The Nellie McClung library branch would double in size, occupying two storeys, and have 10 storeys of lower-cost housing on top of it, under a proposal being pitched by the District of Saanich.
The aging library at 3950 Cedar Hill Rd. is due for an upgrade, and council is exploring ways to be creative with the use of district-owned land, said Coun. Zac de Vries. “We’re asking what other social good can we deliver at the same time?” de Vries said.
Under the district’s proposal, the library’s floor space would double to about 30,000 square feet, and about 200 units of “affordable housing” would be on the 10 floors above the library.
De Vries said being able to turn what would be a standalone infrastructure project into a combined library redevelopment and housing project can help mitigate the high cost of building housing.
The library branch, one of the busiest in the library system, has been identified as a high priority to be replaced in the Greater Victoria Public Library master plan. Under an operating agreement between the library system and the district, Saanich is responsible for providing the library space.
The district plans to fund the library redevelopment with the remainder of its Growing Communities Fund, a one-time funding from the province based on population size and growth.
De Vries said the district is hoping B.C. Housing or the Capital Region Housing Corporation will partner on the project to deliver the affordable housing portion.
In order to make the project a competitive application for a housing partner, the land needs to be rezoned for mixed use, he said.
The district has hired Island View Land Management to lead a rezoning application.
A budget analysis has not yet been done.
The district hosted an open house Tuesday night to present the project proposal to interested residents and will hold one online on Thursday evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Go online to the events list at saanich.ca for details.
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