A three story affordable housing project for seniors in Gordon Head has been given the green light by Saanich Council.
The 85-unit building, proposed by "The Mount Douglas Seniors Housing Society,” will be built beside an existing building that also provides affordable housing for seniors on Arrow Road near the University Heights Shopping Centre.
Councilor Colin Plant says the development will provide much needed senior's housing, “they deal with seniors who are not well off financially. A lot of these people are living on incomes that are less the $20,000 a year and that includes rent."
The proposal wasn't without controversy. Plant says the council debate on the project lasted 4-hours with many residents speaking out against the building's three story height. Some were also worried about the increase in density to the neighbourhood. Plant feels density shouldn't be a problem since many of the seniors who will live in the complex won't have cars so won't contribute to congestion on the local roads.