A 205-unit affordable rental building is proposed for the middle of the 900-block of Pandora Avenue, currently a gathering spot for members of the homeless community due to the support services available there.
B.C. Housing has submitted an application for a development permit to the City of Victoria for the project at 926 and 930 Pandora Ave.
The 20-storey affordable-housing project — a partnership between B.C. Housing, the city and the Capital Region Housing Corporation — would include 158 units of affordable rental housing and 47 supportive-housing units, as well as community and daycare space on the ground floor.
The project will provide much-needed safe and affordable housing for families and others amid an ongoing housing crisis, Tara Schmidt, B.C. Housing’s development manager, wrote in the application letter.
Schmidt noted that the average market rent in Victoria has increased 20 to 35 per cent in the last year, underlining the urgent need for more affordable homes.
Schmidt said the project should qualify for the Rapid Deployment of Affordable Housing process, which the city adopted this year.
The program expedites the development process for qualifying affordable-housing projects and can trim as much as nine months off the construction timeline.
Initiated by previous city council, it delegates authority to city staff to issue development permits for affordable-housing projects, without the need for council approval or a public hearing, which can drag out development projects for months.
The proposed homes will be affordable through a combination of provincial funding, provincial operating subsidies, and a long-term operating agreement.
The project also includes ground-floor community programming space, with a 36-child daycare centre, that will be owned by the city.
B.C. Housing maintains the project will help revitalize the current site with the community space and supportive housing entryway from Pandora Avenue, and the primary residential and daycare entryway facing Mason Street.
Because the project is located in a block that serves members of the street population, many of whom have addictions and mental-health issues, the proposal includes safety measures such as perimeter fencing, closed-circuit security cameras, on-site staff and security, and exterior lighting.
The project will be requesting a parking variance. Under existing bylaws, it’s required to offer 158 parking stalls. The proposal is for 111, plus 189 bike parking stalls, since the site is served by transit, is on active transportation routes and is easily walkable to downtown.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
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