The Medical Arts Building in downtown Victoria’s Harris Green district is on the verge of a major transformation as partners Amadon Group and Westwater Projects launch their latest development.

Envisioned for a one-acre site spanning the 1400-block of Cook Street between Pandora Avenue and Johnson Street is The Wade, a two-building, five and four-storey condo project consisting of 102-units and approximately 24,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

Plans call for a full restoration of the five-storey 1950’s-era office complex, designed by architects John Howard Wade and Dexter Stockdill, together with a four-storey extension to the east and a new-build four-storey concrete lowrise at Cook and Johnson streets.

The inspiration behind the project, building on the storied past of one of Victoria’s most recognized examples of modernist architecture, is a development mantra Amadon Group’s President, Max Tomaszewski, brings to the table.

“My simple belief is that real-estate development will, as a general rule, be increasingly oriented towards human wellness. We’re spending 12-to-14 hours a day in our homes, and that residence should be enhancing our health. A wellness orientation for me is a very important component, and it has to bring together the matrix of human health and wellness, sustainability and technology,” Tomaszewski said.

The developer’s approach at The Wade, coined “forward living,” will prioritize often overlooked fundamentals of building healthy homes and communities.

“With very few exceptions, what we have at The Wade is dramatically different, in terms of human scale, European scale, philosophy and history. But more than anything, in terms of underlying development motivation,” Tomaszewski says.

“At The Wade, the forward living concept is at the very core of what we’re doing.”

Situated between both buildings The Wade’s foundation, literally and figuratively, will be in the form of a publicly accessible urban green space – the largest of its kind in Victoria – serving as a place of solitude in an otherwise bustling part of the city.

Above the streets, The Wade will offer a uniquely apportioned rooftop where residents will have their choice of a wildflower, vegetable, or herb planter managed on their behalf. And what is arguably a first on Vancouver Island, an apiary will draw pollinators to the planters and an accompanying fruit tree orchard. Residents will also enjoy a communal space for entertaining, a quiet zen garden removed from the rest of the rooftop, even a sauna with views onto the Olympic Mountain Range.

Most homes will range between 360 square foot studios to two-bedroom, two-bath residences in excess of 800 square feet, while a limited collection of penthouses will be sized upwards of 1,220 square feet.

All layouts feature ten foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, with manufactured wood for flooring in main living areas and plush carpets in bedrooms. Kitchens will be apportioned with European-styled design, while expansive bathrooms come standard with luxury finishings. Parking, in the form of an underground parkade below the new-build south building, will be included with most homes.

Unit pricing has yet to be finalized. However, prices are expected to start be in the low $200,000’s.

Although no ground floor commercial tenants have been confirmed, Tomaszewski says several parties are in various stages of negotiations including a pharmacy at Cook and Johnson streets and a bakery fronting onto Pandora Avenue.

Construction is scheduled to begin next spring with completion anticipated by Christmas of 2018.

To learn more about The Wade, view the project’s website here, or visit the display suite at Unit 2, 1315 Cook Street. C

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