View Royal has approved a 234-unit rental complex steps from Victoria General Hospital.
The project, called Aspire by Calgary-based Boardwalk REIT, will have three buildings surrounding a central courtyard on the corner of Helmcken Road and Burnside Road West and provide a “gateway” to View Royal’s northern border with Saanich.
It’s the second major purpose-built rental project approved by the town in the past year, after council gave the green light to a 336-unit development on Erskine Lane near Thetis Lake Park.
The 3.4-acre Helmcken-Burnside site currently contains a 12-unit apartment building and three single-family homes, which will be torn down.
The developer said tenants are being compensated based on a formula of the amount of rent they pay and how long they’ve lived there, and will get moving expenses up to $1,250.
The project, originally called Eagle Nest, passed rezoning in 2020, despite complaints from neighbours about building heights and size. It went into a brief limbo until Doug Foord’s Invictus Commercial Development Investment Corp., which assembled the land, sold the majority shares to Boardwalk REIT.
The number of units and heights were reduced slightly and setbacks and designs were adjusted after public hearings and suggestions from staff and council.
Jeff Klaus, vice-president of development for Boardwalk REIT, said site preparation is expected to begin in early July, with completion in about two years. It’s expected to employ 80 to 120 workers over that time.
Klaus said the value of the project is about $110 million.
Designed by dHKarchitects, three buildings will rise four, five and six storeys and contain one-, two- and three-bedroom units with underground parking for 300 vehicles, and storage for about 200 bicycles. A rooftop patio is planned on one of the buildings.
The developer also provided council with a tree-preservation plan that would see 50 of the 107 trees on the land preserved, mostly around the periphery of the site.
“It’s certainly one of the biggest rental developments we’ve seen, and it fits in our official community plan as an area for densification,” said View Royal Mayor David Screech. “It’s a good location because it supports Victoria General Hospital — one of the biggest employers in the region — and it supports the Eagle Creek Village commercial centre as well.”
Boardwalk REIT also owns the Aurora condo and apartments at Eagle Creek Village, which was completed in 2018.
The company also worked with Invictus to acquire 14 single-family homes in the heart of Esquimalt, and is proposing to replace the older homes with two five-storey rental buildings.
Plans call for a total of 213 units at the Marin. The existing public art walkway in neighbouring Esquimalt Town Square would extend into the development, running between Carlisle Avenue and Lyall Street.
The company assembled lots in Esquimalt at 1207-1221 Carlisle Ave., 512 and 522 Fraser St., and 1212-1226 Lyall St. A rezoning application has been submitted to city hall and is coming before council soon, said Klaus.
The Marin meets the official community plan for medium-density development in that area with a five-storey building.
— with files from Carla Wilson
