Local Area Plan Update: Online open house ongoing

The City of Victoria is continuing its engagement for the Local Area Plan (LAP) update for North Park and surrounding neighbourhoods. These plans set the stage for how the neighbourhood develops and grows over the next 5, 10, and 20 years. 

Right now, there is the opportunity to check their virtual “open house” and provide feedback via several short surveys or a discussion forum. You can find the details here: https://engage.victoria.ca/fernwood-north-park-hillside-quadra

• exploring the short-term creation of flexible public spaces at North Park and/or Grant Streets; 
• supporting pop-up patios; and long-term creation of a permanent shared or car-free for everyday use and community celebration. 
• Ideas for allowing the village to evolve including encouraging small-footprint buildings with smaller commercial spaces, wider sidewalks with patios and street trees, and housing above;
• supporting new multi-family housing of varied scales east of the village; and
• enhancing public access to Royal Athletic Park. 

NPNA Community Values Survey Results! 

The results of the NPNA's October "Community Values" survey are now live! You can check out a summary as well as the full report of the results here.

Overall we had over 250 people take the survey. The results of this survey will be used to guide the Land Use Committee’s response to future developments, as well as the NPNA’s grant applications, and program development and delivery.

For questions about the survey please contact Eleni Gibson, NPNA Land Use Planning Advisor at landuse@npna.ca

Developments to watch

All development applications within the City can be tracked here: https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/planning-development/development-tracker.html . You can filter by neighbourhood to see what is happening in North Park.

940 Caledonia/RAP Parking Lot

The City of Victoria, in partnership with Aryze Developments and others, are planning to develop a temporary tiny home community on the parking lot for Royal Athletic Park (RAP), located at 940 Caledonia to provide shelter for unhoused folks. The proposal envisions 30 shipping container homes, washrooms, and some amenities. See proposed site plan and shipping container design here. 

The project requires a Temporary Use Permit (TUP), which allows for a use outside of what the zoning allows for a temporary period of time. The NPNA understands that the TUP will be for 18 months - until September 2022. 

The City of Victoria has stated that they are expediting the process. This means that there will be no requirement for a Community Association Land Use Committee (CALUC) meeting, which normally happens before an application is submitted. The City has stated that there will be opportunity for public comment when the application moves to Council readings. The NPNA will provide updates on our website and via the newsletter as the project progresses.

• For questions regarding the technical aspects of the proposed community, please contact Jared James at info@aryze.ca
• For questions about the process and opportunity for public input, please  contact mayor@victoria.ca