Re: Delay Denied; Friday. Oct. 5, 2012.
It is most unfortunate for the residents of North Saanich that council has elected to continue to consider development proposals, prior to their proposed community wide public consultation on housing densities in the municipality. While it is true that there are statutory requirements that must be met with regard to public hearings, they in no way paint the big picture for the community. Public hearings are property specific.
To use the example of 9395 East Saanich Road, 37 small lots are being considered. Unless you are a resident that pays very careful attention to what is going on with your local council, you may not realize there are an additional 200-plus units also before Council at this same time.
North Saanich council is about to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to determine what residents think about density increases, after having approved massive changes to the OCP.
In these circumstances, council’s move to host a community consultation process is disingenuous. The decisions will have already been made.
Heather Gartshore
North Saanich