Island’s tallest tower proposed for Blanshard and Pandora

It would take at least three years—and would need a change in zoning regulations—but the corner of Blanshard and Comorant could eventually be the site of Vancouver Island’s tallest building.

Vancouver developer Reliance Properties Ltd. wants to build a 35-storey tower replete with family-sized units on a busy street corner a block east of Victoria City Hall.

“It's exciting because it's just a huge investment and renewal in a part of the city that's got a lot of older buildings that are kind of past their prime,” Jon Stovell, Reliance’s CEO tells Capital Daily.

Right now on that plot of land at 1520 Blanshard there’s a plaza and a three-storey brutalist building built in 1981, currently housing the provincial government’s forestry ministry.

“One Victoria Place” would have 321 market-rate units comprised of one- to three-bedrooms, including 99 family-sized units, and office and commercial space on its ground floor and lower levels.

The tower would stand 118 metres or 387 feet, and at 35 storeys, it would eclipse not only the current reigning height champ (Hudson Place One, just a little to the north) and Vic West’s Roundhouse at Bayview Place, which is planned to have 32 storeys, as well as the 30+-storey buildings slated for Colwood Corners and Harris Green.

The title for BC's tallest building goes to the Living Shangri-La, a mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Vancouver that stands 200.9 metres and has 62 storeys.

Monday night, approximately 60 people attended a community open house where Stovell and his Reliance team expounded on the benefits of the proposed project which includes two ­five-storey buildings with ­housing and retail space complimenting a large public plaza—and the 35-storey residential building shooting up like a “gateway” to the city to anyone approaching downtown, Stovell said.

“There's the kind of gateway aspect to it where, you know, if it's a nice building that's designed in the esthetic of Victoria, as you come into the city, they'll say, ‘Hey, welcome to the city.’”

A south-facing plaza will be a spacious community interaction area, he said, with the building recessed and out of the way.

A major gain for the city, Stovell said, were the 321 proposed units that would help contribute up to 30% of Victoria’s annual housing targets, and the 99 propounded two- and three-bedroom units which would surpass what is needed for family housing.

Another bonus to the city: Reliance would kick in some money to the city’s arts sector.

“Because the building's a bit bigger and [we’re] asking for a bit more, we feel it's going to be able to create a cash contribution anywhere from $2 million to $3 million that, with the city's consent, we can channel to an arts organization,” Stovell told Capital Daily.

Rendering of One Victoria Place. Image: Reliance Properties

Reliance is hoping the city will bend OCP stipulations

The project has a plethora of hoops through which to jump, including an early ask from the city that the building be a bit smaller to adhere to Victoria’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and that 50% be commercial space.

Stovell says the OCP is always evolving and that it’s not unusual for projects to get amendments.

“We think it's well-justified by the contribution to the housing targets, by the public plaza, where we're creating space on the site for the public by pushing a little higher.”

Stovell believes things have changed since COVID: with so many people working from home, perhaps a 50% retail demand no longer seems necessary—this project is being designed with 15% retail designation. The future of downtown, he said, is going to be driven by residents.

“The office market, the traditional idea of office workers driving downtown is kind of over, right?” Stovell said.

“We see the government decamping from some of the older buildings,” Stovell said, adding he’s confident his group can “reach a mutual agreement” with the province to take over the building the forestry department is using.

“As I said, they are giving up quite a bit of space in the downtown right now, especially in some of these older buildings.”

In a few months, the project will face the city council’s committee stage and within a year, Stovell said, he expects public hearings with the community to begin.