There has been some planning exercises being done by Saanich about Shelbourne street - the Shelbourne Corridor Action Plan. While it is nice that Saanich is finally sitting down and thinking about Shelbourne, they are not doing in the manner that makes sense to me.
Shelbourne is not just a Saanich street, it is a Victoria one as well. The two local governments should be doing this jointly as what one does effects the other. The planning should be running from Bay Street all the way up to Mount Doug. But it seems Saanich will go it alone.
They are hosting a virtual open house with materials about the corridor. The 20 page pdf does provide some good background, but even here they act as if the world ends at the Saanich border. You can not make a good plan if you do not work with the whole area you are looking at.
So what would I like to see in this corridor?
It strikes me that what makes the most sense is a dramatic increase in density along Shelbourne. What I would see are buildings 4-8 stories tall all along the corridor. I see them coming close to the street, but allowing for much larger sidewalks and ideally a bicycle lane. They buildings would be ground floor retail and then either office commercial or residential above them.
The corner of Shelbourne and Cedar Hill X road is under developed. I would see that area have a dramatic increase in density. I would also see that area have some light industrial, nothing big and dramatic, but the sort of light industrial that allows for warehousing and small manufacturing. The existing Shelbourne Plaza would be a good location for this.
I note that this area in Saanich has virtually no industrial lands and therefore has to rely on neighbourhoods further away to service the community.
Any long term vision should keep in mind that if Greater Victoria ever does build rail based rapid transit, Shelbourne would be a very good location for a line running from Downtown to UVic. With a higher density of people along Shelbourne, there may actually be enough transit use to warrant the construction of a line.
This Sunday there will be an event called "Our Human and Natural History" at 2 pm at St Aidan's church on St Aidan's Street. I would love to go, but I will be at a meeting of the Gorge Tillicum Urban Farmers at the same time.
On May 3th at 7 pm there will be a meeting for stakeholders at St Aidans
4 comments:
Classic example of core municipal planners not talking to each other, or sharing information.
You are completely correct about density, transport and commercial/light industrial. That kind of imaginative development would encourage currect property owners, like Saanich Plaza, to entirely revamp to better serve, and suit, the community.
Riding the bus on Shelbourne I notice the huge gap on Shelbourne between Hillside Mall to Saanich Plaza. There should be a commercial development on Shelbourne halfway between these two things. There is a church and empty lot that would look promising. There are many empty churches in Victoria that could be used for better purposes.
Do we really want to fill the "gaps" between commercial development with more commercial development? Beware! There lies the road to Surrey! The absolute worse thing that could happen to the corridor is an extension of the low-rise commercial development.
As long as a resident is within walking distance of a jug of milk or cup of coffee the present rhythm is just fine.
I would like to see development occur, but would like to see the tired residential improved with higher density townhouses/rowhouses.
Save the commercial density for the village centres but allow higher density and a little more height than current regulations allow.
Based on what I see of planning efforts in Toronto and its suburban communities, MUCH higher densities than low & midrise apartment residential are needed to support or justify rail transit.
I also have serious doubts about the feasibility, functionality & esthetics of providing most of the retail & service commercial uses needed by urban residents along street corridors in the form of ground floor retail with residential/office etc above.
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