›› Sarah Murray
Hello Fernwood neighbours! We are grateful for the chance to share a few neighbourhood updates with you!
First off, the 18 month permit for the Transitional Tiny Home Community at 940 Caledonia (RAP parking lot) was passed by Council on March 18. Aryze is in the process of working with the City and BC Housing to construct 30 shipping container homes, and the operator—Our Place—will welcome new neighbours into these homes by the end of April. Over at Central Park, Council has asked the City Solicitor to bring forward bylaw amendments before May 1 that prohibit sheltering in Central Park. This prohibition on sheltering will be reviewed with the Tiny Home Community at 940 Caledonia.
The AAA bicycle corridor improvements on Vancouver Street are almost finished! Freshly paved roads, traffic diverters, and a brand new traffic signal at Vancouver and Caledonia are going to make for smooth sailing down Vancouver Street, just in time for spring! As a part of these improvements, the NPNA is looking forward to working with the City on a permanent parklet on Vancouver between Caledonia and Green Streets. Drop by the monthly food market on April 18 at Royal Athletic Park, and let us know what you would like to see at this new parklet!
In February, Victoria City Council held a workshop about whether or not some neighbourhood boundaries should be changed. After discussion Council proposed that the boundary between Fernwood and North Park be amended. They proposed that the area from Cook to Chambers between Pandora and Bay be removed from Fernwood and included in North Park. This would not impact current zoning or Official Community Plan land use designations in any way. Council subsequently directed the City’s Neighbourhoods Team (Michael Hill, Kimberley Stratford, and Gary Pemberton) to consult with residents, businesses, and services, in the affected area, as well as the Fernwood and North Park neighbourhood associations, on the proposed changes and to report back to Council by the end of September 2021.
As our Land Use Chair said at the Fernwood land use meeting on March 4, North Park is not trying to invade Fernwood! We want to assure you as our neighbours, that we are not leading this initiative, we were also surprised at this proposal, and that we do not have any preconceived notions about the outcome. For updates on the consultation process visit the neighbourhoods page on the City’s website at victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/neighbourhoods.
