Council approved changes that will let the short-term rental operator at 1496 Dallas Road receive a business licence, despite concerns that the space could otherwise serve as a long-term rental. It also advanced a Gladstone Avenue housing agreement securing two units at below-market rents for 20 years, and approved downtown zoning changes over two councillors’ objections. Councillors raised concerns that the province’s new amenity cost charge system will leave the City with less flexibility to fund affordable housing. The advisory-panel bylaws passed preliminary readings, with staff also asked to explore easier in-person public access to panel meetings.
Generated from the recording's captions and the agenda (minutes not yet published by the council).
What was discussed
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G.1 Amendment Bylaw for 1276/1278 Gladstone Avenue: Housing Agreement
Council unanimously gave the bylaw three readings. The amendment secures two of the building’s 18 homes at 95% of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) median rent for 20 years. Staff said a one-bedroom unit would rent for just over $1,500 a month under the agreement, compared with roughly $1,900–$2,000 for a new one-bedroom unit. The exact tax exemption value cannot be calculated until the completed building is assessed.
Agreement
Councillors welcomed the rent restriction; staff estimated the secured rents would be roughly 30% below market, though the calculation is based on 95% of the CMHC median rent, not a direct 30% discount from market rent.
Staff confirmed the tax exemption would be based on the increase in the property’s assessed value, while the existing value would remain taxable.
G.2 Amendment Bylaw for Tenant Protection During Redevelopment
Council approved this bylaw on the consent agenda, without separate discussion. It increases financial compensation for displaced tenants according to how long they have lived in their homes, raises moving-cost compensation, and allows owners to offer comparable rentals at specified rates. The three readings will return for final adoption at a future meeting.
Council unanimously gave preliminary readings to new bylaws setting the mandates, membership and procedures for the Advisory Heritage Panel and Advisory Design Panel. In response to questions, staff said the panels’ meetings and materials would remain public and that council would continue to receive panel minutes and recommendations. A councillor raised concerns that the current process—where meetings may be online, hybrid or in person, with access details requested from staff—makes it harder for the public to attend in person. Council also unanimously asked staff to explore procedures that ensure public in-person access to all panel proceedings.
Agreement
Staff said the bylaws allow flexibility in how meetings are held and do not prohibit in-person meetings.
Staff said the existing approach to public materials and reporting to council would continue.
Council supported exploring a clearer way for the public to attend panel meetings in person.
Disagreement
A councillor said the current meeting format and request process could make access difficult for the public; staff described the existing process and said they could work with council on a different approach.
G.4 Amendment Bylaw for Economic and Employment Land Solutions
Council gave the zoning amendment three readings and adopted it, with Councillors Gardner and Hammond opposed. It increases permitted non-residential density in the CBD-1 and CBD-2 zones and adds employment uses to those zones and OTD-1. Staff clarified that the OTD-1 changes add light industrial, laboratory and veterinary uses, but do not change that zone’s permitted height or density. Staff also explained that council could have chosen to hold a public hearing, but the recommendation to waive one followed the City’s usual practice for amendments considered consistent with the Official Community Plan.
Agreement
Staff said the amendments were consistent with the Official Community Plan and supported the recommendation to waive a public hearing.
Disagreement
Councillors Gardner and Hammond opposed both the readings and adoption; the transcript does not state their reasons for opposing the final votes.
Questions were raised about the earlier process, the public-hearing decision and how the amendments relate to heritage policy. Staff said the proposed changes to the downtown core area plan had not been advanced and that council could have requested a separate vote or chosen to hold a hearing.
Council unanimously adopted the amendment, which adds a transition exemption for developments with approved rezonings that are not yet fully built. Discussion focused on how the provincial amenity cost charge system affects the City’s ability to use developer contributions. Staff said amenity cost charge funds go into a separate reserve for eligible projects such as community space and linear parks; existing local amenity contribution reserves can still be spent, but may eventually run down. Staff said bonus density can still provide a route for contributions to affordable housing.
Agreement
Staff confirmed amenity cost charge funds are separate from existing local amenity contribution reserves.
Staff said existing reserves remain available to fund projects while they contain money.
Disagreement
A councillor argued that the new, more limited system reduces the City’s ability to direct developer contributions to affordable housing and other local priorities.
Another councillor said the former community amenity contribution system could make people buying into the housing market subsidize those contributions, and considered that a flaw in the old approach.
H.1 Short-Term Rental Business License Appeal - 1496 Dallas Road
Council granted the appeal and directed the City to issue a short-term rental business licence for the property. The decision passed 6–2. Councillors supporting the appeal pointed to the current setup: the connecting door had been removed, only one bedroom was proposed for guests, and the lower-level food-preparation area had no cooking appliance. Opponents said the space remained a basement suite that could readily be returned to use as a separate dwelling, and warned that approving it as a short-term rental could encourage the loss of more long-term housing. A councillor who supported the appeal urged staff to inspect and enforce the rules, noting that a door or cooking appliance could be added back quickly.
Agreement
Councillors acknowledged the tension between homeowners’ flexibility and income, and the need to retain housing for long-term renters.
Disagreement
Councillors supporting the appeal considered the property as it currently existed and said it did not meet the bylaw definition of a separate dwelling unit because it lacked a cooking appliance and connecting door.
Councillors opposing the appeal considered the space readily convertible to a self-contained suite and were concerned that granting a licence would reduce the supply of long-term rentals.
A councillor who supported the appeal said the decision depended on effective inspection and enforcement; another warned that granting it could encourage similar applications.
Decisions
Victoria has not published the minutes for this meeting yet. Councils post minutes only after a later meeting adopts them, usually two to six weeks afterwards. We check weekly. We last checked Fri, Oct 2, 2026. Votes and decisions are taken only from the official minutes, so this section fills in once Victoria publishes them. Anything above about motions comes from the recording and is preliminary.