New residential development a lifeline for Oak Bay church
Oak Bay United Church is hoping to embark on a redevelopment with up to 150 units of affordable rental housing.
Rev. Michelle Slater, lead minister at the church, said the development is an effort to keep the church on a solid and sustainable footing to continue serving its congregation and the greater community.
All plans foresee keeping the historic brick church while sacrificing smaller adjacent buildings that are in need of repair.
“We have been here for over 100 years now and we want to stay for at least another 100 years serving the community,” Slater said in an interview.
Leadership at Oak Bay United Church, 1355 Mitchell St. at the corner of Granite Street, is working with B.C. Housing to develop rental accommodation on its property, she said. Plans envision 80 to 150 residential units.
Planning and consultations with neighbouring homeowners is in initial phases. It is hoped that an open house, with at least one or two concepts from the architects, can go ahead in January.
The church sent its first letters to neighbours informing them of plans to redevelop in September. Since then, the church has met twice with residents to gauge reaction.
Slater said initial concerns involve increases in traffic.
“There have been community concerns,” said Slater. “Any of us lucky enough to buy a home expects when we buy into a neighbourhood the neighbourhood won’t change.”
“But retaining a sense of place and respecting the neighbourhood doesn’t mean you can’t accommodate change,” Slater said.
She said B.C. Housing has so far loaned the church $500,000 to do the planning. In the end, B.C. Housing will provide a loan to complete the redevelopment. Oak Bay United plans to pay off the loan and eventually own the new buildings.
According to the Canada’s Historic Places website, the church dates to 1914 and is architecturally notable for its Gothic Revival style and its stained glass windows.
It opened as St. Columbus Presbyterian Church. In 1926, when Canadian Methodists, Congregationalists and two thirds of the Presbyterian churches amalgamated, it became Oak Bay United Church.
In 2010, an extensive renovation was completed to make the church seismically safe. That ended a 14-year exile for the congregation during which it met in a variety of other spaces around the community.
Since then, the congregation has grown steadily and now numbers about 250 people.
But Slater said despite the growth and its ability to meet all money obligations, church operations are not sustainable. Repair work on a number of other buildings on the site have been deferred for too long.
It is hoped the new development can provide rental income for the congregation while offering housing for seniors and young singles who might be working in Oak Bay, but can’t afford to live in the municipality.
The development could also include a daycare and a community garden.
Slater said the church land is zoned institutional and official community plans call for an increase in density to the area.
“We are very much in line with the community values, housing suitable for seniors, space for community use like a daycare and community meeting space,” she said.
“But even more than the affordable housing we are excited to grow as a community hub,” said Slater.