FAQs

Research and Project Area Studies (March – December 2022)

Background analysis was completed including an Industrial Market Conditions, Land Economics and Best Practices Study and high-level environmental conditions study.  Virtual focus groups were held with stakeholders from the business, arts and education communities to discuss opportunities and challenges for the area and inform the project scope. Read the focus group feedback.

Phase 1 – Project Starts (January – June 2023)

The project kicked off with an initial Working Group meeting of 22 Rock Bay stakeholders.  

Phase 2 – Stakeholder Engagement Begins (April – June 2023)

The City gathered input from community partners on the future of the IAI District through focus groups, Micro Labs and stakeholder meetings, as well as through larger planning workshops in the form of Ideas Jams.  

Phase 3 – Development of Draft Action Plan (July – March 2025)

Using feedback collected from the Rock Bay District business and community groups in Phase Two of engagement, the City and project consultant worked o develop the Draft Industry, Arts and Innovation Action Plan.

Phase 4 - Gather Public Feedback on Draft Action Plan (April 2025) 

This spring, community members are invited to share their thoughts and ideas on proposed directions and plans for the IAI District. Feedback will be used to update the Action Plan, design guidelines and zones.

Phase 5 - Presentation to Council (2025)

Staff will present the proposed industry, Arts and Innovation District Action Plan to Council for consideration late 2025.

The Industry, Arts and Innovation District Action Plan aims to transform the Rock Bay area into a vibrant hub for activities and employment in technology, research and development, the arts sector and Indigenous economic prosperity.  

 The Action Plan provides strategies and detailed actions to achieve a range of goals:

• Strengthen Economic Health
• Foster Arts and Culture
• Realize Sustainable Development
• Improve Mobility Networks; and 
• Enhance Public Realm

The Industry, Arts and Innovation District is a key action of the Victoria 3.0 Economic Action Plan which was approved in 2020 to guide post-pandemic economic recovery.  

The draft IAI District Action Plan was developed using initial community partner feedback from the survey and in-person engagement sessions. Further public input on the draft plan will help further refine the plan and shape the future of the District.

The IAI District Action Plan identifies key actions, strategies, partnerships, potential investments and incentives to realize the vision and objectives for the District. Other related deliverables include:

• Updated related land use polices in the Downtown Core Area Plan to support intensified employment and integration of arts and cultural activities

• Modernized industrial zones to better reflect the range of employment uses and activities envisioned in the District and to improve certainty for proposed developments
  
  
• Roadway, public space and building design guidelines that support the district objectives, including pedestrian-friendly design, accommodation of freight and transportation needs for businesses and further exploration of opportunities for the harbour pathway, public space, wayfinding and ecology 

The new zones seek to allow a broader range of employment-focused uses and activities to better support new and existing businesses in the area.  

For example, most existing light industrial zones currently do not permit manufacturing and processing as an activity.  The new light industrial zones will permit manufacturing and processing to better support existing and new businesses.  The updated zones will also help to reduce the need for rezonings. 

The proposed zones will replace approximately 16 existing industrial zones within the District to better regulate the use of private land and development of buildings and other structures.

Rock Bay is historically an industrial employment area that currently supports a wide range of businesses and organizations that span light and heavy industrial activities, technology, bioscience, education, marine, commercial businesses and the arts. There is also limited amounts of residential and mixed-use development within the Douglas Street and Blanshard Street corridor. 

The City is considering updated land use policies, incentives, and modernized zoning to support a broader range of compatible businesses and activities that reinforce the area’s focus on industry, arts and innovation. 

Renewed guidelines are also being considered for the design of new buildings and improvements to public spaces including streets and sidewalks to better position the City’s industrial employment lands to attract and keep businesses that support a modern economy within a historic industrial area.  

The Industry, Arts and Innovation District Design Guidelines provide clear direction for designers, architects and property owners planning or considering a new building, retrofit or addition to an existing building within District. 

The guidelines ensure new development design is a good fit for the area, enhances surrounding public space and has a positive relationship with existing and future development. The guidelines address the exterior ‘form and character’ of buildings, location, landscaping and “fit” with public spaces. 

The development of the draft IAI Action Plan occurred concurrently with the OCP update and the policy directions from the IAI Action Plan are also reflected in the OCP. Staff have been collaborating with Matullia Holdings to ensure the IAI District Action Plan reflects and supports the land use objectives described in the masterplan for the Matullia site (Vision for Matullia Innovation District).  

Over the past two years we gathered feedback from over 500 people to help shape the future of the area and develop the Industry, Arts and Innovation District Action Plan. The City held 10 focus groups, four micro lab sessions and a walking tour workshop with the Rock Bay Working Group as well as a two-day ideas jam session that brought over 100 community and project stakeholders together to discuss their vision for the District. A survey was also launched to gather feedback from community members on guiding directions for the Action Plan and collect further input on the future of the district. 

The public can provide feedback by: 

• Attending an open house on April 15 from 3 – 7:30 p.m. at the Phillips Showcase Gallery at 2010 Government Street
• Registering for the IAI District online information session on April 16: Let's Talk: Industry, Arts and Innovation District Tickets, Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite 
• Completing the online survey before April 22, 2025

Visit engage.victoria.ca/iai-district to learn more. 

The City is working with the community to develop a plan for the Industry, Arts and Innovation District in Rock Bay, a key goal of the Victoria 3.0 Economic Action Plan. Feedback from community members will help shape the IAI District plan and help realize the District's goal to foster a lively and collaborative hub that will create new jobs, services and strengthen the local economy. 

Yes, meetings with Songhees Nation and Xʷsepsəm Nation were held in 2023 and 2024 to introduce the project and receive initial feedback.  Staff also presented at the Matuila Lands open house in December 2024, where nearly 180 members from the Songhees Nation and Xʷsepsəm Nation communities attended.

10 Focus groups were held in total. Four online focus groups were held in early 2022 with over 50 participants representing local businesses, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous economic development, arts and culture, developers, real estate experts and science and technology. 

Another four individual focus groups were held in June, September and October of 2023 with organizations representing post-secondary education, heavy industry, science and technology and development.  Two more focus groups were also held in May and September of 2024 with the development industry and heavy industrial businesses to explore more focused issues.

The development of the Industry, Arts and Innovation District Action Plan includes ongoing participation, input and consultation from a project working group composed of 20 individuals representing a broad variety of organizations including:

• Burnside Gorge Neighbourhood Association
• Matullia Holdings (Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations)
• Indigenous Prosperity Centre 
• South Island Prosperity Partnership 
• Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies 
• Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council 
• Downtown Victoria Business Association 
• Urban Development Institute 
• The Number Creative
• Autonomous Furniture
• Island Asphalt 
• KWENCH
• Rockslide Gallery 
• Phillips Brewing 
• Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
• Greater Victoria Placemaking Network
• University of Victoria

The various organizations were identified based on their previous participation in the development of the Victoria 3.0 Economic Action Plan as well as through participation in a series of public focus groups that were held in late 2022 to inform the project scope.

All engagement activities are designed to encourage participation from a broad range of stakeholders and partners such as the local business community, industry, arts and cultural organizations, residents, post secondary institutions, First Nations and design professionals.

The engagement plan leveraged  the City's Engagement Framework to centre equity, welcome all voices and honour our communities’ diverse ways of knowing, learning and sharing.

All feedback received will be reviewed and considered to inform potential refinements to the draft IAI Action Plan, draft design guidelines and draft zoning prior to being presented to Council for consideration.  A summary of public feedback will be shared with Council and available online at engage.victoria.ca/iai-district.