The Capital Region Housing Corporation is pursuing approvals to redevelop a 59-unit affordable housing community on McKenzie Avenue near UVic, into 259 affordable apartment rentals in a trio of six-storey buildings.  Google
CRD's housing branch redeveloping 59 social housing units near UVic into 259 rentals
Mike Kozakowski, Citified.ca
Published January 29, 2026
The Capital Region Housing Corporation is seeking approvals in the District of Saanich to redevelop a 59-unit affordable townhome and apartment community near UVic into 259 below-market apartment rentals.
Situated on parcels at 1821 and 1827 McKenzie Avenue (at Ansell Road opposite Fleet Street and east of Gordon Head Road), the CRHC’s Willowdene-Rosewood housing will be consolidated under the address of 1800 McKenzie Avenue, and feature three six-storey blocks above a shared underground parkade.
The units will range from studio through four-bedroom layouts, with families, seniors and individuals with disabilities targeted for the homes.
Willowdene’s 15 two-storey townhomes and Rosewood's 44 apartments in a three-storey complex are due for replacement, the CRHC says, stating in a project brief that the units are “at the end of [their] service life.”
Pending municipal approvals, construction could get underway by late 2026 with occupancy by mid-2030. The CRHC is working with existing tenants to support relocation in time for construction.
Saanich has been mandated by the provincial government to supply 4,610 net new housing units between 2023 and 2028. The quota is unlikely to be met, however, despite significant efforts made by private and publicly-funded developers to add new housing within the municipality, currently the largest by population size on Vancouver Island.
According to Citified’s development activity tracking, approximately 1,000 units of rental apartments and condominiums are under construction in Saanich with occupancy slated for 2026 through 2028.
The CRHC, meanwhile, is in the process of redeveloping a social housing property east of Gordon Heard Road at McKenzie Avenue known as Campus View. The project is replacing 12 townhomes with 119 affordable rentals, and is expected to reach occupancy in 2028. And in the City of Victoria along upper Johnson Street, a project known as Village on the Green is replacing the CRHC's 38 units of social housing with 160 affordable homes, expected to complete in 2028. C
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