Saanich - Nigel Valley

A sketched map of the Nigel Valley development.


Overview

The Nigel Valley project (856 Nigel Avenue, Saanich) is a unique nine-acre parcel of land within Saanich’s uptown core, directly adjacent to District Hall. The Nigel Valley area is bounded by Vernon Avenue to the south, Lochside Trail to the west and Darwin Avenue to the north. Many of the Nigel Valley buildings were built in the mid-1970s and no longer meet current housing and care demands, requiring significant investment and repair. Redevelopment will provide hundreds of new homes for individuals, families, seniors, veterans, people living with disabilities and people with mental-health challenges.

BC Housing is leading the redevelopment in partnership with the federal government, Broadmead Care, Garth Homer Society, Garth Homer Foundation, Greater Victoria Housing Society, and Island Community Mental Health Association.

The five housing and care operators on the Nigel Valley site serve the needs of a variety of populations, including seniors, families, adults recovering from a mental illness and adults with developmental and physical disabilities.

By partnering together in the redevelopment process, the partners recognized the opportunity to create a more cohesive neighbourhood plan and to increase the amount of care provisions and housing on-site.

The Nigel Valley redevelopment has started and will be completed in three phases over the next decade. A phased approach to redevelopment will also minimize the impact on tenants and clients of these facilities.

The redevelopment will include:

  • approximately 440 affordable rental homes;
  • approximately 255 units of market housing;
  • 41 long-term care beds;
  • 37 homes with supports for seniors and veterans; and
  • 25 homes with supports for people with mental-health challenges.

Steering Committee

The Nigel Valley planning process is led by a steering committee of on-site operators:

  • BC Housing
  • Broadmead Care
  • Island Community Mental Health
  • Garth Homer Society
  • Greater Victoria Housing Society

Neighbourhood Plan & Vision

In early 2015, BC Housing led a comprehensive development study of the Nigel Valley lands in collaboration with the steering committee.

The result of the study was a shared vision. Under this vision, the lands will be redeveloped into a mixed-use neighbourhood of market and non-market uses, and include neighbourhood amenities such as improved streetscapes, a new park, and a new plaza.

Vision

The Nigel Valley steering committee has set out the following vision to guide its planning process:

“A thriving and inclusive community where everyone feels at home and connected."

After input from the steering committee, 11 planning principles were identified and refined via a collaborative review with neighbourhood stakeholders, residents, and community associations. The following principles convey the aspirations of the Nigel Valley redevelopment to achieve a renewed neighbourhood.

Nigel Valley Neighbourhood Plan

  1. A compact, walkable neighbourhood. Support urban growth within the Saanich core through the design and development of a compact neighbourhood, where residents can choose to live, work, shop and play nearby and easily access daily needs and activities.
  2. Integrate & connect to surrounding community. Develop new connections to link streets and trails to maximize convenient accessibility for all ages and abilities to and through the neighbourhood.
  3. A variety of residential types and tenures. Create a greater diversity of housing forms for people of different abilities, ages, life stages and income levels, to support the development of a more diverse neighbourhood.
  4. Neighbourhood care & support services. Celebrate and strengthen the community care and support services that enrich the lives of people with special needs.

  5. A multi-modal transportation network. Calm motor vehicle traffic, while creating a circulation network that provides transportation choices and fosters greater walking, cycling and transit use.

  6. Natural areas & community gathering spaces. Create public places for people to meet, gather and play and support access to neighbourhood parks and natural areas.

  7. An inclusive & renewed neighbourhood. Plan to accommodate existing and future residents, visitors, and employees by considering the phasing and sequencing needs of all stakeholders.

  8. Green buildings & infrastructure. Utilize smarter more sustainable infrastructure and follow green building principles and standards.

  9. Equitable land allocation. Achieve an equitable distribution of land to reflect and maintain the asset strength of each property owner group or organization.

  10. Encourage & facilitate community social enterprise. Support the potential for community social enterprise through integration of commercial land uses within the neighbourhood.

  11. Flexible development phasing strategy. Create a neighbourhood plan that provides flexibility in development phasing and staging to support individual site redevelopment.

Phase 1 – complete

The rezoning application was approved in 2019 following extensive community engagement. (See poster boards on the right).

Phase 2 – Summer 2024 – Early 2025

Phase 2 of the Nigel Valley Public Spaces includes new and upgraded underground utilities and streetscape improvements to Nigel Avenue, replacement of a nearby sewage lifts station and a new public plaza. Detailed design is currently underway, with construction on public spaces anticipated to start in 2025. (See poster boards on the right).


Overview

The Nigel Valley project (856 Nigel Avenue, Saanich) is a unique nine-acre parcel of land within Saanich’s uptown core, directly adjacent to District Hall. The Nigel Valley area is bounded by Vernon Avenue to the south, Lochside Trail to the west and Darwin Avenue to the north. Many of the Nigel Valley buildings were built in the mid-1970s and no longer meet current housing and care demands, requiring significant investment and repair. Redevelopment will provide hundreds of new homes for individuals, families, seniors, veterans, people living with disabilities and people with mental-health challenges.

BC Housing is leading the redevelopment in partnership with the federal government, Broadmead Care, Garth Homer Society, Garth Homer Foundation, Greater Victoria Housing Society, and Island Community Mental Health Association.

The five housing and care operators on the Nigel Valley site serve the needs of a variety of populations, including seniors, families, adults recovering from a mental illness and adults with developmental and physical disabilities.

By partnering together in the redevelopment process, the partners recognized the opportunity to create a more cohesive neighbourhood plan and to increase the amount of care provisions and housing on-site.

The Nigel Valley redevelopment has started and will be completed in three phases over the next decade. A phased approach to redevelopment will also minimize the impact on tenants and clients of these facilities.

The redevelopment will include:

  • approximately 440 affordable rental homes;
  • approximately 255 units of market housing;
  • 41 long-term care beds;
  • 37 homes with supports for seniors and veterans; and
  • 25 homes with supports for people with mental-health challenges.

Steering Committee

The Nigel Valley planning process is led by a steering committee of on-site operators:

  • BC Housing
  • Broadmead Care
  • Island Community Mental Health
  • Garth Homer Society
  • Greater Victoria Housing Society

Neighbourhood Plan & Vision

In early 2015, BC Housing led a comprehensive development study of the Nigel Valley lands in collaboration with the steering committee.

The result of the study was a shared vision. Under this vision, the lands will be redeveloped into a mixed-use neighbourhood of market and non-market uses, and include neighbourhood amenities such as improved streetscapes, a new park, and a new plaza.

Vision

The Nigel Valley steering committee has set out the following vision to guide its planning process:

“A thriving and inclusive community where everyone feels at home and connected."

After input from the steering committee, 11 planning principles were identified and refined via a collaborative review with neighbourhood stakeholders, residents, and community associations. The following principles convey the aspirations of the Nigel Valley redevelopment to achieve a renewed neighbourhood.

Nigel Valley Neighbourhood Plan

  1. A compact, walkable neighbourhood. Support urban growth within the Saanich core through the design and development of a compact neighbourhood, where residents can choose to live, work, shop and play nearby and easily access daily needs and activities.
  2. Integrate & connect to surrounding community. Develop new connections to link streets and trails to maximize convenient accessibility for all ages and abilities to and through the neighbourhood.
  3. A variety of residential types and tenures. Create a greater diversity of housing forms for people of different abilities, ages, life stages and income levels, to support the development of a more diverse neighbourhood.
  4. Neighbourhood care & support services. Celebrate and strengthen the community care and support services that enrich the lives of people with special needs.

  5. A multi-modal transportation network. Calm motor vehicle traffic, while creating a circulation network that provides transportation choices and fosters greater walking, cycling and transit use.

  6. Natural areas & community gathering spaces. Create public places for people to meet, gather and play and support access to neighbourhood parks and natural areas.

  7. An inclusive & renewed neighbourhood. Plan to accommodate existing and future residents, visitors, and employees by considering the phasing and sequencing needs of all stakeholders.

  8. Green buildings & infrastructure. Utilize smarter more sustainable infrastructure and follow green building principles and standards.

  9. Equitable land allocation. Achieve an equitable distribution of land to reflect and maintain the asset strength of each property owner group or organization.

  10. Encourage & facilitate community social enterprise. Support the potential for community social enterprise through integration of commercial land uses within the neighbourhood.

  11. Flexible development phasing strategy. Create a neighbourhood plan that provides flexibility in development phasing and staging to support individual site redevelopment.

Phase 1 – complete

The rezoning application was approved in 2019 following extensive community engagement. (See poster boards on the right).

Phase 2 – Summer 2024 – Early 2025

Phase 2 of the Nigel Valley Public Spaces includes new and upgraded underground utilities and streetscape improvements to Nigel Avenue, replacement of a nearby sewage lifts station and a new public plaza. Detailed design is currently underway, with construction on public spaces anticipated to start in 2025. (See poster boards on the right).

Page last updated: 19 Sep 2024, 02:04 PM