Plans for two new 21-storey towers on Yates Street are another positive sign that long-neglected parts of Victoria are coming to life. Along with other projects in the area, the proposal by Chard Development Ltd. will bring more people to live downtown. The more people who make their homes there, the more attractive it is to others, as the area becomes more livable with shops and services.
Chard Development has applied to the city for a development permit for what is now a parking lot between the 800-block of Yates and Johnson streets.
Below ground, three levels of parking for residents and commercial users would help meet the demand for parking downtown. Above that would be a two-level podium with bicycle storage, a gym, resident storage and about 6,000 square feet of commercial space facing Yates Street.
Rising above the podium would be the two towers. The first, to be called Yates on Yates, would be a 112-unit condominium development with one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Plans for the second tower are not complete.
The company hopes to open sales this spring, with construction starting in 2018 and taking two years.
With so much bad news from that part of town, good news is welcome. It takes courage for developers to put their money into areas where some of the city鈥檚 unsolved social issues have spilled into the street.
The former Central Care Home at 844 Johnson St. houses some of the people from the former tent city, and has seen problems with disorder outside. On Pandora Avenue, one block north, open drug use has caused headaches for residents, schools, churches and the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
But Chard and others are showing they see potential. The company is also building a 209-unit purpose-built rental tower at 819 Yates St. At the site of the former St. Andrew鈥檚 school on Pandora, a division of Bosa Properties is building a $70-million block of 209 rental units and ground-floor space for small retailers.
The fact that the new projects include two- and three-bedroom units indicates that developers hope to attract families, an important way to build community.
Of course, building apartments, condos and stores won鈥檛 by itself fix the underlying problems that manifest on the sidewalks. Homelessness, mental illness and substance use demand solutions that continue to elude us, although the region has made progress since the tent city and the fentanyl crisis lit fires under our collective conscience.
Our Place and 844 Johnson St. are not going away, so how will newcomers and those already in the area learn to live together?
That鈥檚 a question that city council, residents, developers and social agencies will confront. They must be addressed carefully and compassionately, so everyone who lives in the area can feel safe.
鈥淲e are looking for an animated use as Yates is one of the hearts of downtown Victoria,鈥� said Byron Chard, chief financial and acquisitions officer for Chard. That is a hopeful vision.
The developments promise to bring vibrancy to an area that was once written off as the fringe of downtown, but is too valuable to the community to be neglected.
