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Tax revenues and developers’ profits come before liveability

The proposed development threatens mature Garry Oaks, and an underground stream, in the Oaklands area of Victoria BC.


By Susan Kerschbaumer
Dec 10, 2025


It seems that the City is far less interested in providing housing opportunities for the missing middle than in increasing their property tax revenues. 

In Oaklands, a developer plans to replace an 800 sq. ft. bungalow with a monstrous, bylaw-breaking 9,600+ sq. ft. 6-unit townhouse complex mid-block on Avebury Avenue – all under the auspices of ‘missing middle’ housing. 

Never mind that the development exceeds maximum height rules, disregards minimum setback and landscape buffer requirements, and means the destruction of 8 mature trees, disruption of an underground stream, and damage to the neighbourhood’s centuries’ old Garry Oak canopy. And that the developer’s most recent, similar project was priced at $1,349,000 per unit – well above the average value of surrounding single-family homes. 

Are we willing to let City councillors and staff have unlimited control over the decisions that have such impact on our neighbourhoods? Shouldn’t any approved project have to fit firmly within established rules around sensitive redevelopment? Shouldn’t the City have guidelines as to what constitutes ‘missing middle’ pricing? And shouldn’t developers have to guarantee that any projects hurried through under ‘missing middle’ be priced within this predetermined range?

As it stands, with no boundaries on what developers can do, ‘missing middle’ seems to be an exercise that prioritizes two things: lining developers’ pockets and providing the City with huge gains in property taxes. Only the citizens lose.

Contact the mayor, council (mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca) and City planners (khoese@victoria.ca) to let them know that unchecked development is not the way forward.

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Supplemental information:

The following is supplemental information provided by the author:

Images of the proposed Avebury Ave development, indicating non-compliance with bylaws.

Prepared by the neighbours on Avebury Avenue, with images from:

– General Urban Design Guidelines

– Missing Middle Design Guidelines

– Renderings from the developer’s proposal to the City of Victoria (Jessy Baidwain Developments / Kilo Architecture) – Folder #DDP01046 (available to the public via the Development Tracker)”

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See also: Index of CRD Watch articles concerning the environment/ecology. – CRD Watch Homepage