Victoria residents have until Dec. 10 to make their feelings known about a proposal to add several new residential buildings to the Christ Church Cathedral precinct.
While church officials haven’t yet filed a rezoning application to transform its city block, bordered by Quadra Street, Vancouver Street and Burdett and Rockland Avenues, the city has been taking comments since Nov. 10 through its online development tracker.
As part of the pre-application process, church officials met with the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association land use committee this week.
Joanna Fox, chair of the committee, said the meeting drew a crowd of about 75 people, including parents of children who attend the school on the site, neighbours and others interested in the project.
Participants expressed concerns about potential changes to the school, that residential buildings could tower over the six-storey cathedral and that 500 residential units would put added pressure on parking in the area, she said.
“This is a city block that has an amenity that everybody loves, but the reality is that the cathedral needs work,” she said.
She said the community association won’t take a stand on the church’s application. “What we do is we make sure that the applicants are following all the processes, and we work to get the community involved and to come to the meetings.”
Fox said parents of children at Christ Church Cathedral School are worried about a loss of green space and play areas as a result of the large project.
In a letter to the Times Colonist, a parents group from the school, which has nearly 300 students, said the development would affect play space, natural light, noise and safety.
It called the proposal a “brazen proposition, disregarding the well-being and educational experience of our children with the intention of reducing the footprint and outdoor space of a school that is already challenged in size.”
The letter said the proposal “raises serious questions about the Diocese’s commitment to the community.”
In a statement sent to the Times Colonist, Brendon Neilson, executive director of the Anglican Diocese of B.C., said the church is in the early stages of what will be a long process.
“Currently we are preparing a rezoning application. A rezoning will give us options as to how to best use the site to serve the community as a whole. We anticipate that it will be at least four years before shovels might be in the ground and will continue to engage with the community all the way through,” the statement said.
There are no concrete plans yet, but the concept at this point is for six buildings to be built over the next 15 to 20 years on the 1.4-hectare property. The buildings could range from six to eight storeys, with one 18-storey tower.
The concept suggests as many as 500 residential units could be built on the site, with room for up to 1,500 residents.
Development potential of the site could pay some steep bills for the church.
Seismic work on the nearly 94-year-old cathedral is estimated to cost about $30 million, with another $20 million identified in needed upgrades and renovations in the building and on site.
Neilson’s statement noted the site has enough room to continue to operate the cathedral and school, as well as to enhance and expand the green space and add additional community space and housing.
He noted that representatives from the school have been on the project’s steering committee, which has been meeting for three years.
He said the school board is planning a follow-up information session to address some of the concerns raised by parents during the community association land use committee meeting.
Anna Greenwood-Lee, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of B.C., said the church welcomes the dialogue and feedback.
“It will only make the project better and help us create something beautiful and life-giving for generations to come.”
Comments can be made at https://engage.victoria.ca/embeds/projects/40224/survey-tools/42557.
