Victoria townhome development headed for public hearing amid opposition from neighbours

A rendering of the proposed townhome development at 902 Foul Bay Rd. in Victoria. (Aryze Developments)

A controversial development in Victoria has taken another step forward, with the city council voting last week to move the project to a public hearing.

All but one councillor, Geoff Young, voted in favour of a public hearing for Aryze Developments' proposal to build 18 housing units in two, three-storey buildings, on a half-acre treed lot near the Oak Bay border. 

The project, which also includes a covered parking structure and bike shed, is located at the junction of Foul Bay Road and Quamichan and Redfern streets. It has been vacant since 2016, when a 1911 heritage house burned to the ground and was never rebuilt.

The development plan calls for the removal of 28 trees, of which 17 are protected under the city’s tree preservation bylaw, which requires two trees to be planted for every protected one cut down.

Fourteen trees would be retained, and 33 new ones would be planted to meet the city’s two-for-one replacement ratio.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps says under the current zoning, the developer could remove most of the trees without a public hearing.

“Something that is not really understood is if Aryze wanted to, they could cut down all those trees and build four, single-family homes without having to come to council, without any process at all,” says Helps. “In this instance, because there is a political process in order to build homes for 18 families, some trees will need to go if this is approved.”

Many residents in the neighbourhood have lawn signs with the caption, “Save the Trees at 902 Foul Bay,” and there is an online campaign opposing the development. 

Locals in the area are concerned about the number of trees that will be lost and the added density on what was once a single-family lot.

“It’s really difficult to weigh,” says Helps. “We have to weigh the desire of people wanting to live in the city of Victoria, for families to actually have homes, against the need for ecological protection and protection of biodiversity.”

Before the project can go to a public hearing, the developer must first meet several conditions around design and the proposed tree removal and replacement, according to the mayor. She says that process could take months.

Of the 18 townhomes, Aryze has committed to selling four units (two three-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units) at 20 per cent below market prices.

According to Aryze’s website, the proposal “enables a high-quality, densified, compact and walkable lifestyle, which is critical to solving our climate and housing crisis, all while creating more livable and healthier communities.”

The developer says the design is intended to blend with the craftsman-style neighbourhood character. Units are proposed to average 1,100 square feet.

The plan calls for 16 parking stalls pre-wired for electric vehicles, 24 long-term and 14 short-term bicycle parking stalls, as well as a bike repair station and other amenities.

“What I’d like to hear from the public are the pluses and minuses of adding new housing into a well-established and much loved neighbourhood,” says Helps. “I’ve got an open mind until the public hearing, and it’s going to be a really difficult decision.”