Luxury rental residences have been proposed for lands formerly used as downtown Victoria’s inter-city bus depot at Douglas and Belleville streets, Citified has learned.

 

Vancouver-based Bosa Development has submitted a rezoning application to the City of Victoria seeking approvals to build an eight-storey, mixed-use complex at 700 Douglas Street southeast of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

 

Dubbed Residences at the Empress Hotel and designed by Vancouver based James KM Cheng Architects, the building's unit mix will be split between 37 and 33 one and two-bedroom homes, respectively, and two three-bedroom suites. A duo of retail spaces will front onto Douglas and Belleville streets. 80 parking stalls will be situated throughout two underground levels.

 

Pending a successful rezoning and municipal approvals process, the project could get underway by mid-2018 with completion expected by mid-to-late 2019.

 

Bosa Development purchased the Fairmont Empress Hotel in 2014. Extensive interior and exterior upgrades immediately followed and included a re-branding of the hotel’s food and beverage services, a closure of the Bengal Lounge, the construction of a new entrance off Government Street and modifications to the hotel grounds

 

The downtown Victoria inter-city bus depot ceased operations in 2016. Passenger drop-off and pick-up was moved across the street along the Douglas Street frontage of the Crystal Gardens building. C