The City of Victoria has adjourned a public hearing for a six storey, 195 unit rental development with 50,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space in North Park. The hearing will resume on September 17th to give more residents the opportunity to address council regarding the project.

If approved, developer BlueSky Properties will replace the former St. Andrew’s Elementary School at 1008 Pandora Avenue which has sat mostly vacant since its closure by the Catholic Diocese of Victoria in 2013.

Aerial view and approximate massing of 1008 Pandora at Pandora Avenue and Vancouver Street.  Citified.ca.

BlueSky will offer rental homes between 453 and 932 square feet in studio, one bedroom and two bedroom layouts. The building will rise six storeys above Pandora Avenue and Vancouver Street and taper to four storeys along Mason Street. 11 units will be earmarked for rent subsidies as part of an affordable housing initiative. 128 underground parking stalls will be provided for residential use.

The ground floor commercial component is expected to be anchored by a 35,000 square foot grocery store along Pandora Avenue, while additional commercial units will front onto Vancouver Street. The project’s commercial component supports the City of Victoria’s goal of ensuring 90% of residents throughout the municipality live within 400 meters of a full service grocery store. 158 of the site’s 286 underground parking stalls will be reserved for commercial use.

if approved, construction is expected to begin next year with completion by mid-to-late 2017. C

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