Landmark Telus building to be constructed in downtown Victoria after $8M land sale

The City of Victoria has sold their ‘Apex’ site located on the corner of Douglas and Humboldt Streets to Telus Communications Inc for the construction of a new landmark building.

The building is proposed as a commercial office and retail hub that will house 250 TELUS employees and, according to an official statement, serve as a “hub that will showcase advanced communications and information technology”.

Sale of the city’s ‘Apex’ site has been in the works since 2017, according to Mayor Lisa Helps, and the land was purchased from the city by Telus for a price of $8.1 million, plus up to an additional $1.1 million depending on the final proposal that is approved as part of the rezoning process.

There is currently no information on what the building, dubbed ‘TELUS Ocean’, will look like but it is expected to be a significant architectural landmark in downtown Victoria, rivalling the company’s innovative buildings in larger cities like Vancouver and Calgary.

“This development is anticipated to create new opportunities for the Victoria Conference Centre and other businesses in downtown,” said Mayor Lisa Helps at a press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be a beautiful, sustainable building that’s going to serve as an office for Telus as well as an innovation centre.”

The company has partnered with local developer, Aryze Developments, which will provide architects and consultants to work on designing the building.

Telus and Aryze are now beginning their community engagement process through which they plan to consult surrounding businesses, residents, potential occupants and other key stakeholders about future plans for the building.

The City of Victoria will be providing $2.37 million towards the environmental and geotechnical costs to remediate the site at 749‑767 Douglas Street, after which Telus will be assuming all responsibility for remediation.

The 27,790 square-foot parcel of land is currently occupied by two car rental sites.

Proceeds from this land sale will be held in the city’s Tax Sale Lands Reserve to fund projects in the municipality’s Strategic Plan, including the acquisition of land for affordable housing.

Property taxes collected from this development are also expected to add a significant chunk of revenue to fund programs, services, and downtown core improvements in Victoria.

Construction of the building is expected to begin in 2021, with completion slated for 2024.