A surface lot in the 200-block of Russell Street in Victoria’s Vic West neighbourhood is the focus of a rezoning application before the City, that if approved, could deliver rental apartments and light industrial space to south of Esquimalt Road.

 

 

Sakura Property Development has submitted a rezoning and development permit application for 235 Russell Street – a 7,200 square foot parcel nestled between a two-storey heritage storage complex and a two-storey light industrial building in a quadrant of Vic West dominated by light industrial businesses – for a six-storey mixed-use project comprised of ground level parking and service areas, a second floor light industrial component, and four levels of rental apartments totalling 32 studio, junior one-bedroom and junior two-bedroom units.

 

The application is a change from a formerly approved four-storey, all-commercial development concept that secured a development permit in 2021.

 

In a letter submitted to the City, a housing affordability component is proposed by the applicant for 10% of homes at 30% below the community’s median income, if the City of Victoria is willing to entertain the concession of development fees such payment of community amenity contributions (CACs) and/or development cost charges (DCCs), frontage improvements to public property beyond the project’s Russell Street span, or an expedited development application process.

 

Speaking to the importance of small infill projects such as this proposal, Sakura’s Dan Robbins says in the application letter:

 

“Project benefits for this development will include an increase in light industrial space within the City of Victoria. Not only will jobs be created in the short-term during planning and construction, but the facility will generate considerable long-term employment. In addition to job creation, much-needed housing will be added to the rental stock,” and adds that given “the increase in property value associated with the transformation from an empty lot to a functioning mixed-use building, a considerable monetary benefit to the City will also occur in the form of increased property taxes.”

 

Designed by Victoria-based de Hoog Kierulf Architects, the building features patios for residential units on the east and west facades, while the second level of commercial spaces has a mostly glass exterior along Russell Street and a wall towards the east on levels one and two. Situated between a brick industrial building and a building that is likely to be replaced by future redevelopment, the proposal’s north and south facades are walls, animated with the use of panelling.

 

At ground level, the design calls for a vehicle parking entrance behind a gate at-centre, and recessed entrances for commercial units on one side, residences on the other.

 

 

Immediately in the vicinity of 235 Russell Street, a social housing development is moving through the municipal process for 225 Russell Street to replace what operated as a temporary homeless shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. BC Housing has plans to build a 40-unit supportive housing facility on the property, albeit the timeline is delayed as occupancy was originally planned for mid-2024.

 

To the north and across Esquimalt Road, Aryze Developments has begun work on a mixed-use rental and retail project known as Factory Block. The six-storey investment will replace what used to be a long-time car dealership between Russell and Mary streets along Esquimalt Road. Occupancy at Factory Block is estimated for mid-2026. Aryze is currently building another rental project in Vic West, on Catherine Street at Langford Street, not far from Russell Street at Esquimalt Road. C

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