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Departments > Planning & Development > What's New - Current Projects > Downtown Core Area Plan > Downtown Plan Downtown Plan Background What's NewSince 1990 the City of Victoria's Downtown Plan has provided direction on issues such as, land use, density, building height, urban design and heritage. Over the past few years, unprecedented growth in Victoria's downtown region has necessitated a review of the City's 1990 Downtown Victoria Plan. The new Downtown Plan will provide a policy framework to guide and manage physical change in the downtown area – serving as a "blueprint" for the continued success and prosperity of this area for the next 20 years. It will suggest ways to strike a balance between our City's existing context and new development while ensuring that Victoria's downtown area is a more accessible, attractive and enjoyable place to live and work. The City of Victoria began laying the foundation for a review of the Downtown Plan in late 2005. This stage, referred to as Phase 1, included intensive community workshops in 2006 to develop a shared Vision for the downtown area, as well as a set of eight principles and goals, which will form the basis of the new Downtown Plan. Downtown Plan Options At the May 1, 2008 Committee of the Whole meeting, City Staff presented four options that supported the vision of a vibrant, mixed-use and healthy downtown. Upon consideration of each option, Committee of the Whole approved a recommendation to Council which included directing City Staff to pursue the development of a new Downtown Plan based on the Option 3 - Crosstown scenario with the addition of, harbour pathway extensions and public park space in Rock Bay. This recommendation from Committee of the Whole was subsequently approved by Council on May 8, 2008 - [PDF 86KB]. 
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the Downtown Plan? The new Downtown Plan is intended to replace the current Plan which has been in place since 1990. As Victoria continues to grow it has experienced significant changes in the downtown area including increases in residential development, changing market conditions and changing locational patterns for commercial and office uses. These changes have warranted a review of the current Downtown Plan. Based on Council's approval of a new vision for downtown Victoria under Option 3 - [PDF 665KB], the Downtown Plan is being developed to proactively position Victoria's downtown area to respond to changing demographic and economic conditions while also maintaining a position as the primary centre of business, retail activity, arts, tourism, housing and culture on Vancouver Island. What issues will the Downtown Plan address? The new Downtown Plan will address five primary aspects of downtown development including: land use, density, urban design, heritage, and building height. Other related issues that will also be addressed include transportation, sustainability, public realm, parks and recreation, infrastructure, housing, and community ammenities. The new Downtown Plan will not address social issues relating to homelessness, drug addiction, mental health and public order, as these are being addressed through the Mayor's Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness, Drug Addictions and Homelessness, and through the City's Comprehensive Housing Strategy. To view full details on the Mayor's Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness, Drug Addictions and Homelessness report and action plan click here. To view full details on the City's Comprehensive Housing Strategy What areas will be included within the new Downtown Plan? Based on Council's direction, the new Downtown Plan will provide planning policies to guide growth and development in the downtown area as described within Option 3 - [PDF 665KB]. The policies in the new Downtown Plan will not be solely limited to the Downtown neighbourhood, but may also apply to portions of the surrounding neighbourhoods as they have been identified as areas of potential future growth under Option 3 - [PDF 665KB]. The policies contained within the Plan are also intended to address the overall transition and edge conditions that exist between the downtown and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The new Downtown Plan will work in conjunction with other policy plans such as the Pedestrian Master Plan, the Harbour Pathway Project and other relevant Neighbourhood Plans which are also currently in development. help to help guide the development of private and public lands.
What regulatory authority will the Downtown Plan have? The new Downtown Plan will be a Council approved plan containing a variety of policies to help guide the growth and development of the downtown area. The Downtown Plan will be used in conjunction with other applicable plans, guidelines and regulatory tools such as the Victoria Zoning Bylaw or the Official Community Plan 1995 (with amendments from 2010) - [PDF 12MB] to help guide decision making on land use and development applications. What is the timeline for developing updating the new Downtown Plan? The process for developing the new Plan has been broken into three phases:
Phase 1 - Laying the Foundation, now completed, resulted in the identification of a Vision, and a set of Principles and Goals for downtown Victoria. Phase 1 initially included a review of the boundary of downtown, but this task was deferred to Phase 2, as more background research was required to better inform the selection of a boundary. Phase 2 - Building the Plan is currently underway. With Council's approval of Option 3 - [PDF 665KB], Staff have now began to develop an initial draft copy of the Downtown Plan. It is anticipated that the draft Plan will be available for public viewing late in 2009. Phase 3 - Implementation will set out how the City of Victoria is going to make the new Downtown Plan a reality. The success of the Plan will require the development of a detailed implementation strategy that addresses: action items, responsibilities, funding, priorities and a system for on-going monitoring and evaluation of the Plan. In addition to these items, the implementation strategy may also identify specific amendments to related policy plans, the Zoning Bylaw and the Official Community Plan to ensure alignment with the policies contained in the new Downtown Plan. Background Public Consultation Background Information and Supporting Documents
For more information on the Downtown Plan Update, contact: Robert Batallas
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