A 30 to 50 year vision
Exciting things are happening in and around Colwood's town centre, with property owners in the area exploring development opportunities and design work underway on the new Galloping Goose Crossing over Sooke Road.
To plan for the future, Colwood has created a vision for the future to ensure decisions made today will lead to a thoughtfully designed town centre in 30 to 50 years.
Read the Colwood Gateway Vision Plan
A community vision
Colwood hosted a series of workshops with land owners in the City's town centre to hear their vision for their property, and how the area between Island Highway, Wale Road and Goldstream Avenue could become an thriving, pedestrian friendly, centre where people want to spend time.
On June 20, 2022 Colwood's Committee of the Whole endorsed a draft Gateway & Triangle Lands Vision and Action Plan for the purpose of seeking public and stakeholder comment. Additional workshops with stakeholders and community input opportunities through Let's Talk Colwood resulted in the final plan endorsed by Council at their meeting on May 23, 2023.
1. Envisioning a Galloping Goose precinct
Design of a new Galloping Goose crossing has begun and a new pedestrian and cycling bridge is expected to be complete within the next four years. With the Galloping Goose trail as a prominent feature, how do we make this a vibrant ‘people place’ where residents and visitors want to spend time?
How do we leverage this to bring new life to the currently underused area between Island Highway and Wale Road so that over time it becomes a vibrant bikeway linked to places where people sit and eat and shop and live?
2. Imagining a Pedestrian Friendly High Street
New developments are envisioned by land owners in this area. How could a town centre draw people from the Island Highway into a pedestrian and cycling friendly central village that is inviting for people to visit and spend time, with shops, services, amenities and placemaking features? How should streets be laid out to create a safe and enjoyable place to access on foot, by bike or by car, and to improve access to underused areas?
3. Creating opportunities for Mixed Used Employment and education
How could the area be reimagined to provide a vibrant mixed use employment centre in buildings between 2 and 20 stories high, offering local jobs, educational, institutional and light industrial amenities? What is needed to encourage the right mix of living space, dining, shopping and services, job and business opportunities, seating and public spaces?
