Council reviewed early drafts of a district-wide zoning bylaw and new Official Community Plan development permit guidelines; neither is ready for adoption, and staff will gather feedback and return with refinements. For the zoning bylaw, councillors agreed to add a special meeting where the public can speak directly before readings, alongside engagement and advisory-committee reviews. The sharper debate was over whether to include design guidelines for light industrial areas: a councillor argued their removal left gaps, and the committee voted to put them back into the engagement and review process. Council also heard that a parking-standards review will follow the zoning work, likely starting this fall, because current requirements may be higher than parking demand suggests.
Generated from the recording's captions and the official minutes.
What was discussed
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3.1 Agenda of the April 20, 2026 Special (Open) Council Meeting
Council recessed its meeting and convened as a Committee of the Whole to consider the draft zoning bylaw, draft development permit guidelines, and parking review.
Staff introduced a draft that reorganizes and clarifies zones and rules across the district. Proposed changes include a small-lot housing zone that could allow up to four homes where feasible, simpler multifamily zones including apartments up to four storeys, revised rural lot-coverage rules, and new shoreline floodplain-report requirements. Staff said public engagement would run from April to June, with open houses and targeted outreach; feedback and advisory-committee comments are expected back to Council on June 15 before any readings. Councillors raised practical questions about map readability, Dignan Road apartments, Keating-area uses, shipping-container limits on farms, and retaining-wall rules. Council also directed staff to arrange a special meeting for direct public comment before the bylaw’s readings.
Agreement
The draft needs public engagement and further refinement before Council considers first and second readings.
A special meeting for the public to speak directly about the zoning changes should be held before readings.
Staff will seek feedback from the Advisory Planning Commission and the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Advisory Commission.
Hold a special committee meeting so the public can speak directly to Council about the proposed zoning bylaw changes before Council considers the bylaw readings.
Official wording: That prior to consideration of the readings of the Zoning Bylaw, that a special committee meeting be held to hear from the public directly on their opinions on the changes to the bylaw.
Keep working on the draft zoning bylaw by gathering public feedback and refining it before Council considers its first two readings. Also send it to the Advisory Planning Commission and the Peninsula & Area Agricultural Advisory Commission for review and comments.
Official wording: 1. That the Draft Zoning Bylaw be received for information and that staff be directed to proceed with public engagement and refinement of the Bylaw prior to consideration of first and second readings.
2. That the Draft Zoning Bylaw be referred to the Advisory Planning Commission (APC) and Peninsula & Area Agricultural Advisory Commission (PAAC) for review and comment.
Staff presented draft design guidelines for environmentally sensitive areas and for the form and character of new development. Proposed updates include a marine buffer extending 300 metres seaward, new hillside and wildfire-interface areas, and revised guidance for housing and commercial development. Councillors questioned how enforceable the guidelines would be and whether removing light-industrial guidelines would leave gaps, particularly around building design and landscaping. One councillor moved to put the light-industrial section back into the review; another supported seeking community input on Keating as a gateway to the district. The motion carried. Staff will consult the public and advisory committees, refine the guidelines, and report back before bringing an Official Community Plan amendment to Council.
Agreement
Staff should continue public and focused-group engagement and refine the draft before Council considers a bylaw.
The Advisory Planning Commission, the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Advisory Commission, and the Saanich Peninsula Accessibility Advisory Committee should be asked for input.
Guideline wording and its practical enforceability need further review.
Disagreement
A councillor said excluding light-industrial guidelines would leave gaps in controls over matters such as landscaping and building design, and moved to reinstate them. The Mayor expressed some hesitation about reversing the earlier decision but said referral for review would do no harm; the motion carried.
Councillors raised questions about whether guideline language should say applicants “must” or “should” do things. Staff and the Mayor explained that guidelines can inform Council’s decision on a development permit, while requirements in bylaws have more direct enforceability.
Put light industrial back into the draft design guidelines and include that information in the public engagement.
Official wording: That staff be directed to reinsert the light industrial into the draft Official Community Plan development permit areas design guidelines and proceed with public engagement with this information.
Close the meeting to the public to discuss solicitor-client privileged advice and confidential information about negotiations involving the municipality and a First Nation or Indigenous entity.
Official wording: That Committee convene a closed meeting pursuant to the following subsections of the Community Charter:
90(1) A part of a council meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered relates to or is one or more of the following:
• (i) the receipt of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.
90(2) A part of a council meeting must be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered relates to one or more of the following
• (b) the consideration of information received and held in confidence relating to negotiations
o (iii) between the municipality and a first nation or a prescribed Indigenous entity, or between a first nation or a prescribed Indigenous entity and a third party.
Continue public and focus-group engagement and revise the draft development permit area design guidelines before bringing a bylaw to Council. Send the report and draft guidelines to the planning, agricultural, and accessibility advisory committees for input. Also hold a special committee meeting so the public can speak directly about proposed Official Community Plan changes before Council considers the bylaw readings.
Official wording: 1. That Council receive the draft Development Permit Areas (DPA) Design Guidelines for information and that staff be directed to proceed with public and focused-group engagement and refinements of the Guidelines prior to introduction of a bylaw for Council consideration.
2. That this report along with draft DPA be referred to the Advisory Planning Commission (APC), the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Commission (PAAC), and Saanich Peninsula Accessibility Advisory Committee (SPAAC) for input.
3. That prior to consideration of the readings of the Official Community Plan Bylaw, that a special committee meeting be held to hear from the public directly on their opinions on the changes to the bylaw.
Staff presented preliminary studies ahead of a wider parking-standards review, noting that the district’s standards have not been comprehensively reviewed in more than a decade. A 2024 study found vehicle demand at sampled multi-unit homes was below the current requirements; staff cautioned that the results may have changed and that concerns from neighbours also need to be weighed. The review is expected to be introduced to Council in the fall and continue into the new year. It will cover off-street parking in the zoning bylaw; a separate engineering review will look at street design, including on-street parking and bike lanes. Councillors also asked about possible public-land parking enforcement, which could require more bylaw-enforcement resources.
Agreement
The district’s parking standards need a broader review, and parking demand should be considered alongside neighbourhood concerns.
The off-street review and the separate review of street standards are timely to coordinate.
4.5 Adjournment
governance
The Committee of the Whole adjourned and the Special (Open) Council meeting resumed.
Carried, unanimousItem 4.5
End the Committee of the Whole meeting and resume the Special (Open) Council meeting.
Official wording: That the Committee of the Whole meeting be adjourned and the Special (Open) Council meeting be reconvened.
Council ratified the motions arising from the zoning-bylaw and development-permit-guidelines discussions, including the added direction for a public speaking meeting on the zoning changes and the revised engagement direction for the design guidelines.
Approve together the seven Committee of the Whole recommendations: hold public committee meetings on the proposed zoning and Official Community Plan changes before bylaw readings; continue public engagement and refine the draft zoning bylaw and development permit guidelines; and refer the drafts to the named advisory committees for feedback.
Official wording: 1. That prior to consideration of the readings of the Zoning Bylaw, that a special committee meeting be held to hear from the public directly on their opinions on the changes to the Zoning Bylaw.
2. That the Draft Zoning Bylaw be received for information and that staff be directed to proceed with public engagement and refinement of the Bylaw prior to consideration of first and second readings.
3. That the Draft Zoning Bylaw be referred to the Advisory Planning Commission (APC) and Peninsula & Area Agricultural Advisory Commission (PAAC) for review and comment.
4. That staff be directed to reinsert the light industrial into the draft Official Community Plan development permit areas design guidelines and proceed with public engagement with this information.
5. That Council receive the draft Development Permit Areas (DPA) Design Guidelines for information and that staff be directed to proceed with public and focused-group engagement and refinements of the Guidelines prior to introduction of a bylaw for Council consideration.
6. That this report along with draft DPA be referred to the Advisory Planning Commission (APC), the Peninsula and Area Agricultural Commission (PAAC), and Saanich Peninsula Accessibility Advisory Committee (SPAAC) for input.
7. That prior to consideration of the readings of the Official Community Plan Bylaw, that a special committee meeting be held to hear from the public directly on their opinions on the changes to the bylaw.