The District of Oak Bay is pleased to learn that Camosun College has received funding approval from the provincial government for its first-ever student housing project on the Oak Bay side of the Lansdowne campus. The District appreciates Camosun College’s initiative and the Province's support for this project. The announcement illustrates the type of senior government support and partnership for non-market housing that is needed to make non-market housing a reality. Although it remains unclear whether a part or all of the student housing will satisfy the Provincial requirements to count towards Oak Bay’s Housing Target Order, the District welcomes this initiative as an important way to provide more diverse housing options for students in our community.  

According to Camosun College, construction plans include a six-storey, timber-frame building on the Lansdowne campus off Foul Bay Road with 423 affordable beds. The building is envisioned to be ready for students from both campuses in fall 2027. The District has no additional information at this time as no development applications have been submitted to the District for the required Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw amendments. Once a rezoning and OCP application has been submitted to the District more information is expected to become available regarding all aspects of the development such as the design of the building, transportation management and infrastructure and servicing needs for this project. The community will receive more information through a future Public Information Meeting as required for an OCP amendment application and the applications will be posted on the District’s Development Application Tracker.