Victoria council has approved Abstract Development’s plans to transform the former Fort Street Truth Centre, 1201 Fort St., into an 83-unit residential development.
Council voted 6-3 Thursday night to approve the rezoning after a public hearing that stretched over two days and saw near record 110 people take the mic.
The project will see 83 units including nine in townhouses along Pentrelew Place and the balance in two buildings, a four-storey and a six-storey, on the two-acre lot.
Several councillors spoke of wrestling with their decision.
“I actually didn’t want to have to make this decision. I put it off all week reviewing my notes from the hearing and so on, but we are elected to these roles to make hard decisions,” said Mayor Lisa Helps, who supported the development.
Throughout the course of the hearing council heard a lot of conflicting views, she said, on everything from architecture to how the proposal fits with the Official Community Plan to the proposal’s compatibility with the city’s vision for the neighbourhood.
“I think the way the proposal has been reworked with input from the neighbourhood is better than it was when it came to us. I like the way it interfaces with Fort Street and I like the way the townhouses have been revised and reshaped,” Helps said.
Coun. Ben Isitt, who voted against, said the deciding issue for him was one of affordability.
“I can’t avoid the conclusion that it is a glaring missed opportunity to approve development of two acres of land in our built-out urban environment without incorporating a single unit of affordable housing on site in the context of a housing crisis.”
Abstract president Mike Miller had told the hearing the project went through six revisions, including a complete redesign after extensive consultation with the neighbourhood.
But opposition to the project, especially from those living immediately adjacent who felt the proposal was too dense, was strong. Critics felt it was too dense for the residential Rockland neighbourhood and that six-storey condos were out of character with the Fort Street heritage corridor.
Initial opposition focused on what was called “a wall of townhouses” along Pentrelew, and some neighbours said scaling those back was the only major concession made by the developer.
Helps along with councillors Chris Coleman, Margaret Lucas, Charlayne Thornton-Joe, Jeremy Loveday and Marianne Alto voted in favour.
Councillors Pam Madoff, Geoff Young and Isitt were against.
Plans call for 58 per cent of the two-acre lot to remain as open space. Eight mature Garry oaks and 14 other mature trees will be retained and 83 new trees planted.
It also calls for a public walkway — an extension of the Pemberton Trail — to run through the site.
About two thirds of the people who spoke at the hearing were in support, with many saying it would provide much-needed housing within walking distance of downtown.
While the project itself has no units designated as “affordable,” Abstract has committed to providing 10 below-market units (five for low income and five for moderate income) in another project it has planned at 1010 Fort St.
Abstract has named the project Bellewood Park. Pre-sales will open this spring.
