"How you doin’?"

 

A mixed-use rental and commercial project in Victoria’s Quadra-Hillside neighbourhood is garnering attention for its ties to a pop culture phenomenon.

 

 

Ross Terrace, a five-storey rental complex now rising along the 2500-block of Fifth Street between Bay and King streets, is perhaps the only project of its kind, anywhere, based on the Friends television show that aired between 1994 to 2004.

 

“It was just a random idea to go with the Friends theme by Ryan Goodman, one of the partners in Aryze, so we are rolling with it,” says Justin Filuk, Director of Development at Victoria-based Aryze Developments. 

 

It all starts with the name, Ross Terrace, in homage to the show’s central character, Ross Geller (played by David Schwimmer) and carries on to the interior of the building where Filuk says interior design components will relate to the show. Just what they are, though, we’ll have to wait and see.

 

A massing model of Ross Terrace, situated along the 2500-block of Fifth Street in Victoria's Quadra-Hillside neighbourhood.  Aryze Developments

 

In-keeping with characters Monica and Rachel’s (played by Courtenay Cox and Jennifer Aniston) below-market New York City apartment, a portion of Ross Terrace’s 64 homes will rent to qualifying tenants at lower rates as part of the project’s affordability component.

 

Meanwhile suite designs and layouts will harken back to the show, too, with raw elements such as exposed ducting, concrete floors and large windows giving off a Big Apple-like, industrial feel. The site plan encompasses two buildings with elevated walkways between them above a landscaped courtyard, remeniscent of Manhattan's high density residential areas.

 

The project’s foundation builds on the community vibe of one of Victoria’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods, Filuk says, which is also a central pillar of a sitcom based on navigating through one's 20s and 30s in the big city.

 

“Who doesn’t remember and reminisce about their younger days, living in a place like Quadra Village and surrounded by your group of friends who live in the neighbourhood or even in the same building? That’s the inspiration behind Ross Terrace.”

 

In addition to its rental apartments, Ross Terrace’s 6,300 square feet of ground floor commercial space is earmarked for the Vancouver Island School of Art, which vacated a building adjacent to the construction site several years ago, and is currently situated nearby at 950 Kings Road.

 

With construction well underway, Aryze Development's latest purpose-built rental undertaking is on track for a mid-to-late 2021 completion.

 

And in case you’re wondering, references to ‘Ugly Naked Guy’ will not feature as an interior design element. At least not right away. C

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