Redesign to include hotel – Sept. 2026
Received via email From: Niall Paltiel <[email protected]> 04 Sept. 2026
Proposed changes to Cloverdale and Oak project —- attached document
I’m writing to give the Mount View Colquitz Community Association early visibility into a direction we are exploring, and to genuinely invite your feedback before anything is finalized. I’m also copying representatives from the Quadra Cedar Hill Community Association given the proximity of this site to your neighbourhood as well.
What We’re Considering
As part of ongoing conversations with District planning staff, we are studying the possibility of allowing tourist accommodation (hotel) use within one of the two proposed towers on this site, the specific tower has not yet been determined. This would be in addition to, not instead of, the residential and commercial uses already contemplated in the current application.
To date, District staff have been generally supportive of this proposed change; however, they note there are a number of items that would need to be addressed by applicant study / professional report, District staff review and ultimately would require Saanich Council approval.
I want to be very clear that this is a study and a contemplative conversation at this stage. It is not a guarantee, a commitment, or a hard change in direction for the project. Rather, it reflects our team’s effort to keep this project nimble and responsive to the realities of today’s real estate market, where flexibility in use can help ensure a project remains financeable, viable, and able to deliver on its broader community and economic goals over the life of construction and lease-up.
How This Would Proceed
I want to walk through the process so there’s no ambiguity about what this means procedurally. If Council were to support the inclusion of hotel use in principle through the current rezoning, this would not immediately authorize a hotel to be built. Any future decision to actually pursue a hotel in one of the towers would require:
- A formal return to Council, most likely through a Development Variance Permit (DVP) process, which includes public and Council sign-off, not an administrative or staff-only approval.
- At that stage, a full technical review would be required, including an updated Traffic Impact Assessment, updated servicing confirmation, revised site and ground floor plans, updated landscaping plans, and updated architectural elevations for Development Permit review.
- Continued commitments to tree canopy retention, public art, on-site seating, and pedestrian connectivity through the site would remain in place regardless of use.
In short, this is a two-step process. What is being considered right now is only whether the door should be left open for this use. Any actual implementation would come back through a full public and Council review process later, with your Association’s input welcomed again at that stage.
Why We’re Exploring This
We believe there is a reasonable public policy and economic rationale for considering this use at this location, and wanted to share some of that context with you directly:
- The District of Saanich’s own Economic Development Committee has identified tourism and hospitality growth as a strategic priority, recognizing the economic spinoff benefits of visitor accommodation on local businesses, employment, and municipal revenue.
- Saanich’s Official Community Plan supports mixed-use intensification along corridors like Douglas Street and the surrounding Uptown area, encouraging a diversity of uses that support a complete, vibrant community.
- The Uptown Douglas Corridor Plan specifically envisions this area as an evolving urban hub with a mix of residential, commercial, and visitor-serving uses.
- Destination Greater Victoria has publicly reported on a persistent shortage of hotel room inventory in the Greater Victoria region, noting that limited accommodation supply constrains tourism growth, event hosting capacity, and visitor spending in local businesses, restaurants, and retail.
- A well-designed hotel use in this location could help address that gap while also generating consistent foot traffic and vibrancy for surrounding commercial spaces, something that benefits the broader neighbourhood, not just the site itself.
We recognize that any new use also comes with legitimate questions about traffic, servicing, parking, and neighbourhood character, and we want to be upfront that any of those impacts would need to be studied and addressed through the appropriate engineering and planning reports before this use could ever be implemented.
We’d Like Your Feedback
Given your Association’s role and connection to the neighbourhood, I would really value your thoughts on this concept at this early stage. I’d be happy to arrange a meeting with your executive, either in person or via Teams, whichever is easiest, to walk through this in more detail, answer any questions, and hear any concerns directly.
Please let me know a time that works, or feel free to reply with initial thoughts or questions in writing if that’s easier for now.
Thank you for your continued engagement on this project, and for the opportunity to have this conversation early and transparently.
ORIGINAL PROPOSAL Two residential towers for 467 units with retail at grade and two levels of underground parking
NEWS – project presented to Saanich Advisory Design Panel (ADP) 4 March 2026
Building A – (23 storeys) contains 256 – market rental units and Building B – (21 storeys) contains 203 market condo units and a podium section with a green space on the roof.
MVCCA has completed Saanich Planning’s request for our comments by12 Dec. 2025. We have sent in our support for the project and our concerns for the long term planning of the Uptown Douglas area. – document link –
Dec. 9th 2025 Open House link to the PowerPoint slides from presentation.
Project Overview (as provided by the developer Nov. 24, 2025)
Location: 816 Cloverdale Ave. & 3311 Oak St., Uptown Core (Uptown Douglas Plan area) Building A (Blanshard-facing): 24 storeys Building B (Oak Street-facing): 21 storeys Site Coverage: 50%
Housing Mix – A Range of Homes for All Studio Units: 40 (9%) Junior 1-Bedroom: 168 (37%) 1-Bedroom: 109 (24%) 2-Bedroom: 91 (20% 3-Bedroom: 51 (11%)
Purpose-built rental and family-oriented housing exceed District requirements
Community Benefits & Amenities – Over $3 Million in Public Value Community Amenity Space: 4,800 sq. ft. on-site Neighbourhood Institutional Space: Below-market lease (10-year value: $680,000) for non-profit, childcare, or community services Public Plaza at Blanshard & Cloverdale: High-quality pedestrian space with seating and hardscaping ($74,000) Coast Salish Public Art: Significant installation in collaboration with Songhees and Esquimalt Nations ($150,000) Affordable Housing Fund Contribution: Direct cash contribution ($100,000) Regional Storm Infrastructure Upgrade: Full replacement west of property line ($2,085,000)
Total Community Amenity Package Value: $3,089,000+ (exceeds District minimum requirement by over $2.5 million)
Commercial & Streetscape Activation Commercial Space: 10,400 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail/commercial units Enhanced Oak Street frontage with extended active commercial uses Pedestrian-friendly design with accessible pathways (minimum 1.5m width) Reduced surface parking to prioritize public realm and active uses
Parking & Transportation – Supporting Active & Sustainable Mobility Vehicle Parking: 262 stalls (primarily underground to maximize public space) Bike Parking: 645 secure bike stalls across multiple rooms Accessible parking, loading spaces, and car-share vehicle prioritized at surface level. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures align with District’s evolving parking policies. Direct pedestrian and cycling connections through the site
Alignment with District Vision
Supports Uptown Douglas Plan “Big Moves”: people-first public realm, vibrant mixed-use hub, diverse housing. Delivers a landmark gateway at Blanshard & Cloverdale with public plaza and cultural art. Provides long-term community infrastructure (institutional space, storm upgrades). Exceeds family-oriented housing targets and contributes to affordable housing goals.
Notes on Sept 8th, 2025 update The only major change is to the commercial space proposal for Tower A (which fronts onto Blanchard St and has a northern section that is three stories in height.) The new proposal is two separate parts at ground level with a breeze way between the parts. The south section to remain commercial space and the north section to be a single space approx. 5000 sq. ft. in size. Space to be designated ‘institutional’ for community / public benefit uses. The space could be finished to the specifications needed after the tenant arrangement is made. Possibilities for tenants include non-profit run child care, Saanich facility, private sports use facility, etc. The use is somewhat limited by the parking space that can be made available.
History of General comments 2024-25
Original project package information received on April 2025, from Saanich Planning. MVCCA submitted our initial comments in May 2025.
10 Dec. 2024 – Zoom meeting with representatives from QCHCA, MVCCA and the developer, initial design provided. Then: 8 Sept 2025 – second Zoom call to explain design changes. On both occasions, the community association representatives stressed the need for the developer to set up public Open House meetings. There is no mechanism in place to secure meaningful consultation with residents; for these large high-rise projects in the Saanich Core.
This will be the second major project to have frontage on Oak Street. As with the 760 Tolmie Ave. towers, the owners plan for extensive resident’s amenities, not accessible by the public. Our concern is with the cumulative effect of rental housing projects on neighbourhood resources, because currently rental units are not subject to community amenity contributions (CACs). Developers pay a fee for the new or expanded infrastructure needs (such as water and sewage) but this does not include amenities that are: ‘improvements to the public realm near the development site’.
In the case of this project, building B, (market condo tower) will be subject to CACs but building A (256 rental units) will not. The Saanich policy can be found at: Community Amenity Contributions and Inclusionary Housing Policy — link. —
MVCCA would like all of this project’s amenity contribution (via the condo units) to be applied in the immediate area or held for future use, in the immediate area.
