Victoria can't afford to lose its downtown, Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin said as city councillors agreed to gather public input into a draft downtown core plan.

"Every great city has a great downtown," Fortin said. "It's sad to see a city lose its downtown. San Diego took 30 years to get its back. Kamloops still hasn't done it."

The draft plan has been in the works for the past two years and builds on public-engagement efforts between 2005 and 2008. It anticipates that Greater Victoria's population will grow by 31 per cent or 111,000 new residents over the next 30 years and the number of people living in Victoria proper will rise by 18,800, surpassing 100,000.

Key features of the draft plan include the integration of housing and employment, expansion of the central business district, concentrating high-density development along Douglas and Blanshard streets, and giving priority to walkers, cyclists and those using B.C. Transit.

Over the next couple of months, as the city consults the public on its Official Community Plan, it plans to incorporate a parallel process on the draft downtown plan.

A major opportunity for input will come June 25 and 26 at an OCP community forum at the Crystal Garden.

That will be followed by meetings with stakeholder groups such as communities, businesses and industry.

The final plan is expected to go before council for approval in October or November.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/Have+your+city+downtown+plan/3054762/story.html#ixzz0p5naugLE