A mixed-use rental building at the corner of 1964 Oak Bay Avenue and 1513 Amphion Street, designed to promote an improved public realm, community connectivity and car-lite living.
This area of South Jubilee is well known for its harmonious diversity of commercial retail, essential amenities, mixed-use multi-family residential buildings and single-family dwellings.
It serves as a destination for many in the city due to its well-known local shops and pedestrian- friendly design. The context of the small urban village offers a wide range of businesses, services and transit—and is also less than 1km from key employment centres such as Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Located at the corner of Oak Bay Avenue and Amphion Street, the subject site is a consolidation of one commercial property and one single-family residential property.
The site is located approximately 3 km east of Victoria’s downtown area in the Jubilee South neighbourhood. It is also located approximately 2.5 km south of Camosun College Lansdowne Campus and approximately 5 km south of the University of Victoria.
The area features a fine-grain road pattern with short blocks, providing multiple connectivity options in all directions. Key corridors like Oak Bay Avenue facilitate East/West movement, while Foul Bay Road and Richmond Road support North/South travel, serving vehicles, buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
The final transition of the building to the rest of the residential street begins where the live/work homes end.
A generous open space offers a few parking stalls for the building, adjacent an open breezeway which delivers a strong visual connection to the vibrant garden at the back of the site.
The programming of the building is configured to respond to both the commercially oriented Oak Bay Avenue alongside the calm and residential nature of Amphion Street.
The ground floor of the building offers a generous setback along Oak Bay Avenue, allowing for an outdoor patio for a café, restaurant or other commercial retail unit (CRU) business that will act as the commercial anchor on the street corner.
Along Amphion Street, the public nature of the ground level program begins to transition towards more private space. The CRU ends at the residential lobby, after which ground oriented live/work lofts bring a gentler activation along the street edge. A small setback from the property line to the live/work lofts offers a softening of the sidewalk to the front entrances of the homes with a raised planter.
The architectural expression of this proposal has been thoughtfully refined through a site-specific design approach. Guided by core principles, the design seeks to minimize massing impacts on neighbouring properties, respond sensitively to the surrounding context, and contribute meaningfully to the architectural character of the South Jubilee neighbourhood and its small urban village fabric.
Shadow analysis influences the building's design, ensuring minimal impact on the surrounding community and environment. Thoughtful setbacks and tiered levels are incorporated to allow natural light to permeate the site throughout the year, while still meeting the community's housing needs.
The South Jubilee neighbourhood—and specifically the Oak Bay Village—features a fine-grain road pattern with short blocks, providing multiple connectivity options in all directions. Key corridors like Oak Bay Avenue facilitate East/West movement, while Foul Bay Road and Richmond Road support North/South travel, serving vehicles, buses, pedestrians and cyclists. We are exploring the opportunity to narrow a portion of the Amphion Street roadway to divert non-local traffic and lower vehicle speeds while maintaining essential mobility and services for residents.
The subject site is located within a well-connected, walkable neighbourhood that supports a range of transportation options. Its proximity to frequent transit routes, cycling infrastructure and key amenities makes it an ideal site for a car-lite lifestyle.
Located just 2.8 kilometres east of Downtown Victoria, the site sits within a walkable and transit-rich environment, with seamless access to key destinations such as Camosun College (2.5 km) and the University of Victoria (5 km). Oak Bay Avenue itself is a key arterial route that links neighbourhoods, commercial areas and educational institutions, making it a strategic corridor for daily movement across the city.
Cycling & Pedestrian Networks
The site is highly supportive of active transportation, with strong connections to both the cycling and pedestrian networks. Fort Street and Pandora Avenue provide nearby access to Victoria’s AAA (All Ages and Abilities) protected bike lanes, offering a safe and direct route downtown. Bike lanes on Foul Bay and Henderson Road connect riders to Camosun College and UVic.
Transit
1964 Oak Bay Avenue is exceptionally well served by public transit. Eight routes are accessible within an 800-metre radius, including frequent service routes like #2, #5 and express #7, with stops directly in front of the site. Travel times are short—5 minutes to Downtown, 10 to Camosun, and 15 to UVic. The Oak Bay Junction transit hub is just 300 metres away, allowing for easy transfers between multiple routes.
Car share
Car share is a key component of the transportation demand management strategy for this car-lite development. Aryze will provide a dedicated Modo car share vehicle on Amphion Street, supported by up to 70 lifetime memberships for residents.
The 1964 Oak Bay Avenue site is exceptionally well positioned within Victoria’s urban fabric, offering strong multimodal connections that support a highly mobile, car-lite lifestyle.
