Downtown Victoria’s YMCA property between Broughton and Courtney streets at Quadra Street is in-store for major redevelopment that may include a 26-storey condominium tower and an 11-storey rental block, according to an application filed with the City of Victoria.

 

 

Vancouver-based developer and YMCA property owner Concert Properties with architectural firm DYS Architecture have unveiled a vision for the half-acre site (at 851 Broughton Street) opposite Christ Church Cathedral, that if approved, would deliver over 200 condominiums within a highrise tower above a four-storey podium fronting Courtney Street, and 150 rental suites in a mid-rise also above a four-storey podium along Quadra Street at Broughton Street.

 

Between the towers, a public plaza and through-way are planned from the land’s northwest corner on Broughton Street diagonally to Quadra Street at Courtney Street at the southwest corner, where a children’s play area and a water feature will be situated. The layout will create a visual corridor towards the cathedral from Broughton Street. A small retail component is included near the intersection of Quadra and Courtney streets, fronting onto Quadra Street.

 

A rendering depicting a view from Broughton Street towards Christ Church Cathedral on Quadra Street at Courtney Street.  Concert Properties / DYS Architecture

 

Concert states, in a letter prepared for council, that “our proposal aligns seamlessly with the City's planning guidelines and housing objectives, demonstrating sensitivity to crucial heritage landmarks, and injecting new vitality into this significant City location.”

 

In terms of parking, the developer says: "The project proposes two underground parking levels, accommodating around 272 resident and 15 visitor parking stalls, translating to ratios of 0.74 resident stalls per unit and 0.04 visitor stalls per unit. A variance to the by-law will be sought to implement a parking reduction."

 

Concert acquired the 851 Broughton Street holding in 2018, following the YMCA’s announced goal of relocating its operation to an alternative location in the downtown core. The ‘Y’ continues to operate from its Broughton Street facility. However, it is not planned to be a future tenant of Concert’s redevelopment play.

 

Last year, the Christ Church Cathedral lands made headlines when the Anglican Diocese unveiled its own redevelopment plans, that envision several development scenarios on cathedral lands. One potentiality of redevelopment the property includes a 23-storey residential tower, and several lowrise buildings.

 

Concert Properties, meanwhile, is one of the Capital Region’s largest developers of housing, having most recently completed several residential buildings in James Bay with Partner Jawl Properties on Michigan Street at Menzies Street, on Belleville Street at Douglas Street, a 15-storey condominium on Yates Street, and multiple buildings in Burnside Gorge, Fairfield and downtown Victoria’s Humboldt Valley. C

 

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