Victoria council has moved forward a controversial 20-unit apartment project on Richardson Street.
Council’s committee of the whole voted 6-3 to approve a rezoning application and development permit for 1042 and 1044 Richardson St., after the developer agreed to secure two studio units at a rent that will be five per cent below the median rental rate.
“I think this is crazy,” said Coun. Stephen Hammond, who noted city staff had on more than one occasion recommended the project be declined as it was too big for the site.
The project was also rejected by the previous city council in 2022.
Hammond said approving the project sends a clear message to developers that they “can get away with anything.”
“This is a message to them, ‘bring anything you want,’ ” he said. “ ‘Do not care what our city staff say.’ ”
Hammond, who wondered aloud why the city has so many planning staff if council is just going to ignore their advice, suggested council was bought cheaply with the promise of two small below-market units.
“If someone just hangs this small amount, relatively small amount over us, we’re going to jump at this as an opportunity to give two units of development,” he said.
Councillors Chris Coleman and Marg Gardiner also opposed the project.
Coleman said he was aware the city was trying to get to a place where it could say yes to the project, but he said what was offered was not enough to get him to change his mind.
Gardiner sided with city staff, noting the building is too large for the lot size and is incompatible with the neighbourhood.
Council sent the project back to developer Bart Johnson in April with a request that he commit to providing below-market housing in it.
That was after Johnson suggested, just before the April committee meeting, that the project could include four units at below-market rates for 10 years. At the time, city staff said Johnson refused to secure them with a legal agreement.
“If we can’t secure it, there’s no guarantee it will happen,” Karen Hoese, the city’s director of sustainable planning said at the time.
Councillors who voted in favour of the project Thursday suggested it will suit the area.
Jeremy Caradonna noted that his only misgiving with the project was that the process took so long.
“If it had been approved a couple of years ago, I believe, if I’m not mistaken, there would’ve been four units secured at below-market because everything was different back then,” he said with a nod to lower interest rates and less expensive building material. “We get a more expensive building with fewer affordable rentals.”
He said the lesson is the city has to make it easier for developers to build housing.
Coun. Dave Thompson reminded council the country is in a housing crisis and getting a 20-unit rental building is a positive step.
He also argued that the city is getting a lot in the bargain to approve the project.
He said the city gets a secured rental tenure in perpetuity, two accessible units, a housing agreement for 60 years for two below-market units, a car-share vehicle and memberships, an electric- vehicle charger and 23 additional bike parking units.
“I really do think that this is what development of the future looks like,” Thompson said.
“It is going to be denser, it’s going to be taller, there will be more alternative transportation modes built right in.”
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