The Greater Victoria School District is holding an open house Tuesday to gauge the public’s opinion on a proposal for a land swap with the city to facilitate leasing of unused excess land at Victoria High School for affordable housing.
The plan would help cover the cost of a seismic upgrade to the school in Fernwood, originally built in 1914. A map of the land can be seen here.
The planned upgrade for the Vic High building has an estimated cost of $79.7 million, which includes a two-storey addition on the school’s east side and a learning centre to serve the community.
In June, the Ministry of Education announced that it would contribute $77.1 million to the project, meaning the district needs $2.6 million to complete the work.
The land proposal brings together the City of Victoria, the school district, the Capital Regional Housing Corp. and B.C. Housing, with the city transferring two vacant city lots to the district, and B.C. Housing transferring a lot to the district. The district would then consolidate the land into a single parcel and lease it to the housing corporation for 60 years.
The open house runs 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 12 in Vic High’s Roper Gymnasium.
