A controversial development on the Oak Bay border will be under the spotlight in late September — on Thursday, Victoria council voted to send the 18-unit townhome project to a public hearing.
Aryze Developments’ project on a half-acre lot at 902 Foul Bay Rd. has faced opposition from neighbouring residents concerned about the number of trees that will be lost and the added density on what was once a single-family lot. The half-acre lot has been vacant since 2016, when a 1911 heritage house burned to the ground.
The new project would see 18 housing units spread across two three-storey buildings.
Aryze has agreed to offer car-share memberships, with $100 in usage credits, for each dwelling unit and at least 30 long-term bicycle parking spaces, half of them with electric-bicycle charging capability, and a bicycle repair stand with tools and a wash area.
The proposal requires removing 28 trees, including 17 that are protected under the city’s tree preservation bylaw.
Another 14 trees would be retained, and 33 would be planted to meet the city’s two-for-one replacement ratio.
Aryze has said that providing more housing options is important, and townhomes will be more affordable than single-family homes in that neighbourhood.
