Proposed tallest building in Victoria narrowly defeated by council

In this week’s committee of the whole meeting, Victoria city council defeated an application for the proposed tallest building in the city’s skyline by just one vote. 

The development was proposed for 1520 Blanshard Street, between Pandora Avenue and Cormorant Street. 

If approved, the strata-housing building would have stood 35-storeys tall, when the current allowable maximum is set at 25. 

Staff recommended council not approve the application, as there were several issues with the proposal that did not align with City policies and bylaws. 

A City report notes the application is inconsistent with land use policy, the Official Community Plan (OCP) and it contradicts the urban form identified for the downtown core. 

It is also inconsistent with more specific policies in the Downtown Core Area Plan (DCAP), including densities, heights and uses.

City staff noted that the applicant has been unwilling to budge on any of the identified discrepancies.

During the committee meeting, council first heard from city planners on how the application for this development is not consistent with City policies. 

“The proposal departs from the intent of the OCP, the urban structure concept and contradicts other key goals of the plan,” said Miko Betanzo, senior planner for urban design with the City of Victoria. 

“A high degree of flexibility is built into the OCP, including the ability to consider departures from the urban structure concept where a proposal meaningfully advances key City goals; however, this proposal does not meet the criteria for such a departure and to proceed an amendment to the OCP would be required.”

Council was faced with the decision of declining the motion outright, or sending it back to the applicant. 

Councillors Jeremy Caradonna and Marg Gardiner moved the motion to deny the proposal, citing the recently updated OCP and its policies as the reason. 

Councillor Krista Loughton said she would oppose shutting this motion down outright. 

“I don’t want to close the door to 1520 Blanshard today,” said Loughton. 

“I think instead we can direct the applicant to bring this project back in alignment with our long-term planning framework. I think the site is too important for a ‘no’ but our new OCPis also too important for a ‘yes.’”

Councillor Thompson said he too would like to see the application sent back to its source, and that he wants to see more rental and commercial space in the revised proposal. 

Ultimately, council outright declined the proposal with a narrow vote of 5-4. Councillors Matt Dell, Thompson, Loughton and Mayor Marianne Alto voted to oppose the decline, hoping rather to be able to send the proposal back to developers.