New Victoria affordable housing development touted as potential model for future housing in B.C.
Project involved the city, the province, the developer and a non-profit housing agency
An affordable housing complex that recently opened in downtown Victoria took co-operation between the city and a local developer, with buy-in from the province and management from a non-profit.
The Dalmatian contains 130 units of housing over eight floors, with rent ranging from $375 to $2,900 a month, depending on unit size and the tenant's income level.
Nearly half the units are one-bedroom, but there are also studios, two- and three-bedroom units, and seven of the suites are accessible.
The complex sits atop Victoria's new firehall, which is how it got its name — with Dalmatian dogs long being an unofficial mascot for firefighters.
The first partnership in the project came in 2018 when the city made a deal with local developer Jawl Properties: the developer would build a mixed-use building with a new fire department headquarters and emergency operations centre for the city on the main floor.
The province later contributed $19 million towards the project through B.C. Housing, and the non-profit Pacifica Housing was enlisted to own and operate the affordable housing portion.
In future phases, Jawl will add 800 units of market-level rental housing, as well as commercial space and a public plaza.
Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica, said the mix of unit sizes in The Dalmatian addresses the fact that her group is seeing more and more families and seniors looking for housing — not primarily single people, as in the past.
But she said there is much more work to be done.
While the new building offers 130 units of housing, Ibarra says 10 times that many people came to Pacifica's Victoria office last year looking for help finding housing.
"It's a start, and it's a really good start, but we need to keep going. We need to celebrate it and move forward."
B.C.'s housing minister, Ravi Kahlon, acknowledged the housing crisis won't be solved overnight — but said co-operation will help.
"We know if we continue to build strong partnerships like we have here in Victoria, with partners that are here today … we will take this housing crisis head-on."
According to the Ministry of Housing, there are 214 other units of housing that have opened or will open, in the City of Victoria alone in 2023.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto hopes other B.C. cities look to the city as a model for adding housing to city facilities.
"I'm just so thrilled about this particular model because it is a unique partnership that allowed something truly extraordinary to be built," said the mayor.
While it's not every day a city needs a new firehall, Alto said the fact that so many different partners decided to step in is also a lesson for others — and one her council will continue to follow.