A development proposal for a surface parking lot in Victoria’s Harris Green neighbourhood is back before the City, and if approved, will deliver much-needed attainable rental housing to the city’s core.

 

Developer Nelson Investments has envisioned a mixed-use residential tower comprised of 269 rental suites in the form of a 23-storey tower at 937 View Street – between the 1969-built View Towers complex and an upcoming rental block on View Street at Vancouver Street – and across from the newly approved Harris Green Village with towers of 28-to-32 storeys.

 

Last spring, Victoria officials fell short of greenlighting Nelson Investments’ former plans for the parking lot, citing a desire for greater setbacks and calling for design amendments to what was then an 18-storey massing with 266 units. Earlier this month, the company submitted a concept that builds on the former council’s feedback, while incorporating key tenets of the current administration’s pro-housing, car-lite agenda for downtown’s future generation of residences.

 

“At the core of this project is a commitment to livability, affordability, and the acknowledgement of council’s forward-looking environmental goals as they relate to the automobile and human-powered transportation,” said Chris Nelson, President at Nelson Investments, adding that the latest design iteration “responds fully to the housing crisis by proposing a much-needed infusion of high density housing to downtown Victoria, and giving precedence to an all-cycling parking facility in lieu of a vehicle parkade.”

 

Among the most in-demand rental homes in the downtown core (based on market analysis) are studio and one-bedroom layouts, unit styles often occupied by young professionals starting their careers, down-sizing older individuals, and post-secondary students. The smaller footprints are also the most attainable, with rental rates appealing to a wide spectrum of incomes. 937 View Street’s unit make-up will focus entirely on those offerings, Nelson says, in an effort the developer calls “a strategic addition” of residences that typically rent first in new-build projects, and have the longest queues of waiting tenants.

 

“937 View’s unit delivery of smaller, highly in demand suites is a strategic addition of downtown housing that industry research shows has the largest appeal, and is the most sought after by tenants young and older,” Nelson says. “As an example, during my days at UVic, there was difficulty in finding housing suitable for a single occupant or a couple, or housing that did not require roommates. Post-graduation, students transitioning into their careers and leaving behind the roommate lifestyle also struggled to find suitable housing near their places of employment, and at rents affordable by one person. This scenario has become an even more pronounced point of contention among renters, and our goal is to make a positive impact on that market segment.”

 

Regarding the tower’s zero vehicle parking allotment, Mehrdad Ghods, Nelson Investments’ construction partner, notes that much like the architectural concept has adapted since 937 View’s first design iteration was submitted to the City several years ago, so has the political landscape in Victoria. Ghods feels the time is now right for a residential tower that meets the needs of residents, and responds to the current council’s vision of less car dependency.

 

"Due to geotechnical restrictions and soil conditions, providing parking at this location remains quite prohibitive. We’ve put a lot of thought into whether or not to include parking in this application, and former concepts actually had several parking stalls, but in conversations with the City, we’ve come to the agreement that this site is better served by going car-free," Ghods said. "And based on council's messaging in recent months, we believe we can better respond to the community by taking this direction."

 

A rendering of 937 View Street, a 23-storey residential tower proposed opposite Starlight Developments' recently approved Harris Green Village proposal in the city centre's Harris Green neighbourhood.  Nelson Investments

 

As for resident amenities, 937 View will feature what Ghods calls a “European-inspired, avant-garde long-term bicycle storage and maintenance area” with e-bike charging, that “has never been done in Victoria,” and social spaces in the form of a 6th floor lounge with nearly 2,000 square feet in the form of a dog run adjacent to community gardens, and a 1,450 rooftop lounge with entertainment provisions. The ground floor will also feature a single commercial unit suitable for a coffee shop or cafe.

 

Despite no vehicle parking on-site, the proponent has intimated a desire to work with the City to install two electric vehicle chargers on the street adjacent to the tower, which can be used by the public. Residents will also have access to existing car share programs through Modo and EVO with both services gaining in popularity amongst Victorians and expanding fleets to meet the needs of the growing downtown. One or more car share parking spaces for vehicles are being proposed by the developer if parking spaces can be secured with the City of Victoria. BC Transit tickets will be made available to residents as well, an alternative transportation initiative gaining interest among developers and supported by council to encourage tenants to utilize transit.

 

With Nelson Investments’ latest application now before the City, a design review will commence ahead of a Committee of the Whole session by Victoria council. A rezoning is not required at this site. However, a variance pertaining to height is being sought.

 

The Harris Green neighbourhood of Victoria has seen significant development interest in recent years, most notably in the form of highrise residential towers that include completed inventory such as Chard Developments 20-storey condominiums in the 800-block of Yates and Johnson streets, Starlight Developments’ approved five rental towers in the 900 and 1000 blocks of Yates Street at heights of up to 32 storeys, and Chard Developments’ rental proposal for 25 and 15-storey towers at 1050 Yates Street. Recently, developer Townline completed a 23-storey purpose-built rental with 245 apartments as the final phase of Blanshard Street’s Hudson District in downtown-proper, called Hudson House. On View Street at Cook Street, the 15-storey Mod condominium has topped out and is on-track for occupancy by late 2023, as is Cox Developments' 15-storey rental complex on Johnson Street at Vancouver Street.

 

Meanwhile, in Victoria's north end near Hillside Avenue at Blanshard Street, developer Merchant House Capital has proposed a 120-unit rental tower with no parking provisions for residents. The decision to go car-free, according to Merchant House, is to promote alternative transportation choices for urban residents, and adopt council's desires to reduce car-centric development in the city centre. C

 

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