View Royal
Location-wise, this little community could be called the keystone of the municipalities that surround it: Esquimalt, Saanich, Highlands, Langford and Colwood. But while it may be relatively small in size, View Royal offers a diversity of topographical interest. It has: waterfront along the northern side of Esquimalt Harbour as well as Portage Inlet; large tracts of eco-sensitive undeveloped timberland, significant park areas; commanding views of the Esquimalt Harbour; and plenty of hilly, rocky terrain.
The natural geography and topography of the area impacts View Royal in a number of ways. Most significantly, it means that every means of surface transport connecting any community to the east of View Royal with any other community anywhere on Vancouver Island passes through View Royal along a relatively narrow corridor of land alongside the Esquimalt Harbour and Portage Inlet.
If View Royal could charge a toll, it would be rich.
While View Royal doesn’t lack traffic through it, it does lack any discernable urban core, and the commercial tax base for its approximate 9,000 residents is small relative to most nearby communities. Nevertheless, in 2007 the municipal component of residential property taxes within View Royal were among the lowest in the West Shore, of which it is a part. Not bad for a community where about 90% of its tax base is residential property.
However, View Royal has a secret weapon!
Since December 2001, View Royal has been home to a Great Canadian Casino. By stroke of genius View Royal was able to attract the Casino, give the Province of British Columbia what it wanted (another site for gambling and the easy revenue it brings in, in return for a ’piece of the action’ ), and appease nearby communities by agreeing to a modest revenue sharing arrangement with them. The Casino was a very astute addition to the View Royal landscape.
Public hearings have recently been held to consider the Casino’s application to increase in size - to nearly double its existing capacity. No serious objections were raised, and today View Royal anticipates the expanded Casino will become a tourist destination, with the economic spinoff benefits that entails.
During the last five year census period ending in 2006, View Royal saw its resident population increase by over 20%! That is easily the highest percentage increase in the south Vancouver Island area.
That real estate development and growth was likely partly ‘catch up’, as growth had been somewhat impeded during the 80’s and 90’s due to lack of a fully developed sewerage system. That all changed in the late ‘80s when trunk sewers were constructed through View Royal to Langford and Colwood. This provided an opportunity for real estate development and some redevelopment with increased densities.
The growth was no doubt welcome, but in the big picture it likely did little to contribute to View Royal’s longer term objective to encourage a centrally located and concentrated economic area. Not just for an increased tax base, but to foster development of a village-like environment offering a range of services, amenities and housing options.
The latest consolidated version of View Royals Official Community Plan (OCP) provides an exhaustive examination of how it proposes to accommodate its share of growth, both population-wise and economic, within the capital region.
The large tracts of undeveloped timberland on its northern flank will remain in place, undeveloped. Infill and redevelopment of existing developed property will account for roughly one quarter to one third of the remaining potential for growth within the municipality.
The balance or residential growth is forecast to occur within the Atkins Planning Area. Maximum population densities will be quite low, but not all residential real estate development here will be single family detached homes. To encourage more people-friendly, clustered type environments, View Royal will consider density swaps in exchange for dedicated greenspace and other amenities within new developments.
The village core well continue to develop, centered at the intersection of Helmcken Road and Old Island Highway. Mixed use type developments with commercial space at street level and living above will be encouraged.
To retain its small town ’feel’, don’t anticipate highrise towers or regionally-scaled commercial developments to appear on this little municipality’s horizon at any time in the near future. After all, the heart of it isn’t about commerce. It’s about community - a social and cultural gathering place, developed to a human scale.
View Royal seems well focused on its vision for itself - ’To be one of the best places to call home: Livable, green and sustainable‘.
