Old Capri Motel site to get “Affordable Housing” facelift
A long-planned redevelopment of the Capri Motel site at 15-21 Gorge Road East moved a step closer to reality when the City’s Planning and Land Use Standing Committee said yes to allowing a rezoning/Development Permit to go to Public Hearing.
Architect's rendering for an apartment building at 15-21 Gorge Road East. Image © Chow Low Hammond Architects Inc.
The plan is to build a four-storey, 52-unit apartment building, owned and operated by the Greater Victoria Housing Society, on the motel site and the adjoining lot, which currently holds a single-family house. The GVHS would partner with RealHomes Development Company during the construction phase.
The site has had a troubled past. The old Capri Motel was no stranger to visits from police and ambulance crews during its days as a home for society’s marginalized. Tourists were warned to avoid it. A 2008 application by a previous owner to demolish the motel and replace it with a condo/townhouse project struggled through two Advisory Design Panel meetings where it was tabled due to concerns over how the building’s mass impacted neighbouring homes. It was voted down by City Council later that summer. The motel was finally demolished the following year.
The current owners rethought the concept and the resulting design was approved by the Advisory Design Panel although the panel told Council the project would benefit from larger street trees and additional south-facing windows and internal stairs. The architect agreed to plant larger trees but balked at exterior changes to the U-shaped building, saying they would bring the units three feet over the setback line unless the suites were reduced in size. Complaints from neighbouring Lotus Avenue homeowners resulted in a promise to build landscaping walls to increase privacy. The contemporary design features stucco and cement-board siding in a light earth-tone palette.
The GVHS will initially offer the apartments at market and non-market rates. The higher rents will help finance the project and after several years the plan is to eventually have all suites rented out at below-market rates. The building, to be dubbed “21 Gorge” will have a single one-bedroom unit, three one-bedroom + den units and 48 two-bedroom units. A fewer-than-average number of underground parking stalls will be created and participation in the Victoria Car-Share program is planned.
The project will come before City Council for final approval at a later date.
Take part in a discussion on this proposal by following this link to the VibrantVictoria forum.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's [Burnside/Gorge] 21 Gorge (old Capri Motel site) | 4-storeys | U/C thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
Dylan Leblanc
Jun 19, 2011 at 12:22 pmActually that sounds good. I don't understand why more of the hundreds of four storey apartment buildings around the city don't have proper outside entrances for their ground level units. There are only a few around the city that I have noticed, two of them social housing in some way (SE corner of Quadra & Cormorant and Kings & Vancouver). Having an entrance right onto the sidewalk of a ground level unit makes it much more livable.
VicHockeyFan
Jun 19, 2011 at 12:25 pmQuote: Actually that sounds good. I don't understand why more of the hundreds of four storey apartment buildings around the city don't have proper outside entrances for their ground level units. There are only a few around the city that I have noticed, two of them social housing in some way (SE corner of Quadra & Cormorant and Kings & Vancouver). Having an entrance right onto the sidewalk of a ground level unit makes it much more livable.
I guess a fair amount have a sunken below grade first floor, so setting a door in might be asking for water-infiltration problems if drainage is not very well handled. And some might not feel secure with a exterior door like around the back of the building.
Dylan Leblanc
Jun 19, 2011 at 1:49 pmQuote: I guess a fair amount have a sunken below grade first floor...
Yeah a lot of apartment (and condo) buildings have their first floor partially underground. I wonder if this is because of idiotic height restrictions?
Nparker
Jun 19, 2011 at 7:56 pmQuote: ...hundreds of four storey apartment buildings around the city don't have proper outside entrances ...There are only a few around the city that I have noticed,(SE corner of Quadra & Cormorant...
Do you perhaps mean the SE corner of Quadra &
Dylan Leblanc
Jun 19, 2011 at 9:30 pmYa, Caledonia I mean.
