A proposed condo development in Cook Street Village that was rejected by Victoria council last year is moving forward after a public hearing.
Aragon Properties plans to demolish the former Pic-A-Flic Video store, two houses and a duplex at Cook and Pendergast streets to build a four-storey condo with businesses on the first floor and 48 units in a range of one-, two- and three-bedroom suites.
On Thursday night, councillors voted 5-3 to move forward with the project.
Council rejected the project last year in a 4-4 tie, following a public hearing and a discussion about the best way to solve the city’s housing crisis.
It later reconsidered the decision and directed staff to work with the developer to address housing affordability.
The developer said it could not add affordable housing without third-party funding or increasing density, but pledged to contribute about $160,000 to the city’s affordable housing fund and about $50,000 for a van to support to Beacon Community Services’s youth shelter.
Aragon also offered the city a $150,000 discount to purchase a unit next to the Cook Street Activity Centre to expand.
Luke Ramsay, development manager for Aragon Properties, said the company is excited to move forward after more than three years since its first application. “We know it was contentious and we just appreciate that some councillors saw that it was a good project and it brought a lot of really interesting things,” Ramsay said.
Construction is expected to begin next year and complete about 2024, Ramsay said.
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