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Victoria council has made history by giving unanimous approval to the Capital Park development – a project that had its genesis more than 20 years ago with a development agreement known as the Victoria Accord.
“It’s extraordinary,” said councillor Chris Coleman.
Currently home to aging offices, parking lots and historic houses, the 6.2-acre property behind the legislature will be redeveloped by Concert Properties and Jawl Development Corp. into a mix of retail and office space, rental housing, public space, and, perhaps, a library branch.
Coleman said when the Victoria Accord was created 22 years ago, “some people said, ‘You will never get a developer to honour this. You’ll never see any development here.’ It’s taken more than two decades, but I think Jawl and Concert worked really hard to honour that expectation … and let it evolve into something that I think works extraordinarily well.”
The Victoria Accord called for development of the site to be mixed-use, compatible with the James Bay neighbourhood and legislature, with “people-oriented” streets, public amenities and clear views of the legislature. Some features of the Capital Park project go beyond what the accord seeks, Coleman said.
“They were expected to have 300 parking stalls on the old zoning and they’re coming up with 412. They’re also over-committing on the cycling parking. By moving the access to parking to Superior Street, they’re allowing for the pedestrianizing of Michigan Street.”
The property, bordered by Superior, Menzies and Michigan streets, was put on the market by the province in October 2013. Concert and Jawl bought it for $34 million. The sale was part of a broader provincial effort to sell properties to balance its books.
Developer Robert Jawl said the companies are working on a tight schedule to deliver the first phase of office space to the province by spring 2017.
He hopes construction will start by this summer.
The development will include residential, office and retail space. Proposed amenities include a fitness centre and a central public plaza.
Coun. Pam Madoff, who was part of a citizens’ advisory committee that created the Victoria Accord, said she is “really pleased and somewhat surprised” that principles and amenities in the 1990s document have been honoured. “I wasn’t sure whether it would withstand the test of time, particularly when it went to the private sector.”
The development has sustainability features, including minimum Gold LEED environmental standards for office and residential buildings, green roofs, bicycle storage, shower and change facilities, electrical charging infrastructure, potential treatment of stormwater or grey water for irrigation and potential use of solar collectors to heat water.
There is to be about 235,000 square feet of office space in two four- to five-storey buildings developed in two phases for use primarily by the provincial government.
About 17,500 square feet of street-level retail will front mainly onto Menzies Street. A portion of the retail area will be inside a plaza pavilion between the office buildings.
About 175 rental and condominium units will be built in four buildings, three to five storeys high, on the western and southern sides. Three existing heritage houses on Superior Street are being relocated to Michigan Street and restored to provide 13 rental apartments.
Victoria council’s approval of Capital Park signals positive things for the city’s future, Mayor Lisa Helps said. “Not just because it’s a whole lot of new development, but also because of the nature of the development. It is entirely privately owned, but a large portion of the site will read as, and be felt as, public space.”
Jawl said that the principles in the Victoria Accord “remained very relevant and very admirable,” so the developers plan to build on the foundation.
“Indeed, the accord at the time of its creation was informed by a very, very comprehensive level of community engagement.”
