The Roundhouse proposal for Vic West, which would see large towers built on prime real estate between Esquimalt Road and the established Songhees neighbourhood, will be considered by Victoria council today.
It’s taken more than a decade to reach this point, and the proposal has caused major disagreements between residents in the area. Whatever happens at the council table, it will take plenty of time for those divisions to heal.
The E&N Roundhouse, a nationally significant heritage building, is a key element of the development. The roundhouse is also at the centre of many of the concerns that have been raised about what will happen.
On the other hand, the Roundhouse proposal would provide almost 2,000 housing units, and there is no question that more housing is needed in Victoria. Today, council has a chance to approve new housing within walking distance of the downtown core.
What to do?
Many objections have been raised by people living in the neighbourhood, and from communities farther away.
The tall buildings proposed will overwhelm other buildings, they say, including the Songhees development on the waterfront as well as the historic roundhouse.
Points have also been raised about the population density of the Roundhouse development.
In making their decision, council members need to balance those concerns against the developer’s argument for the project, with the need for more housing in the background.
Consider, for example, that the city has already reduced the density allowed. It will be lower than several of the Songhees buildings, and lower than in the Dockside Green development, under construction between Tyee Road and Harbour Road.
Over the decades, many developments in Victoria have not made the best use of the land. If we had known then what we know now, those projects would have been denied or substantially revised. More density is needed throughout the city.
The trick will be to ensure that the density does not become overbearing. The Roundhouse property is unique, with heritage buildings, proximity to the waterfront, and the potential for rail transit in its favour. Any development must take these factors into account.
The entire Bayview Place development, which includes the Roundhouse, will have 12 buildings on 20 acres. Dockside Green will have 26 buildings on 14 acres. There will be public space between the Bayview buildings, while the Dockside ones sit shoulder to shoulder.
The development will preserve the rail corridor and provide room for public amenities such as a market and food options. It will bring life to a former industrial area that has been basically unused for decades.
Focus Equities, the company behind the development, is providing a two-acre dog park to the neighbourhood, and has agreed to donate land on the southeast corner of Esquimalt Road and Catherine Street for affordable rental housing.
Whatever happens to the site will be controversial — but leaving it as it is should not be seen as an option. Victoria needs more housing, and that will mean several major developments within walking distance of downtown.
Delays over a proposal such as the Roundhouse can put a chill into other projects. Given the provincial government’s demand for more housing, we need to encourage developers, not discourage them.
In the final analysis, city council has what might seem like a simple assignment: Get as much housing into the Roundhouse property as possible while respecting the neighbourhood’s character and the heritage components.
But as time has proven, that is not simple at all.
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