Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans

Engagement Summary: Phase 2 – Imagine

Detailed Summary of Community Feedback

Table of Contents

Introduction

What We Did

What We Heard: What Do You Love About Your Neighbourhood?

What We Heard: What Needs to Be Addressed in Your Neighbourhood?

Highlight of Top Issues

Introduction

The City of Victoria is working with the community to create new neighbourhood plans for Fairfield and Gonzales. The plans will help guide future growth, development and public investment in the two neighbourhoods.

Between June and August 2016, residents and businesses from the Fairfield and Gonzales neighbourhoods were asked to help identify the vision, goals, key topics and issues for the future of their neighbourhood. This“Imagine” phase of engagement focused on three main questions:

What do you like about your neighbourhood?
What needs to be addressed in your neighbourhood?
What do you want your neighbourhood to look like in 25 years?

This report presents a detailed overview of the community feedback for each question. The feedback will form the basis of upcoming neighbourhood forums in October 2016, where participants will be asked to validate the draft goals and vision, and to explore the key issues in more depth.

What We Did

Between June 18 and August 31, 2016, residents and businesses from Fairfield and Gonzales neighbourhoods were asked to provide input to help build the vision and goals for the future of their neighbourhood. Feedback was received from:

Community meeting at Fairfield Gonzales Community Place: 100 participants
Online survey: 354 responses
11 sounding boards placed at 12 locations within the two neighbourhoods resulting in over 1190 sticky notes
3 citizen-led meetings: 25 participants
1 block party

What We Heard: What Do You Love About Your Neighbourhood?

Residents and businesses love many things about their neighbourhoods. The most common themes were:

Fairfield:

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Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans Phase 2 ImagineDetailed Summary of Feedback

October 4, 2016

Walkability

Easy access to the ocean, downtown, Beacon Hill Park

Bikeability

Friendliness

Great restaurants and cafes

Older homes

The mix of housing in the neighbourhood

Local shops and services within walking distance

Cook Street Village

Green yards

Tree-lined streets,

Neighbourhood parks

Coastline

Beacon Hill Park

Dallas Road

“Remain the same, only better”.

Safe

People know their neighbours.

Great recreational facilities

Meadows

Natural areas

Unique character

Historic

Moss Street market

Gardens

Tranquility

Scenic views

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Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans Phase 2 ImagineDetailed Summary of Feedback

October 4, 2016

Gonzales:

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Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans Phase 2 ImagineDetailed Summary of Feedback

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Beautiful older homes

Friendly feel

Safe

Quiet

Fairfield Plaza

Oak Bay Avenue

There are all the shops and services I need

Local businesses and business owners

Trees

Tree-lined streets

Neighbourhood parks

Green feeling

Easy access to the water and shoreline

Beaches

Kids roam free

Block parties

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Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans Phase 2 ImagineDetailed Summary of Feedback

October 4, 2016

What We Heard: What Needs to Be Addressed in Your Neighbourhood?

Highlight of Top Issues

The community identified many local issues and opportunities that they would like to see addressed through neighbourhood planning. The most commonly mentioned issues include:

Fairfield:

Enhance walkability and bikeability
Improve traffic management on local and major roads
Different perspectives on the future look and feel of Cook Street Village
Maintain the low-rise feel of older residential areas
Enhance waterfront parks and trails
Housing affordability

Gonzales:

Ensure new development fits with low-rise character of the area
Protect older homes
Enhance walkability and bikeability
Traffic management on residential streets
Enhance neighbourhood and waterfront parks
Family-friendly housing and amenities

Top Issues by Topic

Residents and businesses had many suggestions for what could be improved in their neighbourhoods. The most common issues are summarized here, organized by topic area.

Transportation and Mobility

Gonzales

Slow traffic down in specific areas
Improve pedestrian crossings and sidewalks in some key locations to make it safer.
Concern about cut-through traffic on quiet residential streets
Traffic congestion and pedestrian safety on Fairfield Road near Fairfield Plaza.
Improve the cycling and walking connections within the neighbourhood.
Re-design of specific residential streets to be bike- and play- priority streets (e.g. Brighton)

Fairfield

Move away from a car-centric neighbourhood. Improve pedestrian, cycling, public transit and car share opportunities
Slow traffic on some key major roads (e.g Fairfield, Vancouver, Southgate, Richardson, May, Dallas, Moss, St. Charles, Ross)
Concern about local streets being used as shortcuts by vehicles
On-street parking can be challenging, particularly around commercial areas where customer parking is limited
Narrow sidewalks in key locations can become congested with the different users, including pedestrians, cyclists, elderly, people on scooters, strollers, skateboarders
Strong support for better cycling facilities, particularly along the waterfront and in or around Cook Street Village
Better walking and cycling connections throughout the neighbourhood.
More bicycle parking in Cook Street Village and at waterfront parks
Better pedestrian crossings at some key locations (e.g. near Fairfield Plaza and across Dallas Road)
Explore Cook Street Village as a pedestrian-priority area

Housing

Gonzales

Encourage new housing diversity and choice while maintaining the low rise character of the area
Duplexes, triplexes, garden suites and small lot homes could add more people and fit into the neighbourhood
Concern about the loss of older homes
Diversify housing to diversity Gonzales’ population (e.g. income levels, age)
Encourage smaller housing forms that could help increase affordability
Retain the trees and green feel of the neighbourhood as properties redevelop

Fairfield

Different perspectives on what types of housing are suitable for Fairfield in the future, and where this new housing should be located
Some support for gentle density and diversification in the neighbourhood but not through high buildings; others encouraged higher density buildings, particularly in commercial areas
Strong support for retaining low-rise, open feel of traditional residential areas
Townhouses seen as a desirable type of new housing for the traditional residential area that fits
Encourage more affordably-priced housing through smaller sized housing (e.g. townhouses, duplex, triplex)
Concern about impacts of the tent city on neighbouring properties and school, as well as on the neighbourhood residents’ sense of safety
Some concern about low-barrier/ supportive housing being introduced to Fairfield; others supported this type of housing diversity in the neighbourhood
Offer housing options so that people can stay in Fairfield as they age
Diversify the mix of housing types to attract a wider diversity of residents (different income levels, ages, family sizes)
Create more ground-oriented housing to attract families.
Concern that older homes in Fairfield are being replaced by new modern ones.
Retain and maintain the existing rental housing stock.

Urban Villages

Cook Street Village

There are different perspectives on what Cook Street Village should look like in the future, such as the mix of different land uses (e.g. housing/retail/commercial), the types of buildings and the footprint of the village. These different perspectives include:
Concentrate new housing units in Cook Street growth to preserve low-density areas elsewhere in the neighbourhood
Concentrate new housing units closer to Cook Street and Fort Street
Keep Cook Street village low-density to retain small town feel
Scatter new housing units through the neighbourhood through “gentle density” (e.g. townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, garden suites)
Concentrate new housing units within several blocks radius of Cook Street to increase population but keep buildings at a moderate scale
More residents are needed around Cook Street Village to add vibrancy to the area and support local businesses
Improve streetscape and public realm improvements in Cook Street Village, including public plaza, wider sidewalks, more seating, public art, more pedestrian crossings, and bike parking
Retain and strengthen local-serving shops and services and increase the mix of businesses.
Slow traffic through the village
Improve bikeability through the village

Ross Bay Village

Support and strengthen commercial areas at Fairfield Plaza and Oak Bay Avenues
Ensure new, denser development fits with surrounding character of neighbourhood (e.g. townhouses, duplexes, triplexes rather than apartments)
Support for more population growth to better support neighbourhood businesses
There are different perspectives on where new population growth should go:
New housing at Ross Bay Village (Fairfield Plaza)
More residential units along Oak Bay Avenue
More “gentle density” (townhouses, low rise apartment buildings) within a five minute walk of commercial areas
Concentrate new housing growth along major roads
Scatter new businesses and housing throughout the neighbourhood
Respondents felt that it was important for new, denser development to fit with surrounding character of neighbourhood (e.g. townhouses, duplexes, triplexes rather than apartments).
Pedestrian improvements and slower traffic needed for Fairfield Road

Small Urban Villages (e.g. Moss at May Street, Fairfield at Moss Street, Irving at Fairfield)

Diversify the mix of shops and services in small commercial areas.
Support local-serving businesses
Some would like additional small commercial areas in the neighbourhood; others would like to see no further retail added

Parks, Open Space, Trails, and Trees

Fairfield

Improve amenities in the waterfront parks, particularly along Dallas Road/ Clover Point (e.g. bike parking, food trucks, public washrooms, picnic tables)
Strong support for waterfront cycle path
Strong support for a community allotment garden
Maintain neighbourhood parks and add amenities to attract a wider range of ages (beyond young children)
Concern about impacts of camping in Beacon Hill Park such as garbage, habitat damage and a feeling of a lack of safety, particularly at night
Support for dog-friendly parks; others would like dog-free areas along the shore and beaches
Improve amenities in Beacon Hill Park (e.g. concession, lighting, washrooms)

Gonzales

Enhance smaller parks to make them more used by residents of all ages.
Improve deer management
Improve facilities and access at Gonzales Beach
Increase native plant species used in park landscaping

Preserve the trees and green “feel” of private property as new houses are built

Community, Health and Wellbeing

Gonzales

Diversify the population to include more families with children, young professionals and seniors.
Housing affordability is a challenge to creating a more diverse neighbourhood
Create more childcare and out of school care spaces
Establish a community gathering place for Gonzales

Fairfield

Maintain Fairfield’s friendly, respectful, safe feeling into the future
Create a more diverse and inclusive neighbourhood, with a full range of ages, incomes and ethnicities
Increase the number of families with children. Concern that the cost of housing will be a barrier
Concern about impacts of tent city on the sense of safety and security of surrounding residents
Desire for the community centre and seniors centre to broaden their appeal and inclusivity to a wider range of residents
Engage new voices in neighbourhood affairs
Encourage more transparency and openness at City Hall

Environment and Sustainability

Gonzales

Support for a better approach to deer management
More green, sustainable buildings as properties redevelop.
Protect tree canopy on private land

Fairfield

Retain private trees and private green space as when properties redevelop.
Create a community allotment garden
More green and sustainable buildings and landscaping
Concern regarding impact of deer on gardens, parks and resident safety
Protect natural shoreline features
Celebrate and restore native ecosystems

Placemaking, Arts, Culture and Heritage

Gonzales

Retain older homes, including character buildings and mid-century modern homes.
More houses with heritage designation and protections
Celebrate local heritage through interpretative signage

Fairfield

Retain older homes.
Establish a heritage conservation area

More neighbourhood public art

More plantings and seating on boulevards
Protect beautiful views
Keep open skies and sunlight in commercial areas
More festivals and community events
Community-led placemaking projects
Retain green, tree-covered feeling as properties redevelop.

What We Heard: What Do You Want Your Neighbourhood to Look Like in 25 Years?

Residents and businesses shared many ideas in describing their vision for the future. Some of the most frequently mentioned features of the future neighbourhoods include:

Gonzales

Great bikeways, sidewalks and public spaces
Lots of older homes
Most a residential, green neighbourhood
Greater mix of socioeconomic diversity
Variety of different housing types
Lots of large old trees
New, well-designed houses that fit into the neighbourhood

Fairfield

“Not much different from today”, “as it is now”
Vibrant Cook Street Village
Thriving local businesses
More diversity of people
Strong sense of community and neighbourliness
Affordable housing.
New buildings that fit the neighbourhood feel.
Still green, leafy, tree-lined
A great place for children and seniors
Sustainable, low-carbon, more urban food production

What’s Next?

This feedback will be used to prepare draft vision and goal statements for the neighbourhood plan, and to help identify key issues to be addressed through the neighbourhood plan. In October 2016, we will be asking the community to validate the vision and goals. We will also be launching the next phase of engagement to explore key topics in depth. We will host neighbourhood forums open to residents and businesses on a range of issues including housing, urban villages, transportation, parks, placemaking, heritage, sustainability and more. The list of upcoming events can be viewed on the project website at victoria.ca/fairfield-gonzales .

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Fairfield and Gonzales Neighbourhood Plans Phase 2 ImagineDetailed Summary of Feedback

October 4, 2016