Transforming modest Nigel Valley into Saanich’s blockbuster core
…the Nigel Valley Project — named for a street barely a block long — is earmarked for centre stage in the revitalization of Saanich’s up and coming urban core.
It will take a decade or more to complete, but the vision for the nine-acre site is unlike just about anything B.C. has seen before: An accessible people place with plenty of greenspace and a downtown vibe in what is now a huge traffic corridor separating public housing and health facilities from commercial plazas and Uptown Centre.
“To the best of our knowledge, there is no project in B.C. or Canada, with a comparable level of diversity in housing tenure, or co-ordination of like-minded non-profit operators,” according to B.C. Housing. Included are plans to redevelop and expand aging services operated by the Garth Homer Society, Broadmead Care for adults with disabilities, family nonprofit housing run by the Greater Victoria Housing Society, and the Darwin and Newbridge Apartments operated by Island Community Mental Health, among others.
These will be integrated with three buildings providing market rental housing, commercial ventures, greenspace, a daycare, eateries and other urban amenities to make the Nigel Valley a go-to destination, urban enough to incorporate a 12- to 16-storey rental highrise at Vernon and the Lochside Regional Trail. The cost will be many millions over at least 10 years, with no budget in place, according to B.C. Housing.
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