Village and Corridor Planning: Fernwood, North Park and Hillside-Quadra

Fernwood Village 

Ideas proposed include refreshing Fernwood Square with new features for 3-season enjoyment and extending the feel of the Square across Fernwood Road. There are options for gradual expansion of the village and ideas for enhancing places along Bay Street with shops and street trees. Other ideas include parking management during business hours and opportunities for more multi-family housing adjacent to and west of the village. Watch the video below to experience what Fernwood could look like in 2040.

Join the discussion! What do you think about the big ideas proposed for Fernwood Village? What do you like? Dislike? What did we miss? 

Quadra Village 

Proposed ideas include transforming the lane just west of Quadra Street into a pedestrian-friendly “mews” over time; and, in the long-term, supporting redevelopment that adds public open spaces, maintains and renews cultural spaces like the Roxy theatre, and brings new rental and ownership housing. Other ideas include short- and long-term improvements to Kings Road to create public spaces for outdoor seating, gathering, eating and activities. Along Quadra Street in the Village, encouraging smaller-footprint developments that include smaller commercial spaces with housing above and facilitate more space for trees, wider sidewalks and patios. Watch the video below to experience what Quadra Village could look like in 2040.

Join the discussion! What do you think about the big ideas proposed for Quadra Village? What do you like? Dislike? What did we miss?  

North Park Village 

Proposed ideas include exploring the short-term creation of flexible public spaces at North Park and/or Grant Streets; supporting pop-up patios; and long-term creation of a permanent shared or car-free for everyday use and community celebration. Ideas for allowing the village to evolve include encouraging small-footprint buildings with smaller commercial spaces, wider sidewalks with patios and street trees, and housing above; supporting new multi-family housing of varied scales east of the village; and enhancing public access to Royal Athletic Park. These ideas should help make North Park Village a more resilient place where residents can access goods, services and social opportunities for everyday living, close to home. Watch the video below to experience what North Park could look like in 2040.

Join the  discussion! What do you think about the big ideas proposed for North Park Village? What do you like? Dislike? What did we miss? 

Making Room – an Equitable City 

Victoria and our region are growing by about 1% annually (the Canadian average). In addition, Victorians continue to grow up, form families and age in our community and we know there is demand for housing for different incomes, household sizes and types, lifestyles and ages. Our Official Community Plan seeks to provide more housing choice within walking distance of the downtown, urban villages and frequent transit. Learn more about Victoria's current and future housing needs in the document below.

We heard there is a desire to protect existing rental housing while providing our next generation with opportunities to buy or rent. There is also a desire for multi-family housing - not just on corridors with transit routes like Quadra Street, but also in quieter locations - and that design of new housing should support livability for residents, neighbourliness, and our urban forest. We also heard that while many Victorians own a car, there is an interest in more car-lite living (in fact, Victoria has one of the highest rates of walking, rolling and transit trips in Canada). 

Join the discussion! How and where should the City  make room for rental apartments, strata ownership opportunities and mixed-use buildings to meet the diverse needs of different incomes, household types, ages and lifestyles, today and in the future?