Rick Stiebel
News Gazette staff
A Goldstream Avenue project nearing approval would boost affordable housing options in Langford by another 150 units.
The first phase of the Pacifica Housing redevelopment project at Oak Park passed second and third reading in April and should come before Langford council in the near future, said Pacifica executive director Dean Fortin.
He expects demolition of existing buildings on the organization’s property in the 600-block of Goldstream to begin in June, with construction slated to begin around the same time. The first phase of the $20-million project would see a four-storey, wood frame design building constructed, with 73 units of bachelor and one- to four-bedroom layouts.
The second phase will be built in the back of the northern portion of the property. Pacifica Housing must complete plans for stormwater and parking management, and undertake a traffic study before the second phase can proceed.
Fortin said the 13 families living in the existing units have been accommodated in other Pacifica properties and will have first right of refusal on the new units.
“I’m thankful to Langford council for their support of this project and affordable housing in general,” he said. “The planning department worked really quickly to expedite the process.”
Langford Coun. Denise Blackwell, chair of the City’s planning and zoning committee, is pleased to see more affordable housing becoming available. “The existing units were old and dated,” she said. “From the City’s perspective, Pacifica has been a great organization to work with.”
Pacifica Housing is a non-profit organization that manages close to 1,000 units of affordable, subsidized, supported, near market and market rental housing throughout Greater Victoria, the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com