Construction is starting this week on floats for the $24-million Victoria International Marina — eight years after the project was announced by a previous developer.
The 28-slip luxury marina at Songhees is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2017, said Craig Norris, manager of the marina project.
Victoria Harbour watchers should see workers on the water starting mid-June.
The first floats will arrive in July from Blue Water Systems in Delta. Deliveries will continue through to early 2017, Norris said. They will be barged here in sections of three at a time and then put together. “It’s like an assembly line,” he said.
A webcam is going in at Blue Water’s operation to follow the floats being built, Norris said.
Gravel will be deposited on the seabed to create a habitat. The area was earlier dredged of muck from past industrial uses. The developer is working with a biologist and with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Two commercial structures will be built on pilings and stand above the water. They will be located on privately owned water lots at the foot of Paul Kane Place and Cooperage Place. Marina berths will be situated on a water lot leased from the province.
A new waterfront restaurant is planned in the building to the east, Norris said. A tenant has been lined up and the agreement is being finalized. No name is being released at this time.
The second building will house marina offices and other uses still being determined, he said.
Construction tenders have not yet been awarded. Building permit applications will likely go to city hall by the end of this month.
Final design plans have winnowed the number of slips to 28. About 15 have some level of commitment, he said.
A real estate team will be hired to market the slips. At this time, they have been offered under 40-year leases, but Norris is open to the idea of shorter leases of perhaps one-, five- and 10-year terms.
The number of slips has changed as designs have been refined. Original plans called for 52 slips, but that was dropped to 30 after the city of Victoria passed a zoning change. Now the total is 28.
Local businessman Bob Evans, the original developer of Songhees lands, teamed up with an Alberta company to announce in 2008 that the goal was to open the marina in 2009. But it has been a contentious project as a range of residents raised objections, including condo owners, walkers on the waterfront and paddlers.
Mike Jackson, president of South Island Sea Kayaking Association, said safety concerns remain about navigating that area. It appears that it would be difficult for larger paddling boats to travel in the space below the buildings.
Evans sold the project to Chinese investors and is no longer part of this development, Norris said.
