Work will start this summer on a project the City of Victoria expects will be key to the revitalization of the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood.
With no opposition at a public hearing, city council wasted little time Thursday voting unanimously to approve an 88-unit affordable-housing project on Cecilia Road behind S.J. Burnside Education Centre.
The project, driven by Pacifica Housing, includes two apartment buildings — a five-storey and a four-storey block — with a daycare and outdoor plaza built on the former playing field of the old school at 496-498 Cecelia Rd. and 3130 Jutland Rd.
The daycare, operated by the Burnside Gorge Community Association, will have 59 spaces. After-school programs will be offered in space there, and underground parking will be available for vehicles and bikes.
Construction is expected to be complete within two years.
Coun. Stephen Andrew called the project fantastic and said he expects it to kickstart a new way of looking at the neighbourhood.
“This is going to bring a tremendous amount of life to the area, and not only for the immediate community,” he said.
“It is the type of project we need in our communities. I cannot wait for it to be complete.”
Coun. Marianne Alto, who serves as council liaison to the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood, said it’s wonderful to see it finally coming to fruition, noting it fits well with the recently revised official community plan.
“I think this is going to be a real showpiece for what can happen in Burnside Gorge, and really does show a completely different face of the neighbourhood, the best face of the neighbourhood,” she said.
“It’s unique. It’s going to be diverse. It’s going to bring a real revitalization to the area, and it is going to create a neighbourhood within the bigger neighbourhood.”
Carolina Ibarra, chief executive officer of Pacifica Housing, said her offices were buzzing with the news the project had been given the green light, which she called a “validation.”
“This is truly a community project. I can’t tell you how excited we were [Thursday] night and how we are today — the energy is so positive.”
Ibarra said the development is more than just an affordable housing project, since it includes amenities that are not just for residents but for the wider community, including daycare spaces, a plaza and native plant gardens.
“It’s actually creating and enhancing a community,” she said. “It’s a real community asset.”
Ibarra noted the project was made possible by strong partnerships with the city, the Greater Victoria School District, the Burnside Gorge Community Association and B.C. Housing.
It will be built on city-owned land, which Mayor Lisa Helps said is a good example of why the city should continue to pursue land acquisition and contributions for affordable housing.
“It can help to make projects like this one work,” she said, adding the development will bring “much-needed” family housing, childcare and public green space to the neighbourhood.
“It also moves us forward with the creation of a neighbourhood centre at Cecelia and Jutland roads, enhancing community connectivity to the nearby Burnside Gorge community centre, Cecelia Ravine Park and Galloping Goose trail, as envisioned in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood plan.”
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