A proposed 135-unit rental project on the site of the old Esquimalt bingo hall is headed to public hearing after the developer changed the plans to include two ground-floor live-work units.
Vancouver-based Denciti Development Corp. has submitted a rezoning application for a six-storey building on the site of the bingo hall at 820 Esquimalt Rd. — which has not been in operation since the start of the pandemic — and two single-family homes on Old Esquimalt Road.
David Fawley, principal at Denciti, said the proposed housing development will blend with other medium and high-density developments on Esquimalt Road, including an existing six-storey apartment building next to the current bingo hall building, as well as an upcoming eight-storey seniors residence across the street that was approved last October.
After receiving feedback from council last month, the company revised its plans, removing a single residential unit to create two ground floor live-work units that could accommodate a business and home.
“The real intent here is to activate the street. We want people coming here,” said Fawley, adding that the spaces could be used by businesses such as therapists, tutoring services, hairdressers, notaries or artists.
The proposal was given unanimous council approval to go to public hearing on Monday night.
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said commercial spaces that allow home businesses to transition into storefronts are much in demand in Esquimalt. “Live-work is something that has been asked over and over,” she said.
The proposed building, currently named Esquimalt Terrace, would see land parcels at 820 Esquimalt, and 833 and 837 Old Esquimalt Road consolidated. The building would have to adhere to Step 3 of the B.C. Energy Step Code, an energy-efficiency requirement beyond the current B.C. building code that was requested by council.
Submitted architectural drawings show 71 units will have two bedrooms and range from 732 to 879 square feet, and six of the units will be three-bedroom units averaging 1,016 square feet. The rest of the 135 units would be one-bedroom or studio units.
The building proposal also includes a two-storey underground parkade accessible from Old Esquimalt Road that will have 206 bicycle parking spaces and 136 vehicle parking spaces, 14 of which will be visitor parking, with initial residents also receiving a one-year bus pass.
The plans rule out the possibility of a restaurant or a bingo hall on the site.
Since at least 1971, the building at 820 Esquimalt has been the site of various restaurants. One began offering bingo in the late 1980s, according to Times Colonist classified ads at the time. Over the years, bingo became the main draw.
In March of 2020, Esquimalt Bingo Hall was shut down by the gaming conglomerate Great Canadian Gaming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the last bingo hall operating in Esquimalt.
In 2021, the building was purchased by Denciti Development. The bingo hall’s large second-floor commercial kitchen is currently being used as a commissary kitchen by a number of food businesses, including Soupa Cafe, which closed its storefront cafe at the site this month.
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