The City of Victoria is experiencing an explosion of residential construction in the form of market condos, market rentals and affordable rental apartments.

1,205 high density homes, not including townhomes, are in various stages of construction among 18 projects throughout the City of Victoria, just one of 12 municipality's on the south Island. The frenzy of construction activity can be hard to keep straight so Citified has compiled a list of projects together with a profile link that contains even more information on each development.

The list below is ordered by unit volume. To view all new-build condo projects for the entire region on Citified, click here. To view all new-build rental projects for the entire region on Citified, click here.

• 209 rental units - 15-storeys - 819 Yates - Excavation began on August 31 on a surface parking lot behind the former Capital Six theatre. The tower will rise 15-storeys over Yates Street and taper to 11-storeys over View Street with commercial space along Yates Street. Completion is expected by mid-2018.
• 166 rental units - 16-storeys - Hudson Walk, phase 1 - Construction is well underway on the first phase of Hudson Place’s Hudson Walk precinct along Caledonia Street. Rising to 16-storeys, the tower will include 12 ground level townhomes in addition to 166 apartments above, plus ground floor commercial space. Completion is planned for late 2016.
• 138 rental units - 13-storeys - 1075 Pandora - Excavation began in the last week of August at Cook Street and Pandora Avenue. Ground floor commercial space will front onto both streets. Completion is expected in 2017.

Artist's rendering of 1075 Pandora, a 13-storey, 138 unit rental tower. Excavation started in late August.  Cox Developments.

• 122 condo units - 7-storeys - The Janion - A restoration of the historic Janion Hotel on Store Street at Pandora Avenue is the focal point of this micro-loft development that also includes a new seven storey wing overlooking the Upper and Inner harbours. Completion is expected by mid-2016.
• 108 affordable rental units - 9-storeys - Wilson’s Walk - With a pre-existing partially completed underground component, crews at Wilson’s Walk were able to jump right in and start construction in August without spending time excavating the site. The Vic West project on Wilson Street at Tyee Road will provide 84 affordable housing units and 24 near-market housing units. Completion is expected by late 2016.
• 88 condo units - 17-storeys - Legato - Situated immediately across the street from London Drugs in the 900-block of Yates Street, Legato will rise to 17-floors and includes ground floor commercial space. Excavation is in the early stages with completion aimed for mid-2017.
• 84 condo units - 10-storeys - Escher on Broughton - This 10-storey lowrise in the 800-block of Broughton Street includes ground floor commercial space with 84 homes above. Crews are completing excavation and a tower crane was recently erected in preparation for the start of construction. Completion is expected by early 2017.
• 65 affordable rental units - 7-storeys - Azzurro - Excavation is well underway at Blanshard and Discovery streets for Azzurro, a mixed-use affordable rental project with commercial and office space on the first two floors. Completion is expected by the fall of 2016.
• 53 rental units - 4-storeys - Capital Park rental building - A joint partnership between Jawl Properties and Concert Properties will develop Capital Park, a mixed-use office, commercial and residential project in James Bay’s legislative precinct along Superior Street between Government and Menzies streets. The first residential component is a 53 unit rental building with ground floor commercial space facing onto Menzies Street. Completion is expected in 2016.

Artist's rendering of Legato, a 17-storey condo tower with 88 units. Excavation is currently underway in the 900-block of Yates Street.  Alpha Project Developments.

• 49 condo units - 4-storeys - Bond’s Landing III - This four storey condo is situated in Vic West at The Railyards, a multi-phased harbourside community being developed since the start of the millennium. Completion of Bond's Landing III is expected by early next year.
• 34 rental units - 5-storeys - The Chambers - The first of two residential buildings planned for the immediate area, The Chambers is situated in Fernwood on a former parking lot at Chambers and Johnson Streets. The project will be completed by the end of the year.
• 32 condo units - 4-storeys - 1011 Burdett - In the Fairfield neighbourhood, 1011 Burdett is nearing completion on Burdett Avenue near Vancouver Street. The project also includes four townhomes in addition to its 32 condo units.
• 14 condo units - 4-storeys - 300 Michigan - Situated at Michigan and Oswego streets in James Bay, this four storey condo features 14 units. Completion is expected by mid-2016.
• 14 condo units - 4-storeys - The Emerson - Recently started on Rockland Avenue between Vancouver and Cook streets, this boutique residence in Fairfield is expected to be completed by mid-2016.
• 9 condo units - 4-storeys - The Junction - Nine homes are situated in this four storey building on Belcher Avenue between Fort Street and Oak Bay Avenue in the Jubilee neighbourhood. Completion is planned for mid-2016.
• 8 condo units - 4-storeys - 8 on the Park - Sold out along Park Avenue in Fairfield is this boutique residence featuring eight homes over four storeys. Completion is expected by early 2016.
• 6 rental units - 3-storeys - 1046 North Park - This project is situated across the street from the North Park entrance of Castle Building Centre and will add six rental homes to the neighbourhood. Construction is progressing at a slow pace, however.
• 6 condo units - 3-storeys - North Park Passive House - This boutique residence in the 800-block of Queens Avenue in the North Park neighbourhood is sold out and nearing completion.

Despite the already high volume of residential construction, the supply of new housing is far from over. Multiple large scale projects are making their way through the approvals process with several planned to start construction next year, including an additional 16-storey rental tower at the Hudson Walk development on Caledonia Street and a two-tower 15- and 17-storey condo project on Johnson Street at Vancouver Street. Another two towers are planned for Hudson Place, south of Hudson Walk, one of which will rise to 24-storeys next to a 17-storey sibling. Multiple smaller projects are set to launch throughout the City of Victoria including 49 affordable rentals in two buildings at Dockside Green and another phase of condos at The Railyards development immediately to the north.

Already approved and in the early marketing phase is Encore by Bosa Properties, a 17-storey tower situated on a rise overlooking the Inner Harbour in Vic West. The same developer is currently awaiting an additional round of public hearing proceedings at Victoria City Hall for a 195 unit rental development in North Park at Pandora Avenue and Vancouver Street. In total 2016 may see an additional 1,000 units of condos and rental apartments start construction in the City of Victoria, with even more inventory planned for 2017 and beyond. C

 Article resources

• View the region's most comprehensive new-build condo project listings on Citified
• View the region's most comprehensive new-build rental project listings on Citified
• Refer to Citified's data for facts and figures relating to the south Island's construction industry
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Excavation begins for 209 unit rental tower on "Capital Six" parking lot