808 Royal Avenue

Project Update, September 26, 2023: At its meeting on September 25, 2023, Council gave three readings to the rezoning bylaw for this project. Click here to view a recording of this section of the meeting.

Project Update, September 12, 2023: At its meeting on September 11, 2023, City Council approved a recommendation to consider the rezoning application and that no public hearing will be held. Click here to access the Council report and to watch a recording of the meeting. Council will consider giving first, second, and third readings to the rezoning bylaw at its meeting on September 25, 2023. The meeting is open to public attendance and can also be viewed online. Click here for more information.

Project Update, September 8, 2023: City-led consultation for this project concluded in August. Feedback received from participants will be shared back here, and with Council as they formally consider this application during the Monday, September 11 Council Meeting. To tune in live to the Council Meeting, click here.

Also, a summary of feedback received during the applicant-led consultation, held in June 2023, and adjustments to the proposed building design based on feedback, is now available. Scroll down to review this information under the "How can I engage?" section.

What's being proposed?

Douglas College has submitted Rezoning and Special Development Permit applications to develop a 20-storey academic and student housing building at 808 Royal Avenue. Academic spaces would be located on the building’s lower levels, and residential space concentrated on the eighth storey and above. A total of 244 student housing units are proposed.

The development would provide 54 off-street parking stalls and 105 long-term and 18 short-term bicycle parking spaces. In addition to the proposed on-site parking, students and staff would have access to the College’s off-site parking facilities at 720 Carnarvon Street and 700 Royal Street. The project is proposed to meet Step 4 (housing portion of the building) and exceed Step 3 (academic portion of the building) of the BC Energy Step Code, and is targeting LEED Gold certification and Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Gold.

A Preliminary Application Review for this project was completed in April 2021 and the applicant has incorporated the majority of this feedback into their proposed design.

The proposed student housing is in alignment with the Provincial Government’s Homes for People Action Plan, which commits to the delivery of 4,000 on-campus rooms for post-secondary students. The proposed project is consistent with the OCP, which designates the subject site as School/Institution, however It is not consistent with the property’s existing zoning, and thus a rezoning would be required.

The applicants hosted a virtual and in-person open house on June 19 & 20, 2023 with a live Q&A session. Written feedback was accepted until June 27, 2023. Based on feedback received during the consultation and committee review process, the applicant has worked with the City to update their proposal. Click to view the updated architectural drawings and landscape plan of the proposed development. You can also review drawings of the original architectural drawings and landscape plan.

How can I engage?

There are multiple opportunities for the public to provide feedback through the application review process. The review process is iterative and revisions are considered, based on engagement feedback, throughout the process. The process will first involve applicant-led consultation, review by City committees, followed by revisions based on the feedback, and then City-led engagement, prior to being presented to Council for approvals.

Applicant-led Consultation

The applicant hosted a virtual open house on June 19, 2023 and an in-person open house on June 20, 2023. Survey responses and written feedback were accepted until June 27, 2023. The feedback has been reviewed by staff and will be made publicly available in the forthcoming report to Council, tentatively scheduled for Fall 2023.

What We Heard

During the applicant-led consultation, respondents indicated strong support for the project’s sustainability measures (71.4%), new student housing units (68.6%) and expanded academic space (67.1%). The majority of community feedback focused on the following:

• Support for student housing units;
• Support for improved streetscape along Eighth Street;
• Mixed feedback regarding building design, including the proposed building height;
• Concern about potential traffic impacts.

Applicant Responses and Revisions

As the feedback was largely positive, the applicant has made only minor changes to their proposal in the following key areas, which are considered to largely address the feedback received:

• Adding deeper, horizontal breaks to the façade to help reduce the perceived building scale;
• Insetting the coloured panels along the building’s façade, to help soften the face of the building;
• Benches along Eighth Street adjusted to allow for more planting.

Click here to review further detail about these changes to the proposed project.

Summary of City-Led Consultation

City-led consultation included this project website and an online survey that was published on this page. Residents within 100 m. of the project were notified of the survey. In total, 20 survey responses were received. Approximately 10 respondents felt the proposed development would fit well or somewhat well into the Downtown neighbourhood, while 8 felt it would not fit well. Feedback focused on support for student housing; concern regarding potential traffic, parking and construction impacts; and, mixed feedback regarding the proposed density and height.