Saanich, B.C. townhouse complex with no parking spaces gets the green light

A Victoria, B.C., area municipality has approved an innovative new project it hopes will help meet its housing and climate goals, but the development’s neighbours are raising concerns.

The District of Saanich’s new council unanimously gave the green light to the nine-unit townhouse project near the corner of Richmond Road and and Allenby Street.

But what sets this development apart is what it doesn’t have: parking.

“First it was kind of disbelief. Nine units on one lot, that’s a lot of density, and it’s a very small neighbourhood. And second was concern it had no parking spaces,” Jamie Dopp with the Comosun Community Association told Global News.

“So, they’re hoping that people won’t have cars.”

Typically in Saanich, a development of this size would require 23 parking stalls.

Instead, the new development will come equipped with 18 bike storage units and a car-share parking spot. On top of that, all residents will get a membership to Modo Car share.

The future occupants will also have to sign an agreement to stay car free.

“It’s pretty straightforward, it says, ‘Look, we’re going to give you a better price, we’re going to give you more greenspace, a better design, it’s going to be fit to your lifestyle — just don’t park on the street,'” Urban Thrive Developments founder Julian West explained.

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“And that’s really just so everyone is on the same page around what these homes are for.”

West said there’s already a waitlist of 70 people vying for the nine homes, and that the developer will undergo a matching process to ensure the future residents are already living car-free.

Dopp said he’s skeptical of that process, noting the contract is not legally binding. He said he’s worried the residents may buy cars in the future.

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“It’s kind of moral pressure, that’s the idea. We don’t know what’s going to happen as the building residents turn over, whether they’ll feel the same pressure,” he said.

“In this neighbourhood, all of the families ultimately got cars.”

The development is the first of its kind in Saanich, but the community’s mayor suggested it may not be the last.

Dean Murdock said the municipality remains open to other car-free developments, so long as they fit with the neighbourhood.

“In this location there’s a lot going for it in terms of available transit service, active transportation like biking and walking, and of course its in very close proximity to shopping, parks schools,” he explained.

“This was an opportunity to create nine new homes for families who want to get into a livable neighbourhood, a walkable neighbourhood, or perhaps for adults who want to downsize … This allows us to achieve an awful lot with one application.”

It will still be about a year and a half until the new project is complete and the new residents move into the neighbourhood.

In the meantime, neighbours like Dopp feel like they’ve been overlooked.

“I’m anxious. I don’t know what it’s going to be like to have such a big building next door,” Dopp said.

“We’ve been quite open to change, but this is such a big one.”