the ‘Saanich Fair’, established in 1868 and dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Central Saanich is about agriculture, and rural living. In fact, its citizens’ rural sense of identify led to a municipal separation! In 1951, Central Saanich succeeded from what is now its neighbour, the District of Saanich, to protect its rural heritage from the suburban development that was creeping its way northward up the Saanich Peninsula.
There are four town sites nestled within Central Saanich in which the vast majority of its 16,000 residents reside: Brentwood Bay to the west, on the Saanich Inlet; Saanichton more or less in the centre; Tanner Ridge toward the southern border; and Turgoose Point, nestled along the waters on the eastern border.
Additionally, there is one area zoned for light industrial use, called Keating Industrial Park. The Keating area offers some economic diversity for this agricultural area, and a welcome additional tax base for the District.
Keating and the four town sites make up the ‘Urban Containment Area’. Virtually* everything outside of the Urban Containment Area is zoned rural or agricultural, and virtually all areas zoned agricultural fall within the Agricultural Land Reserve (established by the Province of British Columbia in 1973 to preserve the relatively small stock of remaining arable BC land).
Central Saanich is actively engaged in updating its Official Community Plan (OCP). While only in draft stage at the time of this writing (June 2008), the Draft document reveals the District remains steadfast in its vision of itself as a rural and agricultural area. This vision will provide the acid test against which all aspects of planning for growth will be tested in the years to come.
This municipality sees its communities as pedestrian-oriented, compact settlements with housing choices for all income levels, ages and situations, with good access to public transportation and convenient systems for pedestrians, cyclists and ‘equestrians’. Not surprisingly, global warming considerations are pervasive throughout the OCP, including protection of the environment and minimization of the impact of automobiles on the community.
Growth in Central Saanich has been slower than that of other nearby municipalities due mainly to the commitment to preserving agricultural lands. That obviously limits physical area available for additional commercial and industrial uses.
But in any event, Central Saanich favours gradual, low-impact growth of about one percent per year. That translates to only about 70 new residential units. And it seems clear Central Saanich is committed to policies which will accommodate growth within its existing Urban Containment Area rather than extending services beyond that boundary. What are the consequences of that?
Within the existing Urban Containment Area and under existing zoning rules, room is limited. Most additional capacity will be in the form of apartment units built areas above retail areas. That won’t meet an increasing need within Central Saanich for ‘ground oriented’ residences.
Therefore, the keywords for growth are ‘infill’, ‘intensification’, and to a lesser degree, ’secondary suites’. The draft OCP says
’sensitive residential infill and intensification will be encouraged on all lands designated for residential uses [emphasis added] within the Urban Settlement Area to address housing needs, and in particular the need for additional affordable housing in the community.’
Central Saanich encourages a diversity of housing types, including small lot and multi-family developments – but with maximum heights limited to four stories. There will be no condo towers on the horizon here.
All in all, Central Saanich is rural, agricultural, quaint and beautiful, and will remain that way for many years to come.
- *Note: Two First Nation Reserves are located within Central Saanich. As self governing entities, these Reserves don’t fall within the jurisdiction of Central Saanich, but each works closely in cooperation with the District’s local government.
