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A BEESPOT LIFESTYLE

Populated by passionate BEESPOTTERS who can BEE proud to live a sustainable lifestyle.

 

✔  Net-zero energy cul-de-sac neighbourhood

✔  1-2 cars per household with strata car-sharing

✔  Compact, bright, and quiet passive homes

✔  Accessibly designed for multi-generational living

✔  Proximity to schools and community amenities

✔  Nearby transit routes and regional bike trails

✔  Birdfeeders, beehives, and pet-friendly

✔  Organic vegetable gardens and fruit trees

SMALLER LOT SIZES

Savings achieved by subdividing into smaller lots are used to fund the investment in modern renewable energy systems and passive home construction.

 

By creating five SPOTS per acre of land within the Urban Containment Boundary, five families will be offered an environmental and economical alternative to inefficient single family dwellings, condominiums, or townhouses.​​

PASSIVE HOMES

Together, both direct and indirect household CO2 emissions accounted for 45% of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2007.

Passive homes aim to save 90% of the power used by conventionally built homes while improving air quality and reducing noise and operating costs. The long-lasting construction of passive homes matches the investment in renewable energy.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The BEESPOT neighbourhood is energized by four key renewable elements:

⬣ SUN: Absorbing solar power from the sun
⬣ AIR: Harnessing wind with a low decibel turbine
⬣ WATER: Catching rainwater and re-use grey water
⬣ EARTH: Using geothermal to heat domestic water

 

BEESPOT 1.0 will steer Saanich towards 100% renewable energy before 2050

IDEAL LOCATION

Situated close to the municipal core, BEESPOT families reduce travel and commute times, ultimately mimizing their carbon footprint. 

 

✔  Close proximity to elementary and secondary schools

✔  Minutes away from multiple transit routes

✔  Easy access to regional trails (foot and bike accessible)

✔  Nearby children's parks, preschools, and daycares

✔  Located within the Urban Containment Boundary

✔  Municipal services (water, utilities, recyclables, etc.)

✔  Close to many community amenities and shops

CONSERVING RESOURCES

Plant, grow, and eat organically at home.

 

✔  Vegetable gardens, berry bushes, and fruit trees

✔  No need to drive to community gardens

✔  Rainwater catchment systems used for irrigation

✔  Eliminate pollution and reduce carbon footprint 

✔  Host local Beehives in BEESPOT neighbourhoods

✔  Live not just on the land, but from the land

✔  Cooperative local vegetable pick up from local farms

MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING

✔  Affordable shared investment with long-term goals
✔  Improved social well-being by encouraging a family-orientated lifestyle

✔  Reduced travelling for caregiving and babysitting

✔  Permitted secondary suites provide independent living opportunities for next-generation young-adults facing a housing crisis

✔  Accessible "elevator-ready" house design

BEESPOT ECONOMICS

Smaller land lots + energy-saving Passive Houses + renewable energy systems = reduced operating costs.
 

1.  Reduce the land cost per single family lot by rezoning urban land into smaller lots within municipal guidelines

2.  Build smaller Passive Houses that save energy by 90% and sell excess renewable energy back to the Hydro power grid, resulting in a Net Zero Energy Loop

3.  Harness sustainable energy by investing in renewable power systems and conservation methods that reduce the costs of a BEESPOT neighbourhood

QUALITY OF LIFE

⬣  NO street parking

⬣  NO paved roads or driveways

⬣  NO land waste (Environmentally Responsible Development) 

⬣  NO wood burning for home heating

⬣  NO oil burning furnaces

⬣  NO chimney
⬣  NO propane or natural-gas burning fireplaces

⬣  NO CO2 emissions 

⬣  NO asphalt shingles
⬣  NO gas mowers leaf-blowers, chemical fertilizers or weed killers

VS.

✔  Solar roof tiles or photovoltaic panels, and green roof

✔  Triple-glazed Argon Windows with Passive Roof-Shading Design

✔  Geothermal community loop

✔  Permeable pavers and green grass-grid driveways

✔  1-2 car per household with STRATA CAR-Share

✔  Solar-powered street lamps

✔  2-way SMART meter supplies excess energy to BC Hydro

✔  Water catchment collection system

✔  Insulated basement for mechanical services and home storage

✔  Passive Home thermal bridging with modular-moveable walls

✔  Heat recovery ventilation

✔  Less expensive RS-6, RS-8, RS-10 lots with smaller houses

✔  Grey water recycling with dual plumbing

✔  Fruit trees and berry bushes

✔  Additional well-water (if available) and rain catchment systems

✔  Opportunity for home office occupations 

✔  Veggie gardens cultivated at home

✔  Basement for storage (downsizers/seasonality)

 

BEESPOTTING

NEIGHBOURHOOD

  • Asphalt shingle roofing

  • Thermopane glass windows

  • Wood, oil, natural gas, propane burning

  • Oil-based paved roadways and residential driveways

  • 2+ cars per dwelling

  • Hydro-electric street lighting

  • BC Hydro consumption

  • Rain gutters that waste water

  • Non-insulated crawl space or concrete pad 

  • Conventional wood-on-concrete framing

  • Furnaces, baseboard, and radiant heating

  • Expensive, large RS-12 or RS-18 lot sizes

  • Flush toilets that use municipal water

  • Unnecessary ornamental hedges

  • CRD chlorinated water

  • Commute to work

  • Community Gardens

  • Corporate mini-storage facilities

TRADITIONAL

NEIGHBOURHOOD

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