200-units of old stock rental apartments overlooking the Gorge Waterway in Victoria’s Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood are slated for redevelopment, Citified has learned.

 

 

The Oxford at 133 Gorge Road East, comprised of 59 one-bedroom suites across four levels, and the four-to-six storey Gordreau Apartments at 129-135 Gorge Road East (with 141 one and two-bedroom suites across three buildings), are envisioned for replacement by partners Belmont Properties and Intracorp Projects.

 

A letter sent to tenants states the parties are in the “early application stage with the City of Victoria,” with a formal development application anticipated to be filed with the municipality by late 2022.

 

The brief identifies the 59-unit Oxford, nearest Gorge Road of the four buildings, as the first property scheduled for redevelopment with construction possible by early 2024, pending municipal approvals.

 

A subsequent phase or phases would be pursued for the replacement of the Gordreau Apartments situated along the banks of the Gorge Waterway.

 

While no density or massing projections are currently available, a nearby development now underway at the hands of PC Urban Properties may offer a hint for what’s to come. The five-storey project at 43 Gorge Road East will be comprised of some 150-units of rental housing across roughly one-third of the combined land between 129-135 Gorge Road East, suggesting future density will more than double the existing 200-units between the Oxford and Gordreau complexes.

 

Tenants have also been advised, as part of the initial outreach from the developers, of the City of Victoria’s Tenant Assistance Policy (TAP) for individuals facing displacement from their rental homes due to renovations or redevelopment, and has intimated a planned workshop for tenants to identify how the TAP will apply to future tenancy relations.

 

Although Belmont Properties and Intracorp Projects plan to adhere to the policy, just last week the province struck down Victoria’s bid to implement it as more than a voluntary measure, by citing its framework as outside of the City’s jurisdiction and not enforceable as a mandatory obligation of a municipal permitting and approvals process.

 

The development community in the City of Victoria, however, has mostly adhered to the policy as part of identified commitments made to City staff and council, while developers working in neighbouring jurisdictions on the south Island have referenced the policy for tenant relations during ‘reno-viction’ or redevelopment scenarios. C

 

Receive Citified's timely real-estate news straight to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us on Facebook: