A spirit of partnership is building between developers and the staff at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 planning department.
Director of planning Jonathan Tinney goes as far to say that the approach has already borne fruit in terms of better and more innovative designs for the city.
B次元官网网址淥ur approach has created a culture where developers are encouraged to bring us better projects B次元官网网址� where we encourage innovative thinking. We donB次元官网网址檛 just want them to bring us the simple concepts because itB次元官网网址檚 easier to do. We want the best that can be imagined,B次元官网网址� Tinney said.
Planners and developers are working collaboratively to make it possible to move beyond simplicity without fear of rejection. B次元官网网址淔or us itB次元官网网址檚 not about saying B次元官网网址榥oB次元官网网址� to developers; itB次元官网网址檚 more about figuring out what we all need to do so we can say B次元官网网址榶es.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Coun. Chris Coleman acknowledges that changes to the City of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 relationship with the development community have been challenging and have created a B次元官网网址渄ynamic tensionB次元官网网址� during council deliberations. Council was split, he noted, on deciding whether to allow staff more authority in instances where proposals fit the general planning parameters set by council.
B次元官网网址淚t just didnB次元官网网址檛 make sense to make everything come back to public hearing and political approval. That process alone can cost the proponent upwards of $10,000 and, in the case of something like a garden suite, it can make the difference between the project getting built or being abandoned,B次元官网网址� Coleman said.
The Official Community Plan calls for an additional 25,000 residents in Victoria over the next 25 years, a goal only achievable, it says, through innovative approaches to development.
Justin Filuk of Vancouver-based Townline, the company behind the Hudson Walk Two in Victoria, has nothing but praise for the development climate in Victoria. He is convinced the positive environment leads to better proposals.
B次元官网网址淵ou have a lot of smart and experienced (municipal employees) working in Victoria and the city has worked to streamline the process so staff can use that experience to make decisions right at the counter, without having to send everything back up (to the political level),B次元官网网址� he said. The attitude of staff allows developers to work co-operatively with the municipality to find design solutions, he added.
Rob Jawl with Jawl Properties spoke of a similar experience, saying his company has encountered an efficient and expedited process for permits and re-zoning applications. Jawl was quick to insist that the traction developers are gaining through the cityB次元官网网址檚 new philosophy does not compromise the values of the people of Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭his is not a rubber stamping. What we have is a staff that is willing and capable of looking for answers,B次元官网网址� he said.
