$2B Vic West housing development moving forward
Eight hectares of unused industrial land in Victoria’s Vic West neighbourhood is ready to be transformed into 1,900 units of housing.
The $2 billion project, being dubbed the Roundhouse at Bayview Place, is being touted as one of the biggest development projects in Victoria’s history.
The development has been stalled for years – but late last week, on May 4 – Victoria city council pushed the project on to the next phase.
The massive build will include purpose-built rentals, hotels and condo towers. It will also have commercial retail space and public amenities, like a market, in the historic railway buildings.
One of the towers will be for supportive housing, and $15-million worth of land will be given to a not-for-profit.
"That housing provider will work with BC Housing and the CMHC [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation] to build a tower of affordable units operated by a not-for-profit," explained Victoria councillor Matt Dell.
Dell is in full support of moving the project forward.
"This is a massive opportunity for the City of Victoria," he said. "It’s basically a 20-acre site, with one of the most important industrial lands."
The sheer scope of the project is garnering attention.
"In terms of scale from 1 to 10, it's a full on 10," said Mike Kozakowski, founder of real estate website Citified.
"It’s hard to argue that it can get any bigger than this on the island."
The project has been stalled for years amid delays in land use approvals from successive city councils.
Council is expected to vote again on the project in a couple of months to send it to public hearing.
The Bayview Place developers hope shovels will be in the ground in a year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.