Victoria approved a new affordable apartment on the former Tally Ho property, days after Cool Aid Society celebrated 52 years.
“This is just a wonderful birthday present,” said Alan Rycroft, community relations manager, adding it’s the biggest project the organization has ever taken on.
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The Crosstown development at 3020 Douglas Street, will add 102 affordable apartments, 52 new homes for the existing supportive housing tenants and other community amenities. The development was approved by council on June 11 after a virtual public hearing.
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Cool Aid’s key design principles for the site include a daycare, a cafe, a pedestrian greenway through the space, family housing which includes nine three-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments, community gathering spaces, creating a safe place for residents and neighbours, along with creating a successful and robust commercial space, particularly fronting Burnside Road.
According to Rycroft, the project will be approached in two phases so the existing residents are not displaced. He said construction would start on the back end of the lot, residents would then be moved into the new apartments and work would begin on the front side of the lot.
Crosstown also meets the policy objectives of Victoria’s Official Community Plan and the Burnside Gorge Neighbourhood Plan, which places a strong emphasis on the neighbourhood’s desire for housing diversity, including affordable housing options and family-oriented housing.
The project will be managed by TL Housing Solutions and employ 200 workers during construction, at “a time when the economy and community housing stock needs rebuilding.”
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