BC Transit is presenting the draft Victoria Regional Transit Plan to Saanich Council, an informational update on the network’s 25-year vision and proposed “Big Moves.” The plan, which requires no decision at this stage, will next be presented to all Greater Victoria municipalities and the CRD, with a revised draft going to the BC Transit Commission for endorsement in July. This is the first comprehensive update to the regional transit plan since 2011.
The framework matters to development because it will define where future high-capacity transit corridors and facilities are sited. The Times Colonist confirmed that light rail is among the options under consideration (https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/light-rail-on-table-as-bc-transit-launches-update-of-regional-transit-plan-11336621), while early work is already underway on a new Saanich Transit Centre on Glanford Avenue. Together with the existing RapidBus rollout, these infrastructure choices will shift land-use economics along whichever corridors are prioritized, influencing where municipalities support density and where land assembly pencilled out for transit-oriented projects. The plan is still in draft, and public engagement through the fall of 2025 shaped the initial options, but corridor alignments may shift before adoption.
For those with holdings or prospective assemblies along potential future transit lines, the key date is the Commission’s July endorsement, after which the plan will move toward municipal adoption. The final plan will frame the region’s transit investment priorities to 2050, with direct implications for OCP and zoning updates in municipalities along identified corridors. The immediate impact is minimal, but the sequence of endorsements and the specific corridors that emerge in the final plan will shape rezoning viability and infrastructure servicing requirements for years.
BC Transit has submitted a rezoning application in Saanich, BC, for an undisclosed address. The application will be considered at a public meeting on May 11, 2026. No decision has been announced.