Redevelopment with 1,500+ rental homes approved for downtown Victoria

Redevelopment with over 1,500 rental homes approved for downtown Victoria

Revised artistic rendering of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

A massive infusion of new additional rental housing is set for downtown Victoria, following Victoria City Council’s decision last week to green light the official community plan amendments and rezoning application.

City Council voted 8-1 in favour of Starlight Developments’ Harris Green Village redevelopment, which will generate a total of over 1,500 secured purpose-built rental homes within mixed-use buildings.

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The project will be built on two physically separate sites — the west 3.3-acre full city block of the 900 block of Yates Street, which is currently mainly occupied by commercial uses such as London Drugs and The Market on Yates, and the east 1.6-acre partial city block site at 1045 Yates Street, which is currently mainly a car dealership. Both city blocks are adjacent to each other.

These sites will be redeveloped into five towers on top of mid- and low-rise podiums, including three towers reaching 32 storeys, 29 storeys, and 28 storeys on the west site, and two towers reaching 21 storeys and 20 storeys on the east site. The height of the tallest tower will be 365 ft, making it the new tallest building on Vancouver Island.

harris green village victoria starlight investments

Sites of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Sites of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria, with the first phase of 1045 Yates Street on the east (right) and the second and third phases of the 900 block of Yates Street on the west (left). (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Revised artistic rendering of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Building heights of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

There will be 526 rental homes on the east site, which is the project’s first phase, while the second and third phases on the west site will have over 1,000 rental homes, with the exact number of homes to be determined at a later date.

The first phase’s unit size mix is 64 studios, 265 one-bedroom units, 115 two-bedroom units, 75 three-bedroom units, and seven townhouse units. This includes setting aside 80 units at below-market rates.

Other overall project uses across all three phases include over 70,000 sq ft of office, retail, and restaurant uses, including a larger format retail space to accommodate a replacement grocery store space for The Market on Yates, as well as a 5,000 sq ft childcare facility for 77 kids and a 10,000 sq ft community space operated by the City of Victoria. The developer will also provide a nearly half-acre park with an accessible play area as a public benefit.

Revised artistic rendering of the first phase of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Following City Council debates, the first phase will see a slightly decreased vehicle parking capacity.

Amendments approved by City Council also direct the developer to increase the number of car share vehicles and associated supporting parking stalls, ensure all residential vehicle parking stalls are suitably wired for charging equipment, increase the number of bike parking spaces to at least 2,500, ensure at least 50% of the bike parking spaces have access to charging for e-bikes, add a bike maintenance and repair station for end-of-trip facilities, provide all new tenants without vehicles with an optional free bus pass for up to three months over the first three years following the completion of each project phase, and ensure the homes of the latter two phases exclusively use electricity.

The developer acquired the various properties in 2019. This project has seen several revisions ever since its application was first submitted in early 2020 just prior to the onset of the pandemic. IBI Group is the project’s architectural firm.

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin later this year.

“Harris Green Village represents a unique opportunity to create a vibrant, urban, mixed-use community that is both diverse and inclusive,” said Shauna Dudding, executive director of developments for Starlight Investments, in a statement.

“Purpose-built rentals are a critical aspect of the revitalization of this neighbourhood and we are honoured to be an integral part of the process.”

Sites of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Revised artistic rendering of the first phase of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

Revised artistic rendering of the Harris Green Village redevelopment in downtown Victoria. (IBI Group/Starlight Investments)

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