Downtown Victoria parkade approved for demolition to make way for 242 rental homes

A major downtown Victoria parkade is set to be replaced by hundreds of rental homes.

Victoria city council voted 7–2 last Thursday to approve the redevelopment of the Broughton Square Parkade, located at 617 Broughton Street near Gordon Street.

The proposal from GWL Realty Advisors calls for the privately owned parkade to be demolished and replaced with a 12-storey, purpose-built rental building containing 242 apartments.

Of those homes, 89 will have at least two bedrooms, accounting for approximately 37% of the building. The breakdown includes 65 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom apartments.

The project will also include approximately 14,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space, with storefronts facing Broughton, Courtney and Gordon streets.

A roughly 6,275-square-foot publicly accessible plaza is planned beside St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, opening up an area where the existing parkade currently comes within about 1.5 metres of the church.

The building will feature two seven-storey wings with green rooftop terraces, along with 167 underground vehicle parking stalls and 308 long-term bicycle spaces.

The existing parkade was constructed in 1960 and currently provides more than 300 public parking stalls.

The loss of those stalls was one of the main concerns raised during the approval process.

A parking study submitted by the developer found that demand could generally be absorbed by six nearby parking facilities located within approximately two blocks.

However, the study acknowledged that demand could exceed the available supply for about an hour during the weekday peak period, between approximately 12:40 p.m. and 1:40 p.m.

Councillors Marg Gardiner and Stephen Hammond voted against the development, citing concerns about its height, compatibility with Old Town and the loss of downtown parking.

Other members of council praised the addition of family-sized rental homes and the proposed public plaza.

The project was initially proposed at 13 storeys with 251 apartments but was reduced to 12 storeys and 242 homes following feedback from city planners and the public.

Although the redevelopment has council’s approval, a demolition and construction timeline has not yet been announced.