Victoria – Evergreen Terrace Redevelopment – Affordable Housing

Four people sit around a round table, working on documents and chatting with each other.


Overview

Evergreen Terrace is a 7.8-acre site, bordered by Blanshard Street and Hillside Avenue in Victoria. The existing buildings were constructed in 1954 and upgraded in 1970. The property now accommodates 196 homes, including 175 low-income townhouses and apartments.

Spaken House is a temporary supportive housing building that sits on the northeast corner of the property and is home to 21 residents. This building is operated by the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness. All the existing low-income Rent Geared to Income (RGI) homes will be replaced during redevelopment, and the Spaken House supportive homes will be replaced with a new, permanent building.

What is happening at Evergreen Terrace?

In 2022, BC Housing started a multi-year community planning process for the redevelopment of Evergreen Terrace. We plan to replace the aging buildings with high-quality, modern, and more sustainable homes that will serve the Evergreen Terrace community for decades to come. Redeveloping Evergreen Terrace will provide new, secure, and efficient housing for present and future residents. It will also enhance the surrounding infrastructure and improve the livability of the Quadra West neighbourhood.

2022: Let’s Imagine It Together

Beginning in 2022, we worked with tenants and community members for 18+ months to create a shared vision for the future of Evergreen Terrace. Together we created a set of guiding principles that will guide the project design. The vision emphasized the critical community need for housing across all affordability levels, with emphasis on below-market rentals and partnerships with not-for-profit housing providers.

Construction will take place in phases to minimize disruptions to tenants. No one living at Evergreen Terrace will be without a home during this process, and all temporarily relocated tenants will be offered the first opportunity to return to new homes once construction is complete.

2023-2024: Let’s Plan It Together

Let’s Plan it Together - involved meeting with the broader community. We shared what we heard from tenants of Evergreen Terrace and residents of the Quadra Village neighbourhood. BC Housing engaged with the Quadra-Hillside Community and Land Use Committee (CALUC) through the Fall of 2023. Feedback gathered from residents and the neighbourhood CALUC process helped further shape the master plan design, resulting in the submission of a master plan rezoning submission to the City of Victoria in December of 2023.

The Future Evergreen - A Comprehensive Plan for Quadra West November 2024 shows how approximately 900 below-market and market-rate rental homes are proposed to be situated across the site. Some buildings are proposed to reach 6 storeys in height, and select locations are proposed for taller buildings nearing 15 to 20 storeys.

Public open spaces are proposed, along with childcare and resident amenity areas as summarized in the Future Evergreen - Livability and Amenity Summary November 2024. Construction will take place in phases, over 10 to 15 years.

2025: Let's Build It Together

Phase 1 of construction includes the replacement of four buildings highlighted in blue below. These buildings will be the first to be removed and redeveloped, with a new and efficient 6- storey apartment building holding approximately 100 units of housing envisioned to be constructed as the project’s first phase.

3D site plan of Evergreen Phase 1 in Victoria, B.C., showing current buildings in beige and new Phase 1 buildings in blue.Map of existing buildings showing Phase 1 (in blue)Collaboration and review of the master plan rezoning application between BC Housing and the City of Victoria is ongoing, and BC Housing is hopeful that the master plan bylaw will be approved by the City of Victoria by the end of 2025. Construction will not begin until the City of Victoria approves all necessary permits. We anticipate that construction could begin as soon as 2026.


Architectural rendering of the Evergreen housing redevelopment plan in Victoria, B.C. The image shows several proposed mid-rise buildings along Blanshard Street between Bay Street and Hillside Avenue.Rendering of future buildings showing Phase 1 (in blue)


Supporting Tenants of Evergreen Terrace and Family Members of SpeqƏȠéutxw (SPAKEN) House

BC Housing will continue to work with Evergreen Terrace tenants and family members of SpeqƏȠéutxw (SPAKEN) House to make sure they have continued access to secure housing, and their needs are met throughout redevelopment. Spaken House is planned for redevelopment in a future phase of Evergreen Terrace.

Indigenous Engagement

Throughout the Evergreen Terrace redevelopment design process, BC Housing continues to foster strong Indigenous partnerships based on the Principles of Reconciliation.

BC Housing continues to engage with the Lekwungen speaking peoples, the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation. BC Housing is committed to incorporating and celebrating culturally inclusive design through all phases of Evergreen Terrace. We acknowledge and extend gratitude to the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation on whose traditional lands we work.

How can I stay informed?

BC Housing is committed to an inclusive, tenant-first approach to redevelopment. We continue to work closely with tenants of Evergreen Terrace and Spaken House family members to ensure that residents feel safe, informed, and engaged throughout the redevelopment process. This webpage will offer updates, meetings, workshops, and other events. We welcome you to reach out with any questions by email to: communityrelations@bchousing.org.


Overview

Evergreen Terrace is a 7.8-acre site, bordered by Blanshard Street and Hillside Avenue in Victoria. The existing buildings were constructed in 1954 and upgraded in 1970. The property now accommodates 196 homes, including 175 low-income townhouses and apartments.

Spaken House is a temporary supportive housing building that sits on the northeast corner of the property and is home to 21 residents. This building is operated by the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness. All the existing low-income Rent Geared to Income (RGI) homes will be replaced during redevelopment, and the Spaken House supportive homes will be replaced with a new, permanent building.

What is happening at Evergreen Terrace?

In 2022, BC Housing started a multi-year community planning process for the redevelopment of Evergreen Terrace. We plan to replace the aging buildings with high-quality, modern, and more sustainable homes that will serve the Evergreen Terrace community for decades to come. Redeveloping Evergreen Terrace will provide new, secure, and efficient housing for present and future residents. It will also enhance the surrounding infrastructure and improve the livability of the Quadra West neighbourhood.

2022: Let’s Imagine It Together

Beginning in 2022, we worked with tenants and community members for 18+ months to create a shared vision for the future of Evergreen Terrace. Together we created a set of guiding principles that will guide the project design. The vision emphasized the critical community need for housing across all affordability levels, with emphasis on below-market rentals and partnerships with not-for-profit housing providers.

Construction will take place in phases to minimize disruptions to tenants. No one living at Evergreen Terrace will be without a home during this process, and all temporarily relocated tenants will be offered the first opportunity to return to new homes once construction is complete.

2023-2024: Let’s Plan It Together

Let’s Plan it Together - involved meeting with the broader community. We shared what we heard from tenants of Evergreen Terrace and residents of the Quadra Village neighbourhood. BC Housing engaged with the Quadra-Hillside Community and Land Use Committee (CALUC) through the Fall of 2023. Feedback gathered from residents and the neighbourhood CALUC process helped further shape the master plan design, resulting in the submission of a master plan rezoning submission to the City of Victoria in December of 2023.

The Future Evergreen - A Comprehensive Plan for Quadra West November 2024 shows how approximately 900 below-market and market-rate rental homes are proposed to be situated across the site. Some buildings are proposed to reach 6 storeys in height, and select locations are proposed for taller buildings nearing 15 to 20 storeys.

Public open spaces are proposed, along with childcare and resident amenity areas as summarized in the Future Evergreen - Livability and Amenity Summary November 2024. Construction will take place in phases, over 10 to 15 years.

2025: Let's Build It Together

Phase 1 of construction includes the replacement of four buildings highlighted in blue below. These buildings will be the first to be removed and redeveloped, with a new and efficient 6- storey apartment building holding approximately 100 units of housing envisioned to be constructed as the project’s first phase.

3D site plan of Evergreen Phase 1 in Victoria, B.C., showing current buildings in beige and new Phase 1 buildings in blue.Map of existing buildings showing Phase 1 (in blue)Collaboration and review of the master plan rezoning application between BC Housing and the City of Victoria is ongoing, and BC Housing is hopeful that the master plan bylaw will be approved by the City of Victoria by the end of 2025. Construction will not begin until the City of Victoria approves all necessary permits. We anticipate that construction could begin as soon as 2026.


Architectural rendering of the Evergreen housing redevelopment plan in Victoria, B.C. The image shows several proposed mid-rise buildings along Blanshard Street between Bay Street and Hillside Avenue.Rendering of future buildings showing Phase 1 (in blue)


Supporting Tenants of Evergreen Terrace and Family Members of SpeqƏȠéutxw (SPAKEN) House

BC Housing will continue to work with Evergreen Terrace tenants and family members of SpeqƏȠéutxw (SPAKEN) House to make sure they have continued access to secure housing, and their needs are met throughout redevelopment. Spaken House is planned for redevelopment in a future phase of Evergreen Terrace.

Indigenous Engagement

Throughout the Evergreen Terrace redevelopment design process, BC Housing continues to foster strong Indigenous partnerships based on the Principles of Reconciliation.

BC Housing continues to engage with the Lekwungen speaking peoples, the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation. BC Housing is committed to incorporating and celebrating culturally inclusive design through all phases of Evergreen Terrace. We acknowledge and extend gratitude to the Songhees Nation and the Esquimalt Nation on whose traditional lands we work.

How can I stay informed?

BC Housing is committed to an inclusive, tenant-first approach to redevelopment. We continue to work closely with tenants of Evergreen Terrace and Spaken House family members to ensure that residents feel safe, informed, and engaged throughout the redevelopment process. This webpage will offer updates, meetings, workshops, and other events. We welcome you to reach out with any questions by email to: communityrelations@bchousing.org.

Page last updated: 09 May 2025, 01:45 PM