The anchor stores of a major retail hub in the Royal Bay development in Colwood are opening this week.
Mayor Doug Kobayashi will cut the ribbon at The Commons on Thursday morning and officially open the doors of Quality Foods grocery store and Cascadia Liquor at 345 Latoria Blvd.
Owned and operated by Vancouver-based PCRE Group, The Commons is a cluster of commercial buildings expected to become the retail heart of the Royal Bay community, eventually offering a variety of shops, dining options and services within walking and cycling distance of thousands of new homes in the former gravel quarry.
The PCRE Group, which is developing surrounding homes in partnership with GableCraft Homes, said additional businesses will open later this summer, including Megson FitzPatrick/Acera Insurance Services, Scotiabank, Pure Integrative Pharmacy, Royal Bay Dental, Next Level Childcare, Noodlebox and Pizza Pizza.
A new Royal B.C. Museum Collections building and long-term seniors care facility are also planned for the Royal Bay area.
The $270-million museum building is expected to start construction this summer. The $224-million, 306-bed seniors care facility is designed with a village setting for dementia patients is expected to get underway in two years.
Quality Foods, which has been on Vancouver Island since 1982, will offer everything from fresh produce to home goods. It’s the 14th Island location for the company — and third in Greater Victoria — and the first to feature a ground-floor Perk Avenue Cafe that will offer local draft beers and B.C. wines in the afternoons and evenings.
The Royal Bay location will be the 11th for Cascadia Liquor, another Island-based company that recently opened a location in Port Alberni. Cascadia opened its original location in Colwood in 2007.
Matt Davis, vice-president of development at PCRE Group, said after working on developing the Royal Bay community with GableCraft Homes for eight years, the company is excited to open The Commons with two well-established Island retailers as anchor tenants
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