Victoria council's last-minute tweak to Harris Green development approval concerning for some
CTV
A massive development project that would bring 1,500 badly needed rental units to downtown Victoria got a tentative green light from city council this week, but a last-minute amendment that was narrowly approved is causing some controversy.
A massive development project that would bring 1,500 badly needed rental units to downtown Victoria got a tentative green light from city council this week, but a last-minute amendment that was narrowly approved is causing some controversy.
Councillors voted 5-4 to require the developer of the Harris Green Village project – which would be home to Vancouver Island's tallest building if built as planned – to reduce the number of parking stalls for some of the proposed buildings from one stall for every two units to one stall for every eight.
Councillor Marg Gardiner was one of those who voted against the proposal.
"Not only may (it) affect this proposal, but it may affect many going forward," Gardiner said. "It's very worrisome. This is virtue signalling."
Developer Starlight Investments, which will also own and operate the buildings if they are constructed, first proposed plans for Harris Green Village four years ago.
Councillor Jeremy Cardona pitched the parking amendment for environmental reasons.
"We want to be ensuring that we are building a car-light city," he said. "We're densifying the city with people and with units, not with more cars."
