Backgrounder: University of Victoria student housing project

Overview

UVic plans to build new student housing, in partnership with the Government of British Columbia, to provide much-needed on-campus accommodation for approximately 620 students currently living off-campus. Located near Ring Road, the project includes two buildings with student quarters and a new dining hall.  

Each year, UVic receives 1,000 more applications than available beds. In addition to helping address an acute regional need for increased rental housing, living on campus assists students with their transition to university, provides academic and social programming and support, and nurtures a strong sense of belonging in the UVic community. 

Expanding student housing on campus has long been identified as a strategic priority and long-term goal of UVic’s campus planning process. Informed by extensive consultation, UVic’s campus plan guides physical growth and change on the campus and its outlying lands and responds to the priorities of the university’s strategic framework and academic mission. 

What’s included

• 782 beds, including 620 new beds and 162 replacement beds.
• A 600-seat dining hall, kitchen and small grocery will replace Cadboro Commons and provide more food offerings with healthy options and a new coffee shop.
• Additional space to replace existing facilities with a wide range of meeting rooms, as well as informal gathering places and a designated Indigenous student lounge.
• Rejuvenated outdoor areas and promenades will provide a welcoming environment.
  

QUICK FACTS:

Siting and buildings

Two buildings will be constructed close to the campus core. These buildings will be taller than what is currently on campus (30 m and 38 m) in order to maintain a small building footprint, protect greenspace and maintain parking.

A development variance permit from the District of Saanich is required to increase the height of buildings exceeding 10 metres.

Cadboro Commons Building, Margaret Newton Hall and Emily Carr Residences will be deconstructed.  

Outdoor spaces

The project supports a compact and vibrant campus, emphasizing Ring Road as a place for people.

A “Grand Promenade,” an east-west multi-modal walkway, will extend across campus to the student-housing precinct to strengthen connections, encourage walking and cycling, and create vibrant outdoor spaces for the broader campus and the public. 

Sustainability

Design and construction will meet both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Passive House standards, a rigorous world standard that is a first for UVic. The university anticipates that, upon completion, this will be one of the largest Passive House certified projects in Canada. 

Vibrant student community

The living and dining environment is designed to support positive student engagement and success. Additionally, UVic is exploring opportunities to use the project to acknowledge and educate students on local Indigenous histories, cultures and traditions. 

Transportation

Parking demand for students living on campus is very low. The project is expected to reduce daily commuting trips and demand for parking by about 74 stalls.

No parking stalls will be removed or added. However, Saanich’s zoning bylaw requires about 433 new stalls for this amount of development so a parking variance will be required.

Secure, indoor bicycle storage is included in the design. 

Timeline:

First stage 2017-18 – planning

Second stage 2018-19 – design and municipal and provincial approvals

Third stage 2020-24 – construction

Staged completion 2022 (Building 1) and 2024 (Building 2) – move in 

Current UVic campus housing student housing:

• Approximately 2,300 beds in residence, with guarantee of on-campus accommodation for all first-year students who register by June 30. More than 75 per cent of undergraduates come from outside Greater Victoria.
• UVic also has 181 student family housing units.
• The last student housing was built on campus in 2011. (South Tower)

View the Government of British Columbia news release. 

A high-resolution image of the architectural rendering of the buildings is available on Dropbox.