The 130 apartments above Victoria’s new firehall are the work of the city, the province, developer Jawl Properties and non-profit Pacific Housing. The building includes three-bedroom units for families, deeply subsidized units for people with very low incomes, and seven suites that are accessible.
It’s an important milestone for what would be a significant building for Victoria during a major natural disaster such an earthquake. “The size of the rebar and the amount of concrete is incredible,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said Tuesday after a tour of the site. “This is preparing for the future. This building will stand for hundreds of years.” The fire hall and emergency centre are designed to withstand a massive quake and will meet new B.C. Building Code standards for buildings designed to remain operable following a disaster, giving it a seismic design load that is significantly higher than typical commercial buildings. After an earthquake, the building equipped with high-capacity backup generators will be able to deliver emergency services.