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DTSTAMP:20260423T235012Z
UID:175-1171433@abbeychurch.ca
DTSTART:20260430T010000Z
DTEND:20260430T040000Z
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20260423T111151
DESCRIPTION:\nSharing this invitation from our friends at NPNA - all AbbeyC
 hurch folk are warmly invited to go and listen and share your perspectives
  and ask questions! \n \nHello Neighbors\,\nFor those of you who don’t 
 know us\, our names are Jessica and Courtenay\, and we are part of your No
 rth Park Neighbourhood Association (NPNA).\n\nAs you may know\, the North 
 Park Neighbourhood Association has been receiving a significant volume of 
 community inquiries about the proposed United Commons redevelopment at 934
  Balmoral. We are reaching out first to current United Commons user groups
  and neighbors\, as the people most directly affected by this proposal.\nW
 e are hosting a community meeting where you can share your concerns and qu
 estions about the redevelopment proposal.  An NPNA board member will be p
 resent to document all community input\, which will be communicated to the
  City of Victoria\, the Property Development Council of the United Church 
 of Canada\, and Aryze Developments.\nMeeting Details:\n\n\nDate: Wednesda
 y\, April 29th\n\n\nTime: 6:00 - 8:00PM\n\n\nLocation: United Commons\, 
 Dorien McLeod Room\n\n\nPurpose: To discuss concerns and address question
 s about this development proposal\n\n\nAccessibility: Please contact us i
 n advance if you have any accessibility needs so we can make appropriate a
 ccommodations.\n\n\nWe will also have time set aside to connect with one a
 nother about what comes next\, including updates from the NPNA on our advo
 cacy for community space in North Park. We see these as related but distin
 ct conversations\, and we want to make room for both.\nDepending on intere
 st and capacity\, we will be extending the invitation to the broader neigh
 bourhood community as well.\nWe hope to see you there\, please let us know
  if you hope or plan to attend.\n \nBelow is a high-level summary of the 
 project\, along with the main concerns raised by the public so far\nProjec
 t Overview:\nThe Property Development Council of the United Church of Cana
 da\, in partnership with Aryze Developments\, is proposing a new faith\, a
 rts\, and cultural space alongside a six-storey\, mixed-use rental buildin
 g. The proposal includes 129 rental homes and ground-floor commercial spac
 e.\nAs part of the redevelopment\, several existing community spaces at th
 e United Commons would be demolished\, including office space for current 
 users\, the gymnasium\, the Fellowship Hall\, and the Doreen McLeod Room.\
 nKey Community Concerns:\n\n\nLoss of Community Space\n\n\n\nExisting comm
 unity-use spaces (gym/stage\, Fellowship Hall\, Doreen McLeod Room\, offic
 es) will be demolished (below in red)\nCommunity members have raised conce
 rns that remaining space (below in yellow) is limited\, with no confirmed 
 low-barrier or dedicated space for current local organizations.\nResidents
  have expressed concern that the redevelopment shifts the site from a comm
 unity hub toward a regional arts venue\, reducing accessibility for North 
 Park residents.\n\n\n\nShifting Project Focus and Ongoing Uncertainty\n\n\
 n\nCommunity feedback has reflected concern that the project has shifted f
 rom supporting community needs to prioritizing the Victoria Symphony and o
 ther regional scale arts organizations.\nThere is no commitment at this ti
 me from Aryze or the Property Development Council of the United Church of 
 Canada to provide affordable or dedicated space for existing users. The on
 ly proposed provision is some form of bookable or shared space for arts\, 
 cultural\, and community use\, but the details of what this would look lik
 e remain unclear.\nResidents and current users have expressed that a perce
 ived a disconnect between development partners has contributed to ongoing 
 uncertainty and lack of clarity.\n\n\n\nParking and Transportation Impacts
 \n\n\n\nA 69-stall parking variance is proposed for commercial and assembl
 y uses. Community members have raised concerns that this will be insuffici
 ent for events of up to 700 attendees.\nThe proposal includes the loss of 
 five on-street parking spaces due to a new boulevard and road narrowing on
  Balmoral Road\, which residents have identified as adding pressure to a
 n already constrained parking environment.\nProposed transportation demand
  management measures have been identified by community members as unlikely
  to fully address demand\, particularly during large events.\nResidents ha
 ve noted that existing parking pressures from smaller-scale events already
  impact the neighbourhood.\n\n\n\nLimited Incorporation of Community Feedb
 ack\n\n\n\nCommunity members and CALUC participants have expressed that co
 ncerns raised through the engagement process have not been meaningfully re
 flected in the application.\nA commitment to engage existing user groups w
 as not fulfilled\, according to feedback received from existing user group
 s.\nThere is an ongoing perception of inadequate and ineffective engagemen
 t.\n\n\n\nAffordability\, Accessibility\, and Community Impacts\n\n\n\nThe
 re is no secured affordable housing agreement with the City of Victoria or
  clear provision of fully accessible units.\nResidents have noted that the
  loss of United Commons as a low-barrier community space is particularly s
 ignificant given that North Park has no other neighbourhood-serving commun
 ity space to absorb displaced users or programming\nConcerns have been rai
 sed about increased risk of displacement and reduced access for equity-see
 king groups as a result of the redevelopment\n\n
LAST-MODIFIED:20260423T111151
LOCATION:The United Commons Doreen McLeod Room 
SUMMARY:NPNA seeks input on building plans!
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.abbeychurch.ca/events/npna-seeks-input-on-buildin
 g-plans/2026-04-29
ATTACH;FILENAME=Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 11.09.43 AM.png;FMTTYPE=image/pn
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