A land assembly across from Mayfair Mall has been sold to a local Victoria developer, Geric Construction. The 8 parcel assembly encompasses approximately 57,600 square feet of land and is designated ‘Town Centre’ in the Burnside community plan.

The previous owner, Oakwood Park Estates, submitted and successfully obtained approval for a two structure 176 unit multi-residential tower on the 1.3 acre lot in 2016. The approved proposal consisted of two 12-storey towers with a ground floor commercial component and 10 two-level townhomes. 83 market rental apartments are planned for east tower and 83 condos in the west tower. 26,077 square feet of commercial space will be shared among both buildings.

During the rezoning process the City of Victoria imposed a $975,000 community amenity contribution requirement for the project, a cost that was far too high for the developer to absorb. Oakwood Park Estates requested reduction to $200,000, which was denied.  In letters to the city, the developers representative Number10 wrote:

“In a community that is trying to encourage affordability it is evident that the proposed amenity fee of $975,000 is going in the wrong direction, inflating the costs to both purchasers and renters.”

The bonus amenity contribution policy that sets a fixed rate target of $5 per square foot for amenity contributions when considering additional floor space above the base density allowed in large urban villages or urban residential areas, and $12 a square foot in the downtown core. It appears the Oakwood may of sold the property out of frustration with City of Victoria policy and politics. .

The land is now held by 1172873 B.C. LTD where Ed Geric and his partner Qian Liu are directors. The Geric family has been building quality homes in Royal Oak and surrounding neighbourhoods since 1968. Notable projects include Travino at Royal Oak, The Duval in Royal Oak, and the adjacent Brizo 19 which is also on Speed Street.

wdt_ID Civic Address Zone Code Registered Owner Lot Size Assessed Total Value Gross Taxes Sales History OCP NCP Development Permit Area
1 1906 DUCHESS ST Victoria V8R 4W1 R3-2 0887898 B.C. LTD. 5,150 1,331,000 - $468,000 2012/11/15 Large Urban Village South Jubilee DPA: Large Urban Villages
2 1904 DUCHESS ST Victoria V8R 4W1 R1-B 0887898 B.C. LTD. 7,440 977,000 4911 $887,700 2011/04/01 Traditional Residential South Jubilee -

Overview:

Transaction Date: August 23, 2018
Total Purchase Price: $8,614,674
Mortgage: Coast Capital Savings Credit Union.
Lot Size: 57,600 SF
Price/SF land: $149.56
Zone: R-81 Speed & Frances Multiple Dwelling District

The new owner has not announced plans for the property, nor submitted new proposals to City of Victoria as of November 8, 2018. The previous development permit was issued June 23, 2016.

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