Proposal would bring 220 new affordable, supportive housing units to Victoria's Pandora Avenue
The City of Victoria and BC Housing are looking to build 220 new affordable and supportive housing units on city-owned land in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue.
In addition to the non-market rental housing, the proposal also includes a community centre, gym and childcare spaces on the vacant lots at 926-930 Pandora Avenue.
“This proposed redevelopment will breathe new life into a long-vacant property that stretches nearly half a city block bordering on the Downtown and North Park neighbourhoods,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps in a statement Wednesday.
The proposal is a partnership between the city, BC Housing and the Capital Region Housing Corporation, which Helps chairs.
“This is an exciting and inclusive neighbourhood revitalization project that will provide a community centre for both downtown and North Park, which have long been advocating for one, and will provide much-needed housing for families and others in need of safe, secure affordable housing in the midst of a housing crisis,” Helps added.
The proposed mixed-use development would include approximately 19,000 square feet of community space owned by the city on the ground floor, with plans for a community centre with neighbourhood programming, a gym and child care services.
The development would also include approximately 170 affordable rental units, leased and operated by CRHC, and up to 50 supportive housing units, which would be leased by the province.
It would be up to BC Housing to choose a non-profit housing operator for the supportive housing component of the project.
“This development is incredibly exciting, providing 220 new homes for people who need those homes desperately, as well as delivering amenities to the broader community,” said David Eby, B.C.’s Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, in the statement. “I would like to thank the City of Victoria and CRHC for bringing this community-building project forward.”
Funding for the 170 rental housing units would come from the B.C. government’s Building BC: Community Housing Fund, while funding for the 50 supportive housing units would be provided through BC Housing’s Supportive Housing Fund.
The city said Wednesday that BC Housing will lead the development effort and will be responsible for the overall construction of the project, which includes engaging with the community throughout the development process.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.