Official Community Plan
December 1, 2025
What's New
Oak Bay residents care deeply about the form and character of development in the community. Throughout the OCP process, there was fairly universal interest in guiding new development to fit with the local context and character of Oak Bay.” (p.114, District of Oak Bay, Official Community Plan (OCP))
Throughout 2025, work on updating the Oak Bay OCP has proceeded, with many opportunities for residents to make their voices heard. The Bylaw has now received second reading (November 24, 2025) and there will be one final public hearing on December 9, 2025 before third reading and adoption by year end. Here are the details:
Notice of Public Hearing – Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 4942, 2025
Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held at the Monterey Recreation Centre located at 1442 Monterey Ave, Victoria, BC, V8S 4W1, in the Garry Oak Room on Tuesday December 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM to allow the public to make verbal or written representations to Council with respect to the following:
OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN BYLAW NO. 4942, 2025
This bylaw proposes to update the Official Community Plan to include a new land use framework, revised land use designations, policies, and development permit guidelines and provides a land use framework to accommodate a 20 year supply of new housing in order to comply with the Local Government Act.
Schedule B of the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 4942, 2025 shows the new Land Use Framework, with the changes highlighted below:
Oak Bay Village Designation
Now includes all properties in block bordered by Chaucer St, Foul Bay Rd, Elgin Rd, and Oak Bay Ave.
Community Institutional Designation
Updated to support up to six-storey buildings for non-market, affordable, and/or supported housing for:
University of Victoria campus
2251 Cadboro Bay Rd (former Oak Bay Lodge property)
Special Study Area
On Beach Dr between Oak Bay Beach Hotel and the Victoria Golf Club
New Multi-Unit Residential Designations
On Henderson Road between Cedar Hill Cross Road and the school property at 3461 Henderson Road
In blocks bordered by Cadboro Bay Road, Cranmore Road, Christie Way, and the former Oak Bay Lodge property at 2251 Cadboro Bay Road
New Neighbourhood Village Designation
Renamed from Corner Commercial
New Neighbourhood Village designated at intersection of Cedar Hill Cross Rd and Henderson Rd.
New Cedar Hill Corner Designation
Supports development of a mixed-use community
A master plan to be created in collaboration with the University of Victoria.
New policy and direction adds support for future zoning
New Townhouse Designations
On Foul Bay Road between Allenby St and Chaucer St.
On Cadboro Bay Road between Bowker Ave and Kinross Ave.
On Estevan Avenue between Dunlevy St and Beach Dr.
On Newport (east side) between Beresford St and Oak Bay Ave.
On Cedar Hill Cross Rd, west of Henderson Rd.
Residential Designation
Renamed from Established Neighbourhoods
How to Participate
Watch the Public Hearing online: oakbay.civicweb.net
Attend in Person: Monterey Recreation Centre located at 1442 Monterey Ave, Victoria, BC, V8S 4W1, Garry Oak Room
Attend online via Zoom: To participate via Zoom using a computer, smart device or telephone use the meeting ID and password or the toll free number located below.
Toll-Free: 1-855-703-8985 (*9 to raise your hand *6 to unmute)
Meeting ID: 856 4956 6097
Passcode: 604222
Submit written comments and questions: Written comments must be received by the District of Oak Bay no later than 2:00 p.m. on December 9, 2025, in order to be placed before Council for consideration. Written submissions can be delivered to the District by:
Drop Box: Main Door – Oak Bay Municipal Hall – 2167 Oak Bay Avenue
Email: planning@oakbay.ca
Mail: District of Oak Bay – 2167 Oak Bay Avenue – Victoria, BC V8R 1G2
Please note: Any correspondence received and intended to be considered by Oak Bay Council during meeting deliberations will form part of the public record and will be published on the agenda when the matter is before Council. The District considers your address relevant to this matter and will disclose this information, as it informs Council’s consideration of your opinion in relation to the subject property and is authorized under section 26(c) of the FOIPPA Act. Your email and telephone number will not be disclosed. For more information on the FOIPPA Act please email foi@oakbay.ca
How to View Documents and the Proposed Bylaw:
In person at the Oak Bay Municipal Hall between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Thursday November 27 to Tuesday December 9, 2025.
Requesting a copy of the bylaw by emailing the Community Building and Planning Department at planning@oakbay.ca
Viewing Online at: connect.oakbay.ca/official-community-plan-update
Council agenda: Available the Wednesday before the meeting, in person at Municipal Hall, or on the District website oakbay.civicweb.net
(see P.126/127 for the Uplands Siting and Design Guidelines)
August 5th, 2025
What's New
The first draft of changes proposed to Oak Bay’s Official Community Plan were reviewed by Modus consultants at a presentation to Council on July 14, 2025. The full report ‘OCP Update; Summary & Land Use Recommendations’, an almost 300-page document, was summarized in a 3-hour presentation and is the product of the current Phase of Modus’ contract related to OCP amendments required to support small scale multi unit housing densification in Oak Bay.
Key points included:
- No plans to permit lot subdivision (stratification was not discussed)
- The Village-oriented growth model was preferred over the other options presented (i.e., Transit oriented and Distributed Growth)
- Concerns about parking availability being further limited, especially in the Village-oriented model
- Affordable housing might be built on institutional properties (e.g., church-owned land)
- Population growth will lead to increased demand for public services (e.g., police, fire)
- Biodiversity and climate resilience must be considered in conjunction with increased housing
- The Province wants an additional 3,761 dwelling units to be built in Oak Bay to meet demand over the coming 20-year period. If Council is developing a 20-year housing plan, there should be a clear view of what they are working towards; what might Oak Bay might look like at that time
- The Heritage Commission, and Parks, Recreation and Culture, in addition to the Advisory Planning Commission and the Advisory Design Panel need to be consulted on the current draft
- Uplands has historical values which must be considered when infill housing proposals are reviewed for that neighbourhood.
The consultants asked for further direction on pre-zoning for townhouses, density bonuses for affordable housing and rental tenure zoning.
What's Next
Residents of Uplands and members of the UNA will get more opportunities to provide feedback on the draft of the planned changes to the OCP.
Next steps include a second draft presentation at the September 15th Council meeting, after gathering more information and feedback from:
- Advisory Design Panel and Advisory Planning Commission, and the Heritage Commission and the Parks, Recreation & Culture (re trees/tree canopy issues)
- Public input by way of a webinar on October 2nd
- An in-person open house on October 4th
- A possible second open house soon thereafter
Modus will then prepare the next draft for Council’s consideration. If adopted, Oak Bay staff will incorporate the modifications into the new version of the OCP by year end.
The Province requires all municipalities to update their OCPs every 5 years.
BC Government changes: Premier Eby shuffled his Cabinet on July 18, 2025 and the new Housing Minster is Christine Boyle (formerly Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation); Mr. Kahlon will move to being the Minister of Jobs & Economic Growth.
Former Entry
What's New
In November 2023, the BC government passed legislation which effectively eliminated single family zoning throughout the province. The new legislation required municipal zoning amendments to be made to permit 3 housing units on parcels less than 3,013 sq. ft. (0.069 acres) and 4 housing units on parcels greater than that size (with 6 housing units permitted on parcels near transit hubs).
This means that in the Uplands, Oak Bay’s zoning bylaw now permits 4 housing units on a parcel, called small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH), in a variety of forms, including secondary suites in single family dwellings, and detached accessory dwelling units (ADU) like garden suites or laneway homes, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and house-plexes.
The new legislation also required municipalities to make changes to their Official Community Plans (OCP) by December 31, 2025. In fulfillment of this requirement, Oak Bay, assisted by its planning consultant, Modus, held four public participation workshops in May/’25 to receive public input on proposed changes to its OCP. The focus of these sessions was on receiving public input on the approximate location, amount, type and density of residential development that will be necessary to achieve Oak Bay’s 20-year housing need for 3,761 new housing units. This includes determining where in Oak Bay greater density development should be permitted.
Three different land use scenarios were presented at the public participation sessions. They are:
a) Transit-Oriented Growth – higher density development that is focussed on existing main bus routes, including in the Uplands, and the future high frequency transit corridors along Foul Bay and Henderson Roads and along Oak Bay Ave.
b) Distributed Growth – low to medium density development including SSMUH and ground-oriented townhomes distributed throughout most of Oak Bay, including in the Uplands
c) Concentrated Village Growth – higher density development that is focussed around the Oak Bay and Cadboro Bay Road commercial areas, existing secondary village areas (e.g., Estevan) and near other important community amenities.
Modus and Oak Bay staff have looked at each option from several policy perspectives: housing choices and affordability, transportation and mobility, infrastructure and taxes, complete communities, greenhouse gas emissions, trees and green spaces, hazards and risks, and community designs.
The UNA has reviewed the three different land use scenarios. In addition to considering the policy perspectives above, the UNA also considered what best preserves the original goals for the Uplands: to maintain and reinforce its historic landscape and streetscape design; to ensure the sensitivity of new development to existing dwellings, the tree canopy, biodiversity and design standards (as set out in the Uplands Design Guidelines).
The UNA Board believes that the Concentrated Village Growth scenario is the preferred policy option to guide the necessary revisions to the OCP, for the following reasons:
- It achieves the best outcome of all scenarios or combinations of scenarios when measured against the policy areas identified by Modus and Oak Bay staff
- It is consistent with outcomes of the densification strategy (Infill Housing consultation 2020-2022) that Oak Bay conducted prior to the provincially-mandated SSMUH changes, which recommended a village-oriented model of growth, with multi-family zones and significant density in existing commercial areas (Oak Bay Avenue, Estevan Village and Cadboro Bay Road)
- It can provide the most diverse (type, cost, non-market) housing options through densification, in proximity to existing commercial services or where future commercial services are best constructed
- It can create additional housing around pedestrian-friendly, active streetscapes to meet the needs of all community members throughout all life stages
- It can most easily include community-serving uses, like childcare and public facilities in residential and commercial areas, to accommodate younger residents which Oak Bay needs to attract
- It most efficiently addresses (e.g. feasibility, cost, and scalability) the infrastructure requirements of densification (water, sewer, roads, walkability, cycling, bus routes, and parking)
- It best protects the existing tree canopy and ecosystems within Oak Bay
- It best avoids the problems/issues other jurisdictions have recently been experiencing with unrestricted developer-driven infill housing.
The UNA Board has communicated its preference for the Concentrated Village Growth scenario to Oak Bay and Modus.
What’s Next
Council will receive a report from Modus in July, 2025 on the public input received at the workshops. Council will then give Modus and Oak Bay staff direction on the preparation of the necessary zoning and OCP revisions that will be reviewed by Council in September, 2025. A public hearing to approve the OCP changes will be required prior to December 31, 2025. Of particular interest to residents of Uplands will be OCP changes related to lot separation/lot stratification.
The UNA seeks to represent the Uplands’ interests in our designated heritage community, particularly related to how density development may affect:
- The forecasted increase of over 3,700 dwellings over a 20-year period implies:
- forecasted Oak Bay population increase of an additional 8,000 residents (avg: 2.2/dwelling)
- associated impact on infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, roads, parking)
- needs for schools, health care, libraries, etc., and
- impact on the environment: tree canopy, biodiversity and climate resilience.
Background
The BC Provincial Government has mandated an additional dwelling quota of 664 units for the District of Oak Bay, during the 5-year period starting 2024. The District does not build new dwellings, but must ensure an up-to-date framework and processes are in place to guide development. The OCP is a foundational planning guide that lays out the principles for land use planning.
The 2025 update of Oak Bay’s OCP is a tool to ensure the Municipality meets the Province’s mandated density requirements in a timely manner, in ways that preserve and protect the unique characteristics of Oak Bay and the Uplands.
What's new?
August 5th, 2025
Housing
The UNA carefully monitors any proposals for new housing, zoning bylaw changes, tree canopy changes and changes…
June 22nd, 2025
Environment
FREE TREES! – Help grow our urban forest on private property and municipal boulevards…
August 5th, 2025
Infastructure
Uplands Combined Sewer Separation Project (USSP) (Humber Region) is on time (completion December 2025)