A commentary by the president of Legion Manor.
The ongoing discussion around the 1934 Hovey Road project — a collaboration between Legion Manor and Aryze Developments — has raised important questions about growth, housing, and the role of the Official Community Plan.
As we navigate these conversations, let’s remember the real purpose of the OCP: to serve the needs of the community, particularly its most vulnerable members.
Right now, Legion Manor has a growing waitlist of seniors and veterans — more than five years long — who need affordable housing but can’t find it.
These are the people who built and sustained our community — our grandparents, parents, neighbours, and friends.
When seniors are forced to leave Central Saanich because they can’t find an affordable place to live, the OCP isn’t fully working as intended. It’s time to take action.
The location of this project is vital. By building next to the existing Legion Manor, this expansion allows residents to benefit from shared services, including the shuttle bus, medical treatment, community rooms, and the supportive community already in place.
This adjacency creates an efficient and cost-effective model, extending essential services to more residents without duplicating infrastructure.
It’s a rare opportunity to expand a proven system of care and connection for seniors and veterans that has been in place for 52 years, and one that we must seize while we can.
To ensure this project aligns fully with the OCP and addresses community concerns, many adjustments have been made, including reducing both buildings to four storeys.
These changes demonstrate a commitment to working within the framework of the OCP and listening to the community while still meeting the critical housing needs of Central Saanich.
The 1934 Hovey Road project is designed to meet these pressing needs. It includes 57 affordable rental homes for seniors and veterans, offering a lifeline to those who are being priced out of their own community.
Additionally, the project supports the local community and workforce — particularly health-care workers, First Nations, and other essential personnel — by providing 117 secured rental units and a further 13 affordable homes.
This means the people who care for our aging loved ones, work on our farms, and keep our community running can afford to live here too.
The OCP calls for development that addresses housing gaps, and this project does exactly that. It aligns with specific OCP goals, including rental housing for seniors, affordable below-market housing, and workforce housing.
It supports housing diversity, offering compact, accessible homes that allow people to stay in the community as they age.
At its heart, this project isn’t about buildings — it’s about people. It’s about ensuring that seniors who spent their lives here don’t have to leave. It’s about giving health-care workers and other essential employees a chance to live in the community they serve.
And it’s about making sure that our OCP evolves to meet the needs of real residents, not just theoretical plans.
We have an opportunity to show compassion and leadership by supporting the 1934 Hovey Road project. Let’s make Central Saanich a place where everyone — regardless of age or income — has a chance to live, work, and thrive.
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