A West Shore landmark on Goldstream Avenue near Veterans Memorial Parkway is earmarked for eventual redevelopment into what could be affordable rental housing.

 

 

The two-storey Goldstream Masonic Lodge at 679 Goldstream Avenue and Aldwynd Road in Langford has presided over the area since the 1950s, and plans are afoot to transform the land into what could be a five-storey mixed-use complex as a partnership between the Goldstream Masonic Hall Association, the Greater Victoria Housing Society (GVHS), and TL Housing Solutions.

 

Redevelopment information through GVHS's project status portal indicates nearly 70 homes are proposed within five and three-storey buildings, along with ground floor commercial space as part of the five-storey lowrise. Masonic Lodge #161 will occupy space within the project.

 

GVHS's portal further describes the development as expected to exceed Step Code 3, an environmental standard within the British Columbia building code, and be “zero net carbon ready,” while its design will be in-keeping with internationally recognized Passive House standards. Residential occupancy is estimated for late 2023, according to GVHS.

 

However, the project's status is currently on-hold, according to TL Housing Solutions, which puts its development timeline in flux. This means a 2023 move-in date may no longer be a valid target.

 

The City of Langford confirms the holding pattern.

 

 

Irrespective of development timing, a large tree on the property standing at the corner of Goldstream Avenue and Aldwynd Road will be preserved into the future.

 

A rendering of the Goldstream Masonic Lodge redevelopment on Goldstream Avenue at Aldwynd Road in downtown Langford.  Greater Victoria Housing Society

 

120 members strong, lodge #161 was instituted in 1954 and constituted in 1955, according to the lodge’s history statement, and its building stands as one of the oldest structures in Langford’s rapidly changing downtown core.

 

The Greater Victoria Housing Society is one of the Capital’s largest developers of affordable housing with multiple projects recently completed and in planning.

 

The society's most recent completion is 330 Goldstream Avenue, a six-storey rental block in the City of Colwood comprised of over 100 apartments. Meanwhile, GVHS has plans to redevelop its Belmont Road Colwood Lodge property, which recently secured approvals as a 15-storey mass timber-designed rental tower that may ultimately proceed as six-storey lowrise. Additional projects are moving through the planning phase in the City of Victoria, the Township of Esquimalt, and the District of Saanich. C

 

 

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