A STORY OF THREE NEIGHBOURHOODS
Mount View occupies a high-point in the region that commands broad views South and West to the ocean; Colquitz is the gently sloping suburban landscape extending North West to the Colquitz Creek; Saanich Core occupies the south-sloping land immediately South and East and is a mix of residential, commercial and industrial properties. Mount view and Colquitz share the Swan Creek watershed.
ln 2007, when the Mount View Colquitz Community Association was first incorporated, the Mt. View neighbourhood that stretched from Douglas at Saanich Road North up Carey to McKenzie Avenue and west to the lsland Highway was very different than it is now. Large pieces of undeveloped land, including a transitional school district property graced the neighbourhood with stands of trees, large fields for ball games and dog walking, rocky outcrops affording views of the Olympics, and, on a clear day, Mt. Baker. Most of these properties, while designated for some form of high density development in the Local Area Plans, had yet to be rezoned. Now, all have been rezoned and three are in the build out stage.
In 2007 in the Saanich Core, the Town and Country strip mall sat at the north end of Douglas Street where Uptown is now, and south to Mayfair shopping centre (the border with Victoria) was a swath of single story light industrial buildings--car dealerships ,body shops and small warehouses. First, several low rise condos rose up around Short and Oak streets, across from Town and Country, then car dealerships began adding floors or new buildings to their properties as the first two phases of Uptown was built.
Mount View is now an urban residential neighbourhood that boasts excellent public transit, as well as shopping and business within walking distance. Residents have experienced major development pressure in recent years and are currently dealing with three major housing/health developments within 6 blocks.
Colquitz is a largely suburban neighbourhood of large lots that has seen little development, but has been strongly affected by traffic from development at Tillicum Mall. School traffic at Colquitz middle school generates congestion as well.
Saanich Core contains the Uptown major centre, Gateway Village and Saanich Centre as well as the Douglas Corridor. It is currently highly populated with automobile sales establishments and one to two story commercial/light industrial buildings. A large vacant lot lies at the South East edge of the area adjacent to Mayfair shopping centre. There has been considerable re-development pressure in this area.
These three neighbourhoods have no parks more than a city block in size and no safe, convenient pedestrian access to larger parks near-by. They are bounded and bisected by major roads: McKenzie in the North, Tolmie Street in the South, Hwy 17/Blanshard in the East, Hwy 1/ Douglas in the West. Congestion, speeding and cut through traffic are common in all three neighbourhoods.
While the bulk of MVCCA’s residences are located in the Mount-View-Colquitz neighbourhoods between Vernon and McKenzie, there are pockets in the Core area of Saanich at Short and Oak Streets, east of Blanshard to Darwin St and in the area west of Douglas street, flanking Tennyson between Tolmie and Culdethel. This latter residential area has been under heavy development rezoning pressure that is moving the neighbourhood toward an increasing mix of residential/light industrial.
ln 2007, when the Mount View Colquitz Community Association was first incorporated, the Mt. View neighbourhood that stretched from Douglas at Saanich Road North up Carey to McKenzie Avenue and west to the lsland Highway was very different than it is now. Large pieces of undeveloped land, including a transitional school district property graced the neighbourhood with stands of trees, large fields for ball games and dog walking, rocky outcrops affording views of the Olympics, and, on a clear day, Mt. Baker. Most of these properties, while designated for some form of high density development in the Local Area Plans, had yet to be rezoned. Now, all have been rezoned and three are in the build out stage.
In 2007 in the Saanich Core, the Town and Country strip mall sat at the north end of Douglas Street where Uptown is now, and south to Mayfair shopping centre (the border with Victoria) was a swath of single story light industrial buildings--car dealerships ,body shops and small warehouses. First, several low rise condos rose up around Short and Oak streets, across from Town and Country, then car dealerships began adding floors or new buildings to their properties as the first two phases of Uptown was built.
Mount View is now an urban residential neighbourhood that boasts excellent public transit, as well as shopping and business within walking distance. Residents have experienced major development pressure in recent years and are currently dealing with three major housing/health developments within 6 blocks.
Colquitz is a largely suburban neighbourhood of large lots that has seen little development, but has been strongly affected by traffic from development at Tillicum Mall. School traffic at Colquitz middle school generates congestion as well.
Saanich Core contains the Uptown major centre, Gateway Village and Saanich Centre as well as the Douglas Corridor. It is currently highly populated with automobile sales establishments and one to two story commercial/light industrial buildings. A large vacant lot lies at the South East edge of the area adjacent to Mayfair shopping centre. There has been considerable re-development pressure in this area.
These three neighbourhoods have no parks more than a city block in size and no safe, convenient pedestrian access to larger parks near-by. They are bounded and bisected by major roads: McKenzie in the North, Tolmie Street in the South, Hwy 17/Blanshard in the East, Hwy 1/ Douglas in the West. Congestion, speeding and cut through traffic are common in all three neighbourhoods.
While the bulk of MVCCA’s residences are located in the Mount-View-Colquitz neighbourhoods between Vernon and McKenzie, there are pockets in the Core area of Saanich at Short and Oak Streets, east of Blanshard to Darwin St and in the area west of Douglas street, flanking Tennyson between Tolmie and Culdethel. This latter residential area has been under heavy development rezoning pressure that is moving the neighbourhood toward an increasing mix of residential/light industrial.