Council approved three contested development proposals: the rezoning at 770 Pemberton Road passed 5–4 despite objections about changing a covenant, while two downtown and Rockland projects also passed over opposition. Glenlyon-Norfolk School’s campus redevelopment received unanimous approval after staff explained revised height and density limits; traffic management and construction details still need work. Council also granted a short-term rental licence appeal for a unit at 405-528 Pandora Avenue, concluding that the documents supported the operator’s claim that it was their principal residence despite a work-travel lifestyle. The remaining bylaws and reports were handled without recorded debate, and the two preliminary-reading bylaws will return for later consideration.
Generated from the recording's captions and the agenda (minutes not yet published by the council).
What was discussed
AI summary · check against sources
F.1.a.a 770 Pemberton Road: Rezoning Application No. 00906 and Development Variance Permit No. 00299 (Rockland)
Council approved the rezoning and development variance permit by a 5–4 vote. Councillors who opposed it raised concerns about changing a covenant and the effect on public trust. Councillors supporting the application voted to move it forward.
Disagreement
Councillors opposed to the application, including Councillor Gardiner and Councillor Loughton, said changing the covenant would undermine commitments made to the public; Councillor Loughton also cited concerns raised by the Victoria Heritage Foundation.
Five councillors supported the application and four opposed it. The transcript does not give their arguments in detail beyond the stated covenant and heritage concerns.
The noise bylaw review was included on the consent agenda and passed with the other consent items. Council gave no separate discussion or details about the review in this meeting.
Agreement
The item was not removed from the consent agenda.
F.1.b.a 617-635 Broughton Street, 620-630 Courtney Street and 901-919 Gordon Street: Rezoning Application No. 00911 and Development Permit with Variances No. 00307 (Downtown)
Council approved the proposal despite opposition over its height, effect on Old Town’s character, loss of public parking and concerns about how nearby businesses were consulted. Supporters said the private owner wanted to replace a costly parking use, the design was thoughtful, and the building would fit into downtown’s evolution. The vote was 7–2 in favour.
Agreement
Councillors on both sides recognized that replacing the parking use would affect parking capacity downtown.
Council acknowledged that the proposal was contentious and that its height pushed the edge of what was familiar in the area.
Disagreement
Councillor Gardiner opposed the proposal, citing building height, heritage character, lost public parking and nearby businesses’ concerns about developer engagement.
Councillor Coleman and the Mayor supported the proposal, arguing that the private owner could change the site’s use and that the design and added housing were appropriate to downtown’s evolution.
F.1.b.b 1114 Rockland Avenue: Rezoning Application No. 00855 and Development Permit with Variances Application No. 00313 (Fairfield)
Council approved the proposal over three councillors’ opposition. Councillor Gardiner criticized the project as an inadequate substitute for a small hotel with on-site staff and public amenities, and questioned its fit with city policies and the loss of amenity. Councillor Caradonna said the adjoining midwifery business supported the development and was exploring ways to add food service for its clients and future occupants.
Agreement
Council approved the application, with three councillors opposed.
Disagreement
Councillor Gardiner said the project lacked the public and resident amenities of a nearby boutique hotel and raised concerns about policy fit and lost amenity.
Councillor Caradonna pointed to support from the immediate neighbour and possible food service as benefits of the proposal.
F.1.b.c Council Member Motion: Finding approaches for the City of Victoria to further respond to America’s trade war with Canada
The council member motion was included on the consent agenda and passed without separate discussion. The transcript gives no details about the approaches being proposed.
Agreement
The item was not removed from the consent agenda.
F.1.c.a Council Member Motion: Commemorative Signage Recognizing the 100th Anniversary of The Royal Canadian Legion
Council gave the time-sensitive motion final consideration so commemorative signage could be in place before Remembrance Day. Councillor Coleman recused himself because of his involvement with the advisory group. The motion passed unanimously among the councillors present, with no discussion.
The bylaw amendment received first, second and third readings through the consent agenda. It adds a transition rule exempting developments with approved rezonings that have not yet been fully built. The bylaw will return to a future daytime council meeting for final consideration.
Agreement
The bylaw was not removed from the consent agenda.
G.2 Amendment Bylaw for Market Rental Building Revitalization Tax Exemption
The bylaw amendment received first, second and third readings through the consent agenda. It expands the greenhouse-gas-emissions exemption stream to five rental buildings and removes the six-storey height limit. It will return for final consideration at a future daytime council meeting.
Agreement
The bylaw was not removed from the consent agenda.
G.4 Bylaw for 731, 735, 781 Richmond Avenue, 728, 729, 733 Laurentian Place and 724, 730, 736 Maddison Street (Glenlyon-Norfolk School): Rezoning Application No. 00876
Council unanimously approved the bylaw readings for the school’s campus redevelopment, with Councillor Thompson absent. The phased project would replace most existing buildings, add about 15,000 square metres of institutional space and create about 16 ground-oriented homes. Staff said the site-specific rules allow a floor-space ratio of 0.67, rather than the 0.65 previously described, to let the school keep operating during construction. The permitted height would be up to 18 metres in parts of the site set at least 19 metres from property lines, with an 11-metre limit near the edges. Staff will develop a master development agreement; the phasing and construction timeline are not yet set.
Agreement
Councillors supported the updated proposal and its revised height and density limits.
The project is intended to improve school drop-off access from Richmond Street and add trees and sustainability features.
Disagreement
Councillor Hammond asked whether the increased height could affect neighbouring homes, and staff said its assessment was that the 19-metre setbacks and lower edge heights would keep the taller mass toward the site’s centre.
Councillor Hammond raised concerns that parents might continue dropping off students on Madison Street and asked how construction impacts would be managed. Staff said the design discourages that traffic but cannot prevent it, and construction and phasing details still need to be worked out.
Council unanimously adopted the bylaw granting permissive tax exemptions for qualifying lands or improvements in 2027 and 2028. No discussion was recorded.
Agreement
No councillor opposed adoption.
H.1 Short-Term Rental Business License Appeal - 405-528 Pandora Avenue
Council unanimously granted the appeal and directed staff to issue a short-term rental business licence for the unit. Several councillors found the operator’s documents persuasive, including records supporting the claim that this was their only owned home and a work letter explaining frequent travel around the province. Council noted that the decision was final. Councillor Gardiner said some evidence was missing and suggested a future council might review how the policy handles unusual work and living patterns.
Agreement
All councillors who voted supported granting the appeal.
Councillors recognized that deciding whether a unit is a principal residence can be difficult for staff and may warrant a future policy review.
Disagreement
Councillor Gardiner remained concerned about missing evidence, while Councillors Dell, Kim and Caradonna said the documents and explanation of work-related travel supported granting the licence.
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.