BC Transit – Sidney Transit Hub Memorandum of Understanding
Essay Commentary
We All Support Improving Public Transit. Are There Any Implications?
Sidney recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BC Transit for the development of a transit hub located on Seventh Street near the Mary Winspear Centre (see below). According to BC Transit’s Peninsula Local Area Transit Plan completed in 2022, this transit hub would include a future RapidBus stop providing faster and more frequent bus service along the Peninsula from the BC Ferries Terminal in Swartz Bay to downtown Victoria, and bus stops along the way.
If this goes ahead, this transit hub is expected to be built in 3 to 4 years. Provincial legislation adopted in Fall 2023, Bill-47 Transit Oriented Areas and Bill-44 Residential Development, provide for increased housing density near frequent transit bus stops. Does this planned transit hub have implications for housing density in Sidney? “Frequent transit” means at least one route stopping every 15 minutes between 7 am and 7 pm Monday to Friday. While this won’t happen for several years, BC Transit’s (and Sidney’s) long-term objective is to improve service to this level.
Implications of Provincial Legislation
Bill-47 Transit Oriented Areas has the greatest potential to increase housing density. Under Bill-47, areas within 200m from prescribed transit hubs in Victoria, Saanich and View Royal are allowed up to 6 storeys. However, new transit hubs aren’t automatically covered by Bill-47. They must be specifically added to the list by Order in Council. The proposed transit hub seems unlikely to meet the threshold for listing under Bill-47 for the foreseeable future.
Bill-44 Residential Development applies to all single-family and duplex lots in Sidney that are greater than 280m2 or 3,000 ft2 in area and allows up to 4 units; and, up to 6 units if they are wholly or partly within 400m2 of a frequent transit bus stop. Bill-44 requires that Sidney update its Zoning Bylaw when this threshold is achieved. We don’t expect to see a bus route with this level of service for several years, but when it does happen Sidney must update the Zoning Bylaw to allow up to 6 units.
What Areas Are Affected?
The yellow outline in the figure below shows the area within 400m of the proposed transit hub. Most of the parcels within this area are not zoned single-family or duplex and therefore aren’t affected. However, a significant portion of the Orchard neighbourhood and a cluster of parcels on Besseredge Place are within 400m and would be upzoned to allow 6 units.
Will This Have an Effect on Sidney’s Official Community Plan (OCP)?
The draft North Saanich OCP proposes to increase density along a corridor 400m wide following East Saanich Road in anticipation of future frequent bus service. Does the proposed transit hub in Sidney mean changes to Sidney’s OCP? Maybe …
- The single-family parcels that are within 400m are currently designated "Intensive Neighbourhood Residential" in Sidney’s OCP and within a Development Permit Area with form and character guidelines that were updated to address the increased density allowed by Bill-44.
- The land where the transit hub will be located is designated "Downtown Commercial". Perhaps “Institutional” might be more appropriate, but “Downtown Commercial” allows a transit hub.
- The Transportation section of the OCP already has policies about collaborating with BC Transit and implementing the Peninsula Local Area Transit Plan which support this transit hub.
The character of the affected neighbourhoods may change because of the increased density, particularly for the Orchard neighbourhood. Such changes are many years in the future, but people living there should be thinking about this for the next OCP update.
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