Hundreds of new rental housing units are planned for a southern corner of View Royal, after council approved a development permit Tuesday for a project at Helmcken and Burnside West roads.
The project calls for three five-storey buildings to be constructed at 3 Helmcken Rd. and will add 234 rental apartments to the community. The application came from de Hoog & Kierulf Architects on behalf of Boardwalk Properties.
The units are set to be a mixture of 76 one-bedroom units, 132 two-bedroom units and 26 three-bedroom units. Mayor David Screech said the three-bedroom suites, in particular, are expected to be a valuable addition to the community as they are not as common in the current rental market.
“Council was happy with the proposal,” he said. “Three-bedroom units are one of the hardest to find in the whole region and are important for families. It meets our Official Community Plan, it’s in a spot where we want to put higher density, being on a major corridor, and is right beside services and a major employer (Victoria General Hospital). All round, we thought it was a really good project for that site.”
The property was rezoned in 2020, when the previous owners intended to build condos. The current owners have a background in rental properties and made the shift at the start of the development permit process, which typically sees plans and designs finalized ahead of building permit applications.
The buildings will feature West Coast contemporary designs in keeping with the town’s mixed residential form and character guidelines, and will be arranged around a central green courtyard. The design calls for 300 underground parking spaces to be accessed off Burnside Road.
READ MORE: Scottish community centre set to open this fall in View Royal
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.