1702 Quadra
A Contemporary Infill Development
Integrating Victoria's Past & Present
Honouring the rich heritage of Victoria's merchant past, our proposal for 1702 Quadra Street is envisioned as a purpose-built affordable rental apartment integrating our city's past and present.
Located at the corner of Quadra and Fisgard, this proposal looks to preserve elements of the original building for the ground floor CRU space, setting the foundation for the modern collection of rental apartments above.
Site Context
North Park is a vibrant and diverse community home to approximately 3,400 people, numerous small businesses and restaurants, as well as recreational facilities including Royal Athletic Park and the Crystal Pool Centre.
Occupying one square kilometre, North Park is one of Victoria’s oldest and smallest residential neighbourhoods and is well recognized for its collection of historic religious landmarks. The Abbey Apartments is one of the many multi-family buildings that make up the area's diverse housing stock and is a representation of the social and economic transition of the area prior to World War I.
Legend
- Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre
- Habit Coffee
- Parsonage Cafe
- Royal Athletic Park
- Save-On-Foods
- Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
- Sherwood
- Tacofino
- Victoria Public Market at the Hudson
- 10. Wildfire Bakery
- 11. Zambri's
In terms of context, the site is surrounded by heritage structures and existing residential towers, ranging from 7–16 storeys in height. It shares sidewalk frontage along Quadra Street with the modernist First Baptist Church, and is directly across the street from the First Metropolitan United Church.
The current structure on site is a 2 storey residential building and is home to 16 individuals and families. As it stands, the site is heavily under-utilized for a lot in the urban core of our city.
What We Heard
Over the past year we have received feedback from engaged community members, Heritage Design Panel, City Staff, and the Advisory Design Panel.
As a result we’ve gone back to the drawing board to address livability, building mass, setbacks and heritage-focused design. Having worked hard to find a solution for each concern we are confident the new design both meet and exceed expectations from the site and from the neighbourhood.
Timeline
Response to Feedback
Building Mass & Setbacks
By increasing the setbacks on all sides the new building design footprint scales 114 square metres—a full 20% less.
Diagram shows the difference in building mass and setbacks from previous design.
Livability
By reducing the number of units per floor from 10 to 8 the new design allows for greater width, improving livability for future tenants.
Diagram shows the updated design compared to previous.
Balconies
As a result of the change in building mass, we were able to designate balconies for all units. In combination with larger unit size, livability of each unit is enhanced further.
Diagram shows the difference in building mass from previous design.
Project Pillars
At the beginning stages of design development, we set out guiding parameters called Project Pillars. These are the guiding elements that our proposal has responded to and are prioritized by the entire project team.
Why Rental?
We believe housing is a human right. Sixty-one percent (61%) of households in Victoria rent their home and with homeownership increasingly out of step with local incomes, Purpose Built Rental (PBR) housing is the strongest form of tenure and represents a possible—and beneficial—alternative to homeownership.
Common Benefits to Rental Housing
- Lack of maintenance or repair costs
- No property taxes
- Increased access to amenities
- More flexibility on location
- Predictable monthly payments
- Now downpayment required
Housing choice is key to building inclusive communities, as healthy cities need to have plenty of options along the housing continuum to help support citizens in making the leap from one stage to the next.
But it is also important to supply rental homes at all different price points. With this proposal, 9 rental units will be offered at below market value, spread between different unit types throughout the building.
The rental rates for these units will be defined by the Victoria Housing Strategy, which supports people on the median renter income in the City, which is the same approach we have used on other purpose-built rental buildings throughout Victoria.
Community Benefits
Project at a Glance
10,202 sqft
6.5m
56,124 sqft
3.0m
5.5 FSR
Rental
23 Stalls
92 Homes
21 Homes
45 Homes
11 Homes (Accessible)
11 Homes
4 Homes
What's Next?
Stay Informed
Fill in the form to receive future project updates for our proposed development at 1702 Quadra Street.
This includes invitations to future Community Information Sessions and notifications on key milestones throughout the process. We’re available to discuss development details with you through a variety of channels, with the goal of building trust and establishing a shared vision for the project.