A mixed-use infill development that works to balance contemporary design with historical context—thoughtfully positioned in a neighbourhood with room to grow.
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
- Wildfire Bakery
- 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.
Shadow Studies
Projet Pillars
The proposed development at 1702 Quadra has been designed with the consideration of three key project pillars. These core project elements have evolved in response to community feedback and collaboration to ensure the proposal contributes to numerous benefits for the residents and community at large.
Commercial Vibrancy
The commercial space and three live-work residences located on the ground floor have been designed in response to the corner site orientation, activating the public realm and creating opportunities for community connection on both streetscapes. The North Park Neighbourhood Association’s Community Values Survey highlights the community’s desire for local, diverse businesses that contribute to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood and we hope to honour that as we continue to explore suitable commercial tenants for the space.
Housing Diversity
A majority of households in Victoria rent their home; these are diverse people with diverse needs. Purpose-built rental housing is the strongest form of tenure and represents a possible—and sometimes beneficial—alternative to homeownership for many households. Designed with leasing in mind, all rental units in our proposed development are tailored to increase livability and support the likelihood of long-term tenancies through the form and function of the units—reflected in the mix of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units.
Compact Development
The City is growing more expensive and available housing stock continues to decline, leaving many without the opportunity to live within Victoria’s urban core near existing services, workplaces and amenities. By creating the right homes in the right places we can respond to population growth and changing demographics that naturally lend themselves to more density. Investing in purpose-built, thoughtful and progressive design can inspire a healthy city, where residents can work, live and play all within 15 minutes.
Celebrating History
While the exterior has shifted in form throughout design iterations, the rich history of the subject site is still important to celebrate and we continue to look for ways to honour the building’s history and neighbourhood context through design, research and collaboration.
Currently, this looks like exploring potential creative measures which create a material memory of the existing building while adding dimension to the ground floor and exterior. One example of this is the proposed use of salvaged brick from the demolition of the existing building to demarcate its location through a series of short walls and planters along Fisgard Street—bringing historical awareness and textural references to the original building to the pedestrian scale.
We are also interested in continued collaboration with local makers and creatives to explore design opportunities that weave the old with the new while remaining receptive to feedback from community members.
Why Rental?
With homeownership increasingly out of step with local incomes, Purpose Built Rental housing represents a possible—and sometimes beneficial—alternative to homeownership.
Common Benefits to Rental Housing
Maintenance
Lack of maintenance or repair costs
No Taxes
No property taxes
Accessible
Increased access to amenities
Flexible
More flexibility where you live
Predictable
Predictable monthly payments
Affordable
No downpayment required
What's more, all rental units at 1702 Quadra have been designed to increase livability through both form and function, ultimately supporting long-term tenancies.
Project at a Glance
Height
13 Storeys
Site Area
10,202 sqft
Floor Area
56,124 sqft
Commercial Space
930 sqft
FSR
5.50 FSR
Site Coverage
76.5%
North Setback
4.85m
East Setback
2.0-4.0m
South Setback
0.85-2.85m
West Setback
3.8-6.5m
Number of Homes
91 Homes
Studio
43 Homes
One Bedroom
24 Homes
Two Bedroom
21 Homes
Work/Live
3 Homes
Residential Tenure
Rental in Perpetuity
Short-Term Bike Stalls
21 Stalls
Long-Term Bike Stalls
182 Stalls
Parking Stalls
4 Stalls
Car Share
1 Modo Car + Memberships
BC Transit EcoPasses
Provided to 10% of Homes
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.