This week, the Victoria city council will consider a development proposal for what would become the city’s tallest building, if approved.
The proposal is for a 35-storey tall development at 1520 Blanshard Street, on the corner of Blanshard and Pandora.
This building would be a full 10-storeys taller than Victoria’s current tallest building, Hudson Place One, which stands at 25-storeys.
The building would be primarily strata-housing.
According to a City staff report, this application coming before council is merely an early opportunity for council feedback on the scope of the development.
Staff have determined that there are many problems with the project in its current form.
“The application is inconsistent with the general pattern of land use envisioned in the recently adopted Official Community Plan (OCP) and contradicts the urban form identified for the downtown, as well as other key OCP policies,” wrote City staff in the report to council.
“It is also notably inconsistent with the more specific policies in the Downtown Core Area Plan (DCAP), including the envisioned densities, heights and uses.”
On top of submitting an application that is inconsistent with many Victoria bylaws, the applicant has reportedly indicated that they do not wish to make changes that would be required to come into general alignment with these policies.
One of these inconsistencies with Victoria bylaws and policies include the fact that the building is too tall and too close to the Victoria Harbour Airport, as per Transport Canada requirements.
The building would be 145 metres tall, but could only be as high as approximately 90 metres on the site it is proposed.
This development proposal was made by Vancouver-based OMB Architects and Reliance Properties.
OMB Architects are responsible for such local projects as the Victoria International Airport terminal extension and the proposed Royal BC Museum replacement project that was cancelled.
Ultimately, staff recommend denying the proposal for 1520 Blanshard Street.
Alternatively, council could opt to defer a decision, allowing the applicant more time to amend their proposal. Though this is an option, staff point out in their report that the applicant has been unmoving impervious talks.
Council will consider this matter during the weekly committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, March 12th.
