Construction on a 34-residence townhome project in Victoria’s Burnside Gorge neighbourhood is on-track for a spring 2023 completion despite labour challenges, supply chain issues and the rising cost of new-build housing.

 

Washington, a project from homebuilder Formwell at 3080 Washington Avenue (see project website) is rising as one of the Capital’s largest ‘missing middle’ developments in a generation, and at a time when the City of Victoria is moving towards up-zoning residential neighbourhoods to encourage housing types like townhouses, multi-plexes and duplex homes in lieu of a single-family status quo.

 

With the final release of homes slated for sale this fall, the company will unveil a display home showcasing Washington’s traditional-styled exteriors, modern up-market interiors with a mid-century flair, and an attention to detail typically seen at custom-built single-family dwellings.

 

At the development site, two townhome buildings started in the fall are already at full height, while others are in various stages of framing and preliminary groundwork.

 

“We’re extremely pleased with how construction is progressing at Washington, we couldn’t be happier,” said Kyle Ryan, co-founder of Formwell.

 

“We’re grateful to have a solid team working onsite, between our capable and committed employees and an extremely strong group of sub-trades and partners who place the same value on quality and attention to detail as we do at Formwell. Overall, it’s been the right formula for success as we bring a level of design and approach that’s reminiscent of single-family-homes to the townhome market,” added Ryan.

 

Unveiled last fall, Washington sold-out of its first release of two, three and four-bedroom homes quicker than anticipated, with subsequent sales campaigns between February and April drawing more buyers who pushed the project to a near sell-out working with leading local sales group, Island Realm Real Estate. The company is saving its final previously held-back homes for a September reveal in tandem with the completion of the Washington display home.

 

“Looking ahead to the fall, I’m extremely excited to be able to highlight our collective team’s work first-hand when we unveil the display home in September. We’ve been thrilled with the level of confidence the market and our homebuyers have placed in us already, with so many people choosing to call Washington home,” Ryan says, adding “to be able to show purchasers in detail what they can expect of the homes at Washington, is something we’re really looking forward to as a company.”

 

A townhome building at the Washington project featuring exterior finishings.  Formwell Homes

 

Formwell’s inaugural development has been popular among a wide range of homebuyers drawn to its central, urban location along the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood’s Galloping Goose Regional Trail, and close to amenities like Mayfair Shopping Centre, the Selkirk Waterfront community, and within walking or cycling distance to downtown Victoria. For individuals interested in a car-lite or car-free lifestyle, Victoria’s Burnside Gorge area has the right mix of walkability, transit connectivity and nearby amenities to make vehicle ownership a choice, rather than a necessity.

 

Location aside, Formwell has created a unique townhome style for the Capital, bridging traditional white picket fence nostalgia with the efficiencies and practicality of urban living. Its contemporary rowhomes provide functional, well-considered interiors and the convenience of ground level access with yards for pets and children, making the layouts suited for right-sizers, young couples and growing families.

 

Once complete in 2023, Washington will include the establishment of a new stretch of public greenway that will serve as part of the Doric Connector creating a new protected walking and cycling link to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail spanning from Washington Avenue to Balfour Avenue.

 

Although Washington is Formwell’s first project, the company’s co-founders are no strangers to the Capital’s real-estate development industry.

 

Kyle Ryan and partner Sam Ganong have overseen the construction of hundreds of townhomes and condominiums in Greater Victoria, and in 2021 the duo came together as Formwell Homes. Ryan, with expertise in construction project management, oversees the homebuilding process, while Ganong focuses on design, municipal planning and approvals phases.

 

With several emerging missing middle proposals already before the City of Victoria and the District of Saanich, Formwell will be unveiling details on its upcoming projects later this year, Ganong confirms.

 

Meanwhile, a 14-home Ophir Street proposal is progressing for Saanich’s Mt. Tolmie and Cedar Hill neighbourhoods, where Formwell plans to build three and four-bedroom townhomes as its follow-up to its highly successful market entry on Washington Avenue. The Ophir Street vision is expected to go before Committee of the Whole later this spring.

 

To learn more about Washington, and to take advantage of the upcoming new home release, connect with the project team by visiting Washington’s website here. C

 

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