The Thrifty Foods property at 1860 Island Highway at the Goldstream Avenue intersection could be home to a mixed-use residential and retail tower with a row of townhomes, according to an application filed with the City by applicant Brenda Chan.

 

Known as the Chan Family Tower, the highrise, designed by architectural firm Studio PA, calls for a 25-storey massing on a portion of a surface parking lot and on vacant land to the west of the Thrifty Foods complex, and behind a row of retail units that flank the grocery store’s southern exposure. 1860 Island Highway is a multi-acre parcel that spans from the Island Highway thoroughfare to west of Thrifty Foods’ footprint, and beyond a four-storey rental building (known as Waldorf Court) that is situated adjacent to the store.

 

The tower is depicted (see the site plan below) as rising kitty-corner from Waldorf Court to its southwest, while the townhomes (numbering seven units in a three-storey format) will extend north from the tower along Waldorf Court’s west facade. West of the future townhome site stands 330 Goldstream Avenue, an affordable rental complex completed in 2021.

 

A site plan of 1860 Island Highway in the context of its immediate surroundings.  Studio PA | Modified by Citified.ca

 

Chan Family Tower's proposed unit make-up is 143 homes in junior one-bedroom through to three-bedroom layouts, including three-bedroom townhomes, and two commercial retail units totalling some 2,300 square feet. A mix of surface and underground parking will accommodate space for up to 237 vehicles, a supply of three more stalls than required by zoning.

 

1860 Island Highway’s current zoning permits up to 15 storeys, although nearby development sites (namely at the Colwood Corners property) have successfully in the past secured tentative approvals at heights in excess of 20 storeys. And at 85 Belmont Avenue adjacent to the Colwood Corners property, the City of Colwood had more recently approved a 15-storey mass timber-designed tower for the Greater Victoria Housing Society. However, the concept failed to proceed to construction and the society is expected to build a lowrise woodframe structure instead.

 

Chan’s proposal is part of a broader vision for multiple Colwood parcels known as the Gateway and Triangle Lands, bordered by Wale Road, the Island Highway and Goldstream Avenue. The properties are expected to see developent in the form of multiple residential buildings, a plaza, and additional retail spaces.

 

If approved and built, the Chan Family Tower will stand as the municipality’s tallest building, and depending on the viability of multiple proposals in the City of Langford that include the 24-storey Scene tower currently in pre-sales, the 22-storey Langford Gateway tower, and the 29-storey Dunford Crossing tower also in Langford, Colwood’s planned highrise could become the West Shore’s tallest.