22 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Open house presents plans to redevelop Nellie McClung library branch site

 

Open house will show proposal for rental apartments and library

https://www.timescol...ch-site-7827238

[Mike K.]

Saanich’s info site: https://www.saanich....evelopment.html

Construction start estimated for 2025.

[Victoria Watcher]

[lanforod]

Our old buddy. 

 

Git r done. Cedar Hill and McKenzie is out of character? Look at what's going up kitty corner across the street. 

 

Next up, redevelop the Fairway Market section.

[Citified.ca]

 

Two-tower design chosen for Saanich’s Nellie McClung library branch and affordable housing redevelopment

https://victoria.cit...-redevelopment/

[Victoria Watcher]

I wonder what you get for views from the 18th floor there.  Might be quite nice towards the water.  Or any direction maybe.

 

Who has a drone to go get us some images from that height?  

[Mike K.]

It’ll be spectacular from up there.

[Bambam]

From 1965-72 when we lived there on Cedar Hill Rd the tallest structure was a barn right about where the taller building will be. The shorter of the two towers sits squarely on our old (in winter) hockey pond. Pretty incredible changes from back in the day, lol. Honestly surprised there wasn't more public pushback re the building heights. Perhaps the 'anti height' movement locally really is fading. Just think in 1965 the taller of these two structures - eighteen floors - would have been the tallest building in the entire region.......

[Victoria Watcher]

Bambam, you would also know, not that far south is some houses on Doncaster Hill that have some nice views.

Some towards Cadboro Bay. Some over the Cedar Hill golf course.

Comparable?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 May 2025 - 11:40 AM.

[Bambam]

Bambam, you would also know, not that far south is some houses on Doncaster Hill that have some nice views.

Some towards Cadboro Bay. Some over the Cedar Hill golf course.

Comparable?

 

All have nice views just different vistas.

 

Doncaster Heights, which we later looked directly back at after we moved to Mt Tolmie/Cedar Hll X Rd in 1972, provides views 'east' of the Shelbourne Valley and Mt Tolmie, Caddy Bay of course gives gorgeous waterfront views and CHGC provides a quiet "nature landscape" view.

 

Cadboro Bay would be by far the priciest of those three, DH and CHGC would be a toss up depending on your preferences. Lots of traffic cuts off Cedar Hill X Rd up Doncaster and through the Heights for those heading to the golf course or trying to circumvent a few traffic lights on their way to Shelbourne "south".

[Victoria Watcher]

Work on a $158-million housing project on the grounds of the Nellie McClung library branch is expected to begin this month.

The District of Saanich has issued a building permit for the project, which will include a modern library that’s double the size of the old 14,000-square-foot one, along with 210 units of affordable housing at 3950 Cedar Hill Rd. at McKenzie Avenue.

 

________________________________

 

The project features two rental buildings, including an 18-storey tower, containing affordable housing. Twenty per cent of the units will be available at shelter rates — the maximum amount the provincial government provides to low-income individuals for housing-related expenses — while half will have rates set based on income, and 30 per cent will be set at near-market rates.

 

________________________________

 

Saanich provided the land and is paying to rebuild the library, while B.C. Housing is kicking in $30 million to the Capital Region Housing Corporation to build the affordable housing.

The ground-floor library will be up to 30,000 square feet, and the project will include underground parking.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-start-12358522

 

 

 

 

Can anyone make good sense of this project?   It's $752,000 per door (including the retail space in the $158M bill).  And they are going to rent 40 of the suites at $500/mo?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 June 2026 - 01:57 PM.

[Sparky]

^ Socialism is not financially capable of taking care of everyone.
Where does BC Housing and Capital Region Housing get their money from?….they borrow it.
Who will ultimately pay back the debt?…our children and our grandchildren.

You are right… it doesn’t make sense.

[Victoria Watcher]

[aastra]

Dang, the esthetics on the broad face of that tower pretty much nail it re: exactly what you wouldn't want a Saanich highrise to look like after the municipality has been holding out against highrises in general for so many decades. Dreary grey vibe with seemingly lots of plain panel cladding, small windows, and no balconies... It's too bad some of the ground-level flavour wasn't evident on the tower levels.

 

Viewed from the east this building might actually seem quite sharp. It should look slim from that direction and there are windows and balconies. But from the north? Dang, I say.

[Victoria Watcher]

The project is budgeted at roughly $158.8 million, with the library portion accounting for roughly $32 million of that total.

Funding for the project is coming from the B.C. government, the CRHC, and the District of Saanich.

According to the district, the new library will measure some 29,000 square feet.

https://cheknews.ca/...aanich-1328014/

 

 

Well, ours is going to be over $1,100.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 June 2026 - 10:17 AM.

[Mike K.]

Nellie McClung is not mentioned in the press release.

[aastra]

 

 

Nellie McClung is not mentioned in the press release.

 

You mention her by name in almost every conversation. Isn't that enough? I ask you how you're enjoying your new lawnmower and somehow you manage to work Nellie McClung into your reply.

 

For purposes of comparison, I don't mention Oxford Sutherland or gumgum anywhere near as frequently.

[corvus]

For a concrete tower, a second residential building, a large public facility, and underground parking that budget seems about right. Tracks with the numbers I'm seeing on the development side anyways.

[Mike K.]

The current budget works out to $604k per residential unit. And that’s without land acquisition. In that part of town it would be about $50k per door for land, or something like that.

Meanwhile over at Camosun, the new dorm is costed at $360k per bed, also with a land cost. The private market could deliver at least 50% more capacity at that price.

[max.bravo]

Does anyone think it’s actually going to come in close to the budgeted price?

Everyone working on the project knows it’s funded by 3 levels of government that don’t know how to say “no” to contractor increases.