The Land Use and Development Committee unanimously moved to implement an ArcGIS Urban 3D modelling application for Sooke’s planning and development review process, and separately recommended Council endorse a UBCM resolution calling on the province to review protections for manufactured home residents affected by redevelopment. The 3D tool will be phased in at an initial cost of approximately $9,000 in training and consulting, leveraging existing Esri licensing. Councillors described the tool as valuable for testing view corridor policies, shadow analysis, massing, and for helping the public understand density metrics — uses that will directly feed the upcoming comprehensive zoning bylaw review in 2027 and the town centre plan update.
The 3D modelling recommendation builds on an earlier motion from Councillor Barry and drew enthusiastic, opposition-free support. Councillor Marshall cited the ability to test view corridor rules that currently produce slanted roofs without delivering the intended sightlines, allowing policies to be refined before adoption. Staff confirmed the tool can model full buildout scenarios to assess worst-case impacts and then iteratively adjust regulations, a capability council explicitly linked to the town centre plan update. The application will also import architectural data from applicants, meaning council and staff will increasingly evaluate development proposals through 3D massing, shadow, and public realm visualizations during rezoning and DP review.
The UBCM resolution, while at an early stage, asks the province to examine fair compensation and relocation requirements for manufactured home residents displaced by redevelopment. If eventually adopted as provincial policy, it could add procedural and financial obligations to land-lease community redevelopment in Sooke, where such communities exist. The committee’s recommendation now goes to Council for endorsement before submission to UBCM, with no provincial action timeline.
The 3D tool’s implementation is low-risk financially and politically, given the unanimity, and no debate arose about cost or staff capacity. Development applications processed after the tool becomes operational — likely within the current council term — should anticipate more precise evaluation of massing, shadows, and view corridor impacts, consistent with council’s stated intent to strengthen design scrutiny through data-driven visualization. The comprehensive zoning bylaw review and town centre plan update remain the primary regulatory events to watch.
The Land Use and Development Committee unanimously moved to implement an ArcGIS Urban 3D modelling application for So…