We will attend the next meeting in which this proposal will be discussed

To Oak Bay Council,

We were shocked to learn that Advisory Design Panel and Advisory Planning Commission have already initially approved the Quest development project that is so much larger than other Oak Bay buildings nearby and which threatens to destroy a heritage Garry oak tree in our beautiful neighbourhood.

How can this possibly have advanced to this stage? Why aren’t our elected official protecting the unique neighbourhood with reasonable limits on the scale of buildings and protection of irreplaceable beauty and heritage trees of Oak Bay?

The Garry Oak at 2340 Oak Bay Avenue is a majestic tree estimated to be over 200 years old. If a replacement Garry oak were planted elsewhere, it would take over 200 years before it reached the same grand size of the current one.

We have to write to you and speak out now with other community members before the project progresses, in order for the developers to heed public input and our elected officials' input and adhere to the intent of the community plan. If we do not get any modifications on the Quest plan and it goes ahead, we will feel as devastated as we did after seeing two huge Garry oak trees cut down at Monterey middle school in order for a large gym to be built there. It seems there is always a possibility to work around well-established trees and preserve and maintain the beauty and integrity of our Oak treed community. And we would like to keep the size of condominiums down.

We sincerely hope you will do your best to turn this 'Quest' plan into something much more reasonable which considers the community's environment and specifically the individual large tree with roots under the footprint of the development.

We will attend the next meeting in which this proposal will be discussed (Editor: November 20th, Monday, 7 PM, Committee of the Whole meeting). We understand that there will be an opportunity for public input.