Ground breaks on massive housing project in Victoria

Key Takeaways:

• Starlight Investments has broken ground on Harris Green Village, the city’s largest multi-family housing project, which will add more than 1,500 rental homes, including 80 affordable units.
• The three-phase development will feature public plazas, green spaces, shops, restaurants and a variety of housing types, aiming to integrate urban living with community connection.
• City officials and business leaders say the project reflects Victoria’s commitment to purpose-built rental housing and signals investor confidence in the downtown core.

The Whole Story:

Construction has begun on the first phase of Harris Green Village, a three-phase, mixed-use development that will add more than 1,500 rental homes to downtown Victoria.

Developer Starlight Investments says the initial phase will deliver 526 rental suites, including 80 affordable units, along with commercial and retail space. When complete, the project will include 100,000 square feet of shops and services.

Howard Paskowitz, Starlight’s vice-president of development and public affairs, said the company designed the project with the needs of the local community in mind. “We are thrilled to begin construction on this transformational mixed-use community that is set to become a lively focal point in the city,” he said in a statement.

The first phase will feature a mix of townhomes, studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Plans call for public plazas, landscaped courtyards, rooftop social areas, pet amenities and children’s play spaces, along with easy access to transit, trails and the waterfront.

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto called Harris Green Village an example of the city’s “forward-thinking approach” to purpose-built rental housing. “This is exactly the kind of vibrant, community-driven growth we can expect as the City continues to create more opportunities for housing and community spaces in the downtown core,” she said.

Jeff Bray, CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said the project represents the biggest single investment in purpose-built rental in the city’s history. “Starlight is bringing much-needed rental housing into our core,” he said.

Starlight says it is one of Canada’s largest developers of purpose-built rentals, with 17 projects underway in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. The company’s portfolio includes more than 70,000 multi-residential suites and over seven million square feet of commercial space.