Postponed Lost growth

50-home apartment building, 532 Memorial Avenue

A 50-home apartment building at Memorial Avenue and Hoylake Road. The zoning allows the homes; only the height needs Council’s approval. Town planners and the planning commission recommend approving it. Council has held it up since June 2025.

Town tax lost (our estimate)
$55K a year
Not built
50 homes
Where it stands
Held up since June 2025. The zoning allows the homes; only the height needs Council’s approval. Town planners and the planning commission recommend approving it. Council sent it back, then deferred it twice.

What it is

The lot at 532 Memorial Avenue, about 7,845 m², is zoned for apartments and tourist accommodation. Its zoning allows up to 52 units. The plan is for 50 homes with 106 parking spaces.

The first plan, in January 2025, had 80 units and needed a rezoning. The builder cut it to fit the existing zoning. They lowered the ends of the building to two storeys, dropped the fifth floor apart from an elevator lobby and rooftop room, and moved half the main building 12 feet back from Hoylake Road.

The only thing it needs from Council is a height variance, from 7.5 m to 14.78 m. The height is measured from the site, which sits below Hoylake Road, so the building is less tall from the street. Homes around it are allowed 11 m.

What happened

  1. January 8, 2025Committee of the Whole looked at the first plan, with 80 units. Members raised density and height.
  2. June 18, 2025Council sent the revised plan back, asking for no more than three storeys and a traffic study (Resolution 25-141, carried 3–2, Councillors Harrison and Young opposed).
  3. September 24, 2025The Advisory Planning Commission found the height generally acceptable and suggested design changes.
  4. December 10, 2025Council sent it back to the commission for more design review and ordered notice to neighbours.
  5. January 7, 2026The commission agreed with the height and recommended approval. It said moving the entrance to mid-block on Memorial Avenue would be unsafe.
  6. February 11, 2026Council received a petition about the project and deferred a decision (unanimous).
  7. March 25, 2026Staff recommended issuing the variance. Councillors Skipsey and Vander Valk moved to refuse it. Council deferred that motion (Resolution 26-083, carried 3–2). Mayor Westbroek and Councillors Harrison and Young voted to defer; Councillors Skipsey and Vander Valk voted against.
  8. September 19, 2026The Town’s development tracker still shows the application in progress. We found no later decision.

Why it matters

  • Town property tax: about $55,000 a year, our estimate. That is 50 homes at the Vancouver Island benchmark apartment price for August 2026 ($401,900), at the Town’s 2026 rate ($2.7401 per $1,000). New homes near the water would likely be worth more.
  • Neighbours who spoke to Council raised the height, views, privacy, shading and traffic at the Hoylake Road corner.
  • The builder’s traffic engineer found that an entrance from Hoylake Road or Memorial Avenue would have limited impact on nearby streets, and preferred Hoylake Road.

Sources

Last checked October 3, 2026. Report a mistake.