Library patrons have less than four months to visit the Nellie McClung library in Saanich before it is closed for a planned redevelopment at the site.
The Greater Victoria Public Library branch at 3950 Cedar Hill Rd. is slated for demolition next summer to make way for a mixed-use project that would include 200-plus rental housing units and a new, bigger library.
The library branch will close Dec. 14 for about three years during the redevelopment process.
A temporary library branch will open on Shelbourne Street while that work is underway. The District of Saanich announced Monday it had secured space at 3561 Shelbourne St., at Donnelly Avenue.
The building’s ground floor offices had been vacant for about a year after Megson FitzPatrick, an insurance brokerage, moved its auto services unit to its location at Uptown.
The District of Saanich purchased the property’s ground-floor office last month.
Colliers associate vice-president Dominic Ricciuti, who helped facilitate the sale, said the building’s second-floor strata units remain under the ownership of the Burkett Accounting Group.
B.C. Assessment records show the 4,633-square-foot space was purchased July 25 with a cash sale of $2,225,000.
Saanich land agent Janet Racz said the district had initially looked to lease the location before asking the owner, a local company, whether it would be willing to sell the space.
The municipality does not often purchase commercial properties but in this case it was the better option, she said. “Numbers wise, it worked out better than leasing.”
Saanich said it will be working with the GVPL in the coming months to determine what renovations and improvements will be required at the two-storey office building.
Racz said there are no plans for the property beyond its use as a temporary library facility, anticipated to open in mid-February.
Greater Victoria Public Library board chair Andrew Appleton said the two-month gap between the closing of the Nellie McClung branch and the opening of the temporary location was a “reasonable timeline” based on GVPL staff experiences with recent library branch moves in Esquimalt and Oak Bay.
“There are a lot of technical considerations and sort of setup considerations in the new facility,” he said in an interview. “It’s certainly not a turnkey.”
The temporary library at Shelbourne Street will have the same operating hours as the Nellie McClung branch and will provide access to a variety of collections, he said.
Appleton said the Nellie McClung branch, which was constructed in 1976 and rebuilt in 1991 following a fire, is in need of a refresh, particularly with the anticipated influx of residents due to development in the area.
“We want to be responsive to the community and accessible to the community in the places that they need us,” he said, adding that population density is a major factor in how the GVPL considers upgrades and expansion.
The University Heights project across the street alone is expected to add 600 units of housing when it is completed.
When built, the new Nellie McClung branch is expected to be about twice as big as the current one, at 25,000 to 30,000 square feet.
Appleton said it would be GVPL’s second-largest branch after the central branch at 735 Broughton St. in downtown Victoria.
Library spokesperson Kelly Ridgway said the Nellie McClung library is the busiest GVPL branch for physical circulations, with about 389,600 in-branch checkouts last year and 186,000 in-person visits.
More details on the new development at 3950 Cedar Hill Rd. are expected on Sept. 9, when a development variance permit application is presented to Saanich council.
The project is a partnership between the District of Saanich, the Capital Region Housing Corporation and the province.
Saanich said it expects the project to be done by summer 2028.
— With a file from Carla Wilson
