COWICHAN
A nearly $890 million replacement project for Duncan’s Cowichan District Hospital has taken a major step forward as land clearing at the Bell McKinnon Road site begins.
Initially scheduled for 2021, the North Cowichan property near the intersection of Herd Road and the Trans Canada Highway is being cleared this month ahead of a construction start planned for 2023, pushing the hospital’s completion target to 2027 after some three and-a-half years of building.
ESQUIMALT
A landmark condominium project coming soon to Esquimalt’s Gorge Waterway is now selling one, two and three-bedroom residences with ‘junior’ floorplan options.
Central Block, from Victoria-based developer Abstract Developments, is comprised of 99 suites at pricing from $339,900. Nearly 40 per cent of Central Block’s inventory is priced below $500,000 and over 80 per cent of homes are available from under $750,000.
Slated to begin construction next March, the six-storey Central Block will rise in the former location of the Gorge Pointe Pub opposite Gorge Park’s Tillicum Road entrance, offering unimpeded views of the picturesque Gorge Waterway from many homes, and park, city and urban canopy views from most units.
REGIONAL BC Housing has started work on the last of six facilities announced in the spring of 2021 to house individuals in the Capital Region experiencing homelessness or who may be at-risk of homelessness.
As construction winds down on five buildings in Victoria, Saanich and Central Saanich, crews have begun preliminary work on a 56-unit complex at 953-959 Balmoral Road in Victoria’s North Park neighbourhood.
The five-storey low-rise will be operated by the Cool Aid Society as permanent housing with support services, and is scheduled for occupancy in 2023.
Collectively, the six builds will contribute nearly 300 permanent supportive homes as part of a provincial plan to address homelessness in the Capital through the creation of 24/7-managed housing solutions.
SAANICH
A nearly 100-unit rental proposal is in motion from telecommunications giant TELUS and Victoria-based Aryze Developments for several parcels at Feltham Road and Tyndall Avenue in Gordon Head.
Planned for 1805-1811 Feltham Road, TELUS and partner Aryze are working to redevelop a TELUS network facility into TELUS Living, a five-storey, purpose-built rental project that would provide high density housing to Gordon Head in addition to network infrastructure for the telecom.
Although the proposed building height and density are a departure from the immediate area’s built form, a document drafted by Aryze’s Director of Development, Chris Quigley, for the District of Saanich and the local community describes the effort as taking “an existing public utility site and [transforming] it into a much-needed rental housing development while also continuing to deliver critical telecommunications infrastructure.”
VICTORIA
A 488-unit rental project envisioned for the 100-block of Gorge Road East in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood could also include a significant public realm improvement along the Gorge Waterway.
Proposed for 129-135 Gorge Road East, property owner Belmont Properties and partner Intracorp Projects have unveiled plans for a five-building redevelopment of the Oxford Motel (turned rental complex) and three rental blocks known as the Gordreau Apartments. The existing density totals 200-units, and is described by the proponents as nearing its end-of-life.
Belmont and Intracorp, along with architectural firm IBI Group, have designed a two-phase masterplan that will deliver 488 new residential units on the land, padding the City of Victoria’s rental housing stock by 288 net rental homes.
Victoria-based Alpha Project Developments has proposed its latest residential investment in the James Bay neighbourhood’s legislative precinct.
Planned as a seven-storey complex at 475 Kingston Street, the lowrise will include approximately 60 up-market condominium suites in one, two and three-bedroom configurations, along with ground oriented, family-sized layouts.
The majority of the property is presently a surface parking lot, as is an expansive province-owned parcel immediately to the east known as the ‘Q-Lot,’ currently planned as future office space for government ministries.
A boutique pre-sale comprised of seven three-bedroom plus-den townhomes is coming soon to Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood.
Known as Seven by Aryze, the offering represents an evolution in design from a firm known for its innovative, market-leading infill projects, at a time when ‘missing middle’ housing is top of mind among urban homebuyers.
Situated at 931 McClure Street – a quaint no-through lane between Vancouver and Quadra streets – Seven’s location is within short walking distance to the heart of downtown Victoria, Cook Street Village, and the Dallas Road waterfront.
OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.
The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.
On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.
CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”
The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.
Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.
She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.
The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.
One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
MONTREAL – The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers says Montreal-area home sales rose 9.3 per cent in August compared with the same month last year, with levels slightly higher than the historical average for this time of year.
The association says home sales in the region totalled 2,991 for the month, up from 2,737 in August 2023.
The median price for all housing types was up year-over-year, led by a six per cent increase for the price of a plex at $763,000 last month.
The median price for a single-family home rose 5.2 per cent to $590,000 and the median price for a condominium rose 4.4 per cent to $407,100.
QPAREB market analysis director Charles Brant says the strength of the Montreal resale market contrasts with declines in many other Canadian cities struggling with higher levels of household debt, lower savings and diminishing purchasing power.
Active listings for August jumped 18 per cent compared with a year earlier to 17,200, while new listings rose 1.7 per cent to 4,840.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
