Construction is underway on the West Shore for what will be one of the largest auto dealerships on Vancouver Island.
Harris Victoria Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram expects to move from its current location at Yates and Cook streets to 颅Veterans Memorial Parkway and Meaford Avenue, straddling the Langford-Colwood border, by the end of the year or in early 2022.
The 36,000-square-foot dealership designed by architect Alan Lowe will feature 20 mechanical bays and sa国际传媒鈥檚 first dedicated Jeep showroom, said dealer principal Craig Sabourin.
鈥淚t will be state-of-the-art throughout,鈥� said Sabourin.
He said the new facility will have 16 staff in an area solely dedicated to virtual sales, a growing side of the business that鈥檚 taken root during the 颅pandemic.
Sabourin said customers will be able to shop and test drive vehicles virtually, receive quotes and have online appraisals for trade-ins.
The dealership, which will employ about 100 people overall, will be head office for the Harris Auto Group, which has Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Ram 颅dealerships in Duncan and 颅Nanaimo, KIA and Mazda 颅dealerships in Nanaimo, and a Chevrolet Buick GMC 颅dealership in Parksville.
The new Langford-Colwood dealership will have extra staff to provide vehicle pick-up and drop-off service anywhere in the capital region, said Sabourin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing the pandemic has taught us about customer service,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e want to show our 颅customers that no matter where you live 鈥� whether that鈥檚 in Saanich or Fairfield or Langford 鈥� we鈥檙e going to be there for them.鈥�
The dealership is moving from the edge of downtown to the West Shore to make way for the initial phases of the massive Harris Green Village redevelopment along two blocks of Yates between Cook and Quadra streets that includes the London Drugs property.
Sabourin said there will be no disruption of service and the dealership at Cook and Yates will operate until the new West Shore location opens.
The Harris Green Village 颅project by Toronto-based Starlight Investments at the 900-block of Yates Street and 1045 Yates St. is a five-tower, three-phase development that will contain 1,500 residential rental units and just over 100,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. The development is expected to feature half an acre of open space, including a public square and village green.
The company hopes to complete the project in late 2024.
The site of the auto dealership is part of the initial phase, with a proposal for rental residential towers of 17 and 19 storeys with 510 suites, including 23 lower-cost units and commercial spaces at grade.
