Dripping with as much character as it is September rain, the three-storey duplex at 1416 and 1418 St. David St. will soon be renovated as a new version of its 108-year-old self.
The Sept. 12 agenda item is all the more significant as the legal, non-conforming duplex has an unauthorized, third suite on the top floor. It’s now a triplex, as the suite will remain as part of the agreement council worked out with the owner to protect the suite as part of the at-threat rental stock in Oak Bay, Mayor Kevin Murdoch said.
READ MORE: Oak Bay duplex approved by council
The owner, Charlotte Ann Bowman, had the permit application approved to upgrade the house by entering into a heritage revitalization agreement (an HRA commits the owner to a high level of upkeep and maintenance that a heritage designation does not) as well as appointing a heritage designation for the house.
The deal means one suite is owner-occupied while the other two are available to rent.
“It’s the first time we’ve done this with the stipulation it has to be maintained as a rental property,” Murdoch said.
The 1911-built house was converted into a duplex in 1940 with two additions added to the main floor in 1962 and 1963.
Bowman’s parents purchased the property in 1974 and add the previously non-conforming third suite into the upper floor and attic.
Triplexes are identified in Oak Bay’s official community plan as an acceptable form of infill housing.