The future of Cadboro Bay Village. Safety along Sinclair Hill. The beach in Cadboro-Gyro Park.

These three issues will likely loom large as the Cadboro Bay neighbourhood prepares for what likely qualifies as a long over-due overhaul of its local area plan.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to go through this process, because things change,B次元官网网址� said Eric Dahli, chairperson of the Cadboro Bay Residents Association.

Saanich defines local area plans as B次元官网网址渘eighbourhood plans that are developed with extensive consultation with community members.B次元官网网址�

While SaanichB次元官网网址檚 Official Community Plan (OCP) trumps local area plans, they complement each other by filling in specific planning details that do not appear in the OCP, and the future of Cadboro Bay will likely resonate beyond Saanich as its small but quirky village, and Cadboro-Gyro Park with its stunning beach draws visitors from across the region, especially during events such as the

Notably, the review of Cadboro BayB次元官网网址檚 local area plan coincides with a review of the local area plan for Cordova Bay Village, another regional attraction.

Council initiated both reviews last November. Saanich last changed the area plan for Cadboro Bay in 2002, for Cordova Bay in 1998.

In short, a lot has changed in both neighbourhoods, including Cadboro Bay, and Saanich staff have focused their initial efforts on gathering social data about the neighbourhood, said Cameron Scott, SaanichB次元官网网址檚 manager of community planning.

Saanich is currently recruiting an advisory committee, whose membership will consist out of representatives from the local residents association, local business association, local institutions such as the nearby University of Victoria, and neighbourhood residents speaking for different parts of the area.

Scott said Saanich staff will use this panel as a source of local expertise, and as sounding board for planning themes and concepts that emerge during the process that will feature a series of community engagement events. The process will last about 18 months as part of mandate from council to review and revise local area plan reviews in what Scott called a B次元官网网址渕ore expeditious fashionB次元官网网址� with an eye towards replicating the process in other parts of Saanich.

If Cadboro Bay Village shapes up to be a procedural test case, substantive issues include the appropriate amount of commercial space in the area.

B次元官网网址淲hat should the village look like? Should it grow? ItB次元官网网址檚 a vital part of the area,B次元官网网址� said Dahli.

Another looming issue concerns the state of Sinclair Hill, which leads into the heart of the area from the western sections of Saanich by way of the University of Victoria.

The route B次元官网网址� as the name implies B次元官网网址� takes travellers up and down a steep gradient. According to Dahli, it is full of potholes, and lacks adequate sidewalks for cyclists.

B次元官网网址淚f you are going on a bicycle up or down, you are taking your own life in your hands,B次元官网网址� he said.

Finally, the review will also consider the state of the beach in Cadboro-Gyro Park. Derelict boats have routinely washed up on the beach, be it on the Oak Bay or Saanich side of it, thereby creating various environmental and safety hazards.

This issue appears as the most complex because the future of the beach depends on not just Saanich, but also private interests, non-governmental groups, neighbouring Oak Bay, as well as the provincial government, and the federal government.

A task force including representation from these various parties is set to begin their work in early 2018, said Dahli.