The Christ Church Cathedral located in downtown Victoria is seeking to enhance the neighbourhood it occupies by allowing for new housing solutions, a community space and an upgraded school.
The cathedral has sought out Wiser Projects and Development Society, who are a female-owned and led company as well as non-profit organization that helps their clients plan for large-scale development.
They are responsible for many affordable housing endeavours throughout Vancouver Island as well as iconic buildings such as the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Wiser has put together a three-phase plan for the Christ Church Cathedral which includes the designing a new school, additional community space as well as housing on the land located behind the cathedral.
The plans are still up in the air as the cathedral explores different options.
There are four prospective plans, all of which include several 11 to 14 storey towers meant to allow for around 200 new homes.
Two of these four plans include keeping the deanery which is currently behind the church, whereas two of the plans would be rid of the building and instead see an additional new building replace it.
“Relocation of the deanery may deliver a better development opportunity in that required density can be accommodated in buildings that have less stories,” Wiser wrote in their plans.
Currently, the cathedral and Wiser are trying to navigate the rezoning process through the City of Victoria, which is a lengthy process.
If all three phases of the plan go accordingly, construction will begin in four to five years.
