A newly completed residential and retail development that now stands in place of a strip mall formerly home to popular Greek restaurant Ithaka, a Panago Pizza franchise and other retailers, has fully sold its commercial units, Citified has learned.

 

Chard Development’s 107-suite Nest tower (see website; see Citified profile) – situated at 1100 Yates Street and Cook Street with its one and two-bedroom residences now over 90% sold-out – is fully subscribed for four street-level commercial units representing 5,915 square feet of modern retail space, while a second floor 8,333 square foot daycare is expected to open in mid-2025.

 

“We are excited to announce that Nest’s commercial spaces are officially sold-out, and in the near future, we anticipate our clients to unveil new businesses serving the downtown Victoria, Fernwood, North Park and Fairfield communities,” says President & CEO of Chard Development, Byron Chard.

 

The 12-storey building will house the downtown core’s newest daycare as part of a second floor amenity area. Known as Fueling Brains Academy – not associated to Chard Development, and expected to announce enrolment details in the coming weeks – plans to welcome children this spring or summer.

 

“A purpose-built daycare was one of the key tenets of our Nest project from the outset. With a fast growing downtown Victoria population, the need for childcare has expanded faster than existing service providers are able to accommodate,” Chard said, adding that “Fueling Brains Academy will be open to the public at-large, and together with its fantastic operator, we look forward to celebrating the addition of much needed childcare spaces in our community.”

 

For readers wondering about the businesses that relocated to make way for Nest, Ithaka Greek restaurant reopened in the 700-block of Burdett Avenue adjacent to the Chateau Victoria Hotel. Panago Pizza is currently located on Vancouver Street at Pandora Avenue, and McCall Gardens funeral home services moved to a purpose-built complex on Falaise Drive in Saanich.

 

As to the upcoming tenants at Nest, aside from pizza chain Pizza Pizza that is readying to open by March, Chard says his team will be awaiting timelines from the purchasers and referring to them for further announcements.

 

12-storey Nest will be home to Fueling Brains Academy childcare centre on its second floor, and multiple retailers will be joining Pizza Pizza in sold-out commercial spaces along its ground floor.  Citified.ca

 

Meanwhile, the remaining inventory of four premium move in-ready one and two-bedroom condominiums at Nest are priced from $430,900, as limited-time discounts remain in effect of $15,000 for one-bedroom homes, and $30,000 for two-bedroom homes.

 

Chard’s unsold inventory at Nest represents among the most price-competitive new-build options on the Victoria market for concrete condominiums, featuring integrated appliances, two-drawer dishwashers and high-end interior finishings, plus spacious outdoor balconies. First-time buyers are also eligible for a 30-year mortgage amortization as part of a new federal mortgage program made available for 2025.

 

Nest’s smaller counterpart, the six-storey Haven condominium (see website; see Citified profile) fronting the 1100-block of Johnson Street, has three suites remaining for purchase that include a 10% equity buy-in via BC Housing’s home equity share program to help would-be homeowners secure a down payment, and lower monthly mortgage costs. A time-limited discount of $10,000 is available on a one-bedroom layout, and a $15,000 discount is available on a two-bedroom layout. Prices start at $429,900.

 

From their location in Fernwood at the Harris Green border, Nest’s and Haven’s residents enjoy a lifestyle only minutes away from all that downtown Victoria has to offer, albeit removed from the ‘hustle and bustle’ of the city’s central business district further to the west. The area is also a walker’s paradise, close to parkland, near Victoria’s Salish Sea oceanfront, connected by numerous public transit routes and accessible to the city’s All Ages and Abilities cycling network.

 

Nest’s location kitty-corner from the anticipated future site of local boutique grocery chain The Market on Yates, which plans to move its operation from Yates Street at Quadra Street to Yates Street at Cook Street as part of the first phase of a development known as Harris Green Village, will add more grocery options to the immediate area. Chard Developments’ two-tower 1050 Yates project is getting underway immediately west of Nest, where Chard will deliver 450 new rental homes plus ground floor commercial services to what was formerly an automotive lot. And across the street from Haven is downtown Victoria’s new walk-in healthcare clinic, and a Save-On-Foods grocery store is just two blocks to the northwest.

 

Chard Development has a long history of delivering successful condominium and rental projects to Victoria’s urban core, a legacy that started nearly two decades ago with the 12-storey Corazon tower in the 700-block of Cormorant Street, completed in 2006. Chard has delivered over 1,000 homes to Victoria’s city centre over that time, including the two-tower, 20-storey Yates on Yates and Vivid condominiums completed in 2021, the 10-storey Escher condominium on Broughton Street completed in 2017, and the 15-storey Yello apartment complex on Yates Street completed in 2015.

 

To learn more about move in-ready homes for sale at Nest and Haven, view Nest’s website here, and Haven's website here. To learn more about eligibility for Haven’s BC Housing equity share program, click here. C

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