The District of Central Saanich retained CitySpaces Consulting to implement Phase One of a comprehensive four-phase Residential Infill and Densification Study. This purpose of this Study is to implement policies, guidelines and regulations that will foster desirable residential infill in neighbourhoods, and sustainable densification of village centres, in a manner that is sensitive to the character of Central Saanich. Phase One of the Residential Infill and Densification Study was intended to allow for a community conversation about desirable growth and development and to better understand the type of infill and densification Central Saanich would like to achieve.
CitySpaces was tasked with facilitating the community engagement process as part of the first phase of the District’s Residential Infill and Densification Study. This involved preparing engagement materials that presented current housing trends in Central Saanich, reviewing and summarizing regional and municipal housing policies and regulations, and creating interactive opportunities for public feedback.
CitySpaces focused its efforts on creating an interactive community engagement process, which included:
- Open houses,
- Interactive activities,
- Online engagement platform,
- Post-it boards, and
- Community survey.
A key element of the Residential Infill and Densification Study was engagement with residents and stakeholders. For the Community Open Houses, CitySpaces prepared easy-to-understand presentation boards with infographics and opportunities for public feedback. These boards included:
- A summary of the project work plan,
- Statistics to provide a sense of how Central Saanich has changed since the last Residential Infill and Densification Study was completed,
- Key findings of previous studies,
- Policy and regulatory information, and
- Best practices for infill housing.
At the Community Open Houses, fun and interactive activities were used to engage residents, and generate discussions and valuable feedback on residential infill and densification, including a Visual Explorer exercise and LEGO activity.
CitySpaces prepared an Engagement Summary Report to report on the consultation activities completed in Phase One of the Residential Infill and Densification Study. The report will be presented to the District Council for consideration during their review of staff recommendations for moving forward with the next phases of this project.
PROJECT TEAM