A development vision for Rock Bay’s First Nations-held Matullia Lands north of Victoria’s downtown core has been received by the City. The document provides the public with the first glimpse into a potential future for one of the largest undeveloped sites in the Capital’s urban core.

 

 

Spanning multiple acres on Victoria’s Upper Harbour waterfront in Burnside Gorge, Matullia Lands (a partnership between the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations) is currently vacant following a lengthy remediation effort that completed in 2016 and transformed the holding from a former power generation plant to bare land.

 

Nearly a decade later, a preliminary rezoning and Official Community Plan amendment application has been submitted to city hall by project consultant Barefoot Planning, depicting four development areas across 7.5 acres that span from Government Street at Pembroke Street through to the Upper Harbour.

 

According to the plans, Matullia’s Government Street frontage will provide the only zone with residences in towers of up to 18 storeys. The remainder of the site will provide a mix of retail, industrial and commercial spaces in lowrise buildings. This direction is in-keeping with the City’s long-held goal of maintaining a predominantly light industrial and commercial zone between the downtown Victoria border and Burnside Gorge’s industrial zone bordered by Bay Street and Gorge Road East.

 

An arist's rendering, looking east towards the Matullia Lands development from Rock Bay. A foot bridge can be seen at-right, that will connect the project with Bay Street across Rock Bay.  Matullia Lands/Barefoot Planning

 

Pedestrian public realm improvements will deliver a harbourfront walkway extension along the property’s oceanfront, including a connection across Rock Bay to Bay Street via foot bridge. Docks will provide new wharf spaces for a variety of vessel types, while vehicle access will be accommodated via Pembroke Street and Store Street.

 

“The proposed rezoning of the Matullia Lands at Rock Bay reflects a transformative opportunity to advance Indigenous-led development, cultural expression, and economic revitalization within Victoria’s Inner Harbour,” Barefoot Planning states in its report, adding that “the proposal supports a long-term, phased redevelopment rooted in employment, innovation, and sustainability – while also enhancing public access, celebrating Indigenous identity, and restoring the site’s relationship with land and water.”

 

No timelines have been provided on when the first phase of construction could occur, pending successful approvals by the City within a two year period. It is estimated through comparable timelines for large-scale redevelopment in Greater Victoria, that full build-out dependent on economic conditions, would occur within 15 to 20 years post-approval. Timelines may extend even further, as seen with nearby projects like Dockside Green in Vic West (approved in the early 2000s) and Bayview in Vic West, the first phase of which go underway in the late 2000s.

 

 

Nearby, Vancouver-based developer Reliance Properties is pursuing approvals for a multi-acre transformation of the Capital Iron property and an entire city block bordered by Store, Chatham, Government and Discovery streets, to build a mixed-use precinct also with residences, industrial spaces and commercial units. Reliance has invested heavily into the Capital Region, and has multiple high-profile proposals making their way through the planning process, already approved, and under construction. C

 

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