Boomin in Victoria

[Back in April, my wife, Irene, wrote this piece about Victoria's Official Community Plan (OCP) update . I thought it was insightful and wise, and she's graciously given me permission to post it here.] I’ve recently seen a number of people complain that the OCP engagement process is “biased”. But I think that people are confusing biases with constraints. When you go shopping for new appliances, and find out that all models with the features you need cost more than you wanted to pay, do you accuse the store of being biased? Or do you recognize that you are dealing with constraints? This OCP update is responding to a lot of constraints.  The most obvious constraint is new targets for increasing and diversifying our supply of housing.  The province has ordered Victoria to: Add 4,902 additional homes in the next 4 years; Permit at least 3-4 units on most residential lots, and up to 6 units on some, by June; Complete a standardized 20-year Housing Needs Analysis, and update our OCP

Note On Thursday, May 16, Victoria's City Council will receive a Douglas Street Downtown Dedicated Bus Lane Update. For the central downtown section the report briefly presents options "A" through "F". Option "F" is recommended, and the report gives some additional detail. Personally, I think Thursday's decision is extremely important, and I put the following together in an attempt to organize my thoughts about report and the choices is presents. Unlike my other posts so far, I haven't even made an effort to be funny! This is pure geek. Consider yourself warned. Executive Summary There is a lot to like about the staff recommended Option F, Offset Dedicated Bus Lanes , and it may well be the best option, but the report does not provide enough information about the other options for Council to make an informed decision about which approaches best embody the city’s priorities. More detail is required, at least for options