The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia has unveiled plans to redevelop a portion of the St. Peter & St. Paul’s Anglican Church property along the 1300-block of Esquimalt Road at Grafton Street.

 

The diocese has submitted a rezoning application to the Township of Esquimalt seeking approvals for a five-storey, mixed-use building containing 24-units of affordable housing for independent seniors and a ministry centre on the building’s ground floor.

 

Planned for a surface parking lot adjacent to the 151 year-old St. Peter & St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the project will also provide a seamless connection between the historic church and its future ministry centre, a welcome first for the parish.

 

“Finally, after 150 years, the church will have direct connection with its ministry centre,” writes Terry Jones, editor of the diocese’s Diocesan Post newsletter. "[As part of this redevelopment] the church may be used for a lot more activities and the ministry centre can offer a wide range of services for public engagement."

 

The vision behind the project, Jones says, stems from a desire to use the church’s assets “more effectively by sharing them more widely to create new community partnerships.”

 

Financing is provided by through a partnership between the diocese and BC Housing.

 

The municipal planning and permitting process is expected to be completed by year’s end or by early 2019. A Heritage Alteration Permit will also be required in order to permit a connection between the church and the residential complex housing the new ministry centre. Construction could follow in 2019 or 2020, with project completion possible by 2021 or 2022. 

 

The redevelopment of Esquimalt’s St. Peter & St. Paul’s Anglican Parish property is one of several real-estate projects involving religious institutions in the Capital Region.

 

Oak Bay’s United Church is moving towards a redevelopment effort that could yield as many as 150-units of affordable rental apartments. Fairfield’s United Church is slated for replacement in the form of a mixed-use residential project, dubbed Unity, that will include worship and commercial spaces. And in Langford the Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church is currently partnered in a rezoning process for several parcels along downtown Langford’s Goldstream Avenue strip. Mixed-use residential and commercial uses are anticipated as part of that project. C