TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 9, 2024 Report No. DEV-24-047
TO: Council
FROM: Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT: Development Capacity Assessment - Project Sign-off
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council endorse the draft Project Sign-off for the Development Capacity Assessment project and direct staff to proceed to the Request for Proposals stage of the project.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Based on the comments staff received at the October 23, 2023, Committee of the Whole meeting (Appendix “B”) a Project Sign-off (Appendix “A”) has been drafted for Council’s review and comments. The Project Sign-off is intended to form core of a Project Charter and will be the basis for a Request for Proposals which will be drafted and posted as soon as possible.
BACKGROUND:
At their October 23, 2023, meeting, the Committee of the Whole provided staff with comments related to the proposed variables to be analyzed as part of the Development Capacity Assessment (Appendix “B”). The Committee asked staff to include only those variables that were directly within the control of Council, as well as a few variables that are beyond Council's control but that significantly impact development capacity. The input from the Committee has been incorporated into a Project Sign-Off document. This document contains the core aspects of a project charter and is provided for Council review to ensure that Council’s expectations for the project are well understood.
A Project Sign-off process achieves the following objectives:
- Forms the basis of the project charter.
- Provides information about the scope, key proposed milestones, identification of partners, and plans for engagement with the public.
- Clarifies and aligns expectations about the project’s intent and the desired outcomes early in the project.
Chronology:
• October 23, 2023, Committee of the Whole - Review of Variables (see staff report DEV-23-072)
ANALYSIS:
Due to constraints related to geography and boundaries, Esquimalt’s future growth is going to be accommodated through densification of the built environment. Densification can be achieved through either increased site coverage or increased height or both. Esquimalt’s services are primarily designed to accommodate lower density development. As density increases, the carrying capacity of existing services to accommodate the growth may be reached or exceeded. To determine to what degree that future development can be accommodated by available services, it is necessary to do a development capacity assessment. This assessment will identify which services are at or likely to be at capacity and when. In addition, because the constraints will not be evenly distributed across the Township, it is necessary to identify where various constraints will impact future development. It is also important to identify what resources and projects may be needed to upgrade various services that are at capacity or will reach capacity in the next 20 years.
The results of the Development Capacity Assessment will be used to guide Council, staff, developers, and the public with regard to future growth patterns as well as provide Council with a decision-making tool to help adjudicate future planning applications. In addition, the use of GIS will provide a visual decision support tool that will make special understanding of the various constraints easier to understand. Given the mandate from the provincial government to build enough housing over the next 20-years to meet the calculations of the Housing Needs Report, it is imperative that Council have the best decision-making tools possible in order to facilitate the provision of this housing; and the concomitant commercial, institutional, and industrial development, in as cost-effective manner as possible.
OPTIONS:
Option 1 - Provide staff with comments on the draft Project Sign-off attached as Appendix “A” and authorize staff to prepare and post the Request of Proposals.
Motion - “That Council endorse the draft Project Sign-Off for the Development Capacity Assessment project and direct staff to proceed to the Request for Proposals stage of the project.”
Option 2 - Provide staff with comments and request that they come back to Council with a revised draft Project Sign-off before preparing and posting the Request for Proposals.
Motion - “That Council update the draft Project Sign-off for the Development Capacity Assessment [insert proposed changes here] and return to Council for approval.”
COUNCIL PRIORITY:
The Development Capacity Assessment is identified as a project under the “Housing” priority in the Council Priorities Plan 2023-2026.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The budget for this project ($150,000) was approved by Council in the 2024-2028 Financial Plan.
COMMUNICATIONS/ENGAGEMENT:
No communications or engagement has been undertaken to date. There will be an engagement requirement outlined in the Request for Proposals.
TIMELINES & NEXT STEPS:
Finalize the Project Sign-off based on Council’s comments.
Prepare the Request for Proposals
Post the Request for Proposals
Review responses to the Request for Proposals
Select a consulting team
Commence the Development Capacity Assessment
REPORT REVIEWED BY:
1. Deb Hopkins, Director of Corporate Services, Reviewed
2. Ian Irvine, Director of Finance, Reviewed
3. Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer, Concurrence
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:
1. Appendix “A” Draft Project Sign-off for the Development Capacity Assessment.
2. Appendix “B” Minutes from the October 23, 2023, Committee of the Whole meeting.