A Manitoba-based real-estate development firm with a burgeoning roster of rental apartments on the West Shore has set its sights on Saanich’s Tillicum neighbourhood with a two-building proposal.

 

 

Envisioned at six and five-storeys tall, the project from Ironclad Developments is earmarked for 14 properties along the 3000-blocks of Tillicum Road and Albina Street at Obed Avenue, with the six-storey massing fronting Tillicum Road and the five-storey massing fronting Albina Street.

 

Ironclad’s development application, anticipated to be formally filed this summer, will seek to rezone parcels from single-family RS-1 zoning to high density RA-10. Pending approvals from Saanich council, construction could get underway in the second half of 2022.

 

Although a unit count has not been identified by the developer, the density seek is anticipated to land in the range of 200-suites in one, two and three-bedroom layouts.

 

Saanich’s section of the Tillicum Road corridor is seeing renewed interest from development firms as the thoroughfare (sharing a border with Esquimalt and the Gorge Waterway at its south end and feeding into Saanich's Carey neighbourhood at its northern terminus) grows in popularity as a walkable, amenity-rich community.

 

Recently Saanich council gave its blessing to a five-storey, mixed-use condominium and retail proposal at 300 Gorge Road West and 2900 Tillicum Road. The project, coming to the site of Il Greco Restaurant, will include approximately 50 homes and ground floor retail spaces. Meanwhile two blocks west at 2933 Albina Street at Gorge Road East BC Housing has recently announced its backing of a below-market rental complex rising to five-storeys with 52 supportive housing units. Construction on that project is expected to get underway soon.

 

Further north along Tillicum Road’s 3100-block at Burnside Road East a duo of rental buildings at five and six-storeys in height were completed several years ago. The buildings stand kitty-corner from a planned redevelopment of the Playtime Bingo property between the 3400-block of Tillicum Road and the 300-block of Burnside Road West into nearly 250 rental apartments and retail spaces across six-storeys.

 

However, a six-storey condominium proposal that went before council in April seeking approvals to build nearly 60-suites at the northwest corner of the Tillicum Road and Trans Canada Highway intersection was rejected by a narrow margin. The proponent, Abstract Developments, is reviewing its next steps in light of council's decision which factored in community feedback from predominently single-family-zoned property residents north of Highway 1 despite the municipality's pursuit of more housing and higher densities. C

 

Receive Citified's timely real-estate news straight to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us on Facebook: