The Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) has applied to the City of Victoria for approvals to build a 155-unit affordable housing community immediately west of Victoria High School in the City’s Fernwood neighbourhood.

 

Spanning nine parcels between the 1200-blocks of Gladstone Avenue and Grant Street east of Chambers Street, the $50 million project (dubbed Caledonia) will yield 11 studio apartments, 46 one-bedroom, 23 two-bedroom, 13 three-bedroom and four four-bedroom suites within a duo of four and five-storey buildings, while 18 townhomes will include two, three and four-bedroom layouts within three buildings rising to three-and-a-half levels.

 

 

The two apartments will be positioned on the southern half of the agglomerated properties and the tree townhome clusters on the northern half.

 

Accessible residences will be available in the form of six one-bedroom, four two-bedroom, and two three-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom townhome residences.

 

Parking will be in the form of a 109-stall single level underground parkade spanning between Grant Street and Gladstone Avenue.

 

An aerial artist's depiction, looking southwest, of the Caledonia affordable housing project. Visible along the bottom half of the image is Victoria High School's running track.  Capital Region Housing Corporation

 

Extensive landscaping will provide ample greenery throughout the project’s grounds along with a network of pathways accessible to the public. 

 

In order to make way for the project, an 18-unit townhouse cluster (operated by CRHC) on the northern half of the site will be displaced to make way for construction, as will a building operated by M'akola Housing Society on a BC Housing-owned parcel at the Grant Street end.

 

With the application now before the City, approvals are anticipated in 2020 with a construction start coinciding with completion by 2022 or 2023.

 

The CRHC is a wholly-owned, non-profit corporation of the Capital Regional District, developing and managing affordable housing for low income families, seniors and persons living with disabilities across the region. The CRHC has 45 buildings and townhouse communities in seven municipalities. Of its 1286 units, 70% are rent-geared to income and 30% are below market. The CRHC receives no direct operating subsidy from regional taxpayers: 75% of funding is generated from tenant revenue and 25% from federal and provincial operating agreements. C

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