Address:
The Apex Site property on Douglas Street at Humboldt Street in downtown Victoria, also known as the 'Budget Lot,' is the focus of a redevelopment effort known as TELUS Ocean, an innovation and employment hub for 250 TELUS employees, ground level retail space, and six levels of leasable office space.
The City of Victoria-owned Apex Site property was the subject of an early 2017 bidding process between six proponents. The City of Victoria opted to proceed with a development planning process and a land sale that ultimately saw partners Aryze Developments and TELUS co-operate on the TELUS Ocean concept.
Click here to learn how to keep your data current and how to upgrade to a Citified Plus project profile.
There are certainly lots of internal conversations happening for sure :). I don't know all the details in terms of a timeline for possible return to work, or the details of a probable hybrid home/office option, so I'm not in a position to comment.
The bus commute would not be ideal as that would be a 2-bus hop for me connecting from Selkirk to downtown then out to the peninsula. Given BCT's well known staffing issues and 'phantom' buses that seemingly never show up when you need them most, the prospect is potentially problematic. Also I moved back from Vancouver 21 years ago and hoped my true commuting days were long over. A few years of back and forth between Richmond and d/t Vancouver and for awhile North Burnaby to d/t Vancouver was more than enough for me. In the last two decades in YYJ my longest commute each way was maybe 20 minutes. Less than half that though for the vast majority of my time back on the rock.
However we have several months yet so I'm happy to just sit back and wait until more information is communicated to us. Its a great gig with an excellent employer and benefits and pension most people can only dream about, so I'm thankful for all that and personally not that fussed.
For those of you that don't live in the downtown core and would like to check on the progress of the TELUS Ocean building, see my YouTube channel by clicking on this link https://youtube.com/@telusocean and please subscribe. I am streaming live 24/7 and recording the daytime construction weekdays. I posted one time-lapse video from July 18 and may post more in the future but I'd like to compress longer periods of time, perhaps a month into a few minutes. This would be time consuming work because I am only recording video and not taking snapshots that can be joined together. I set the camera to this narrow portrait orientation so that I don't have to make any adjustments as the building rises to its full height. Enjoy! -Tim
I'm a little late, but thanks Green! I've been hoping to go down there sometime to see the site status for a little while, but now I can check it whenever thanks to your livestream. :)
It's exciting to see construction activity happening in this area again - takes me back to when the Falls was being built...
^Some people would say the site looks like the pits, but the workers seem to be digging it.

TELUS proposal could deliver rental housing to Saanich’s Gordon Head neighbourhood
98-unit rental building, proposed in partnership with Aryze Developments, would also serve as a TELUS network facility.

Telus Ocean's construction start launches office space boom in downtown Victoria
Nearly 350,000 square feet of modern office space could be added to downtown Victoria over several years.

$100 million TELUS Ocean proposal for Douglas Street at Humboldt Street headed to public hearing
Environmentally-leading office tower will go before council on December 9th.

Plans for downtown Victoria's $100 million Telus Ocean tower tweaked as approvals process continues
Capital's most environmentally-forward construction project, ever, is envisioned as "an iconic building for an iconic site."

10-storey TELUS Ocean concept revealed as "alluring lantern" for Douglas at Humboldt
53 meter tall, 155,000 square foot innovation centre proposed as landmark for Victoria's south downtown.

City of Victoria, TELUS & Aryze Developments reveal plans for office tower on Apex Site at Douglas and Humboldt streets
TELUS Ocean will be an innovation hub and employment centre for 250 of the communication giant's employees.

Downtown car rental agencies on the move as secretive 'Apex Site' development plans crystallize
National Car Rental unveils development plans for new rental lot as its Douglas and Humboldt streets site nears redevelopment by TELUS and Jawl Properties.

Telecom giant TELUS, Jawl Properties to partner on upcoming Douglas Street tower
The Canadian communications giant and Victoria's most prolific office space developer have reportedly partnered to erect a tower at Douglas and Humboldt streets.

Design comp for property next to Crystal Gardens draws six entrants; City mum on alleged winner
One of six bids submitted to redevelop the City-owned Apex Site has been revealed, although the alleged winner has not been formally named.

TELUS looks to downtown Victoria for new office complex
Seeking to expand its real-estate and marketing presence in western Canada, TELUS has embarked on a major development strategy that will eventually include Victoria.