VICTORIA - The Greater Victoria School District (GVSD) approved a land trade with the City of Victoria Tuesday to fund seismic upgrades to Victoria High School.
The school district will lease 2.15 acres of the Vic High property to the Capital Regional District Housing Corporation (CRDHC) for the next 60 years.
A lease payment of between $4.1 million and $4.5 million will cover the cost of the seismic upgrade shortfall of $2.6 million for the school, the oldest public high school in Western Canada.
"The community and the board agreed that retaining heritage values was a key part of the Victoria High Seismic Upgrade Project. However, by choosing the most expensive option, it left us with a shortfall,” said school board chair Jordan Watters.
“We came up with an innovative solution with our partners that allows us to pay for our share of the upgrade, increase capacity for 200 more students, and add additional amenities," he said.
The total cost of the seismic project is $79.7 million, which includes renovation costs to the SJ Willis Education Centre to provide a temporary space for students during this and future seismic upgrades. The province committed $77.1 million to the project, leaving a shortfall of $2.6 million for the school district to cover.
The CRDHC is working with the City of Victoria to rezone the leased site to allow a residential density increase from 18 to 154 units.
The project would include affordable housing, three townhouse buildings, one five-storey apartment building and one four-storey apartment building with underground parking.
The work on the high school is expected to start in August 2020 and is scheduled to be completed by September 2022.
The school board must still get the Ministry of Education's approval for the land deal.
