Esquimalt council has cleared the way for Cambie Malone Corp. to begin constructing a $41-million residential-commercial development on Esquimalt Road.
Council agreed to issue the owner the rezoning application and development permit it needed to move forward with the project.
The developer’s vision includes two 12-storey residential condominium towers – which will be the tallest in Esquimalt – ground-floor commercial space, townhouses and several work-live units.
Cambie Malone Corp. has not indicated when construction could begin, but suggested at council meetings last fall that the work could start this fall or early 2013, Barbara Snyder, Esquimalt director of development services, said.
A pub, liquor store and bottle depot are currently on the site.
“There is no requirement for a developer to specify their start date, but a development permit is only good for two years so there is the expectation that they will begin construction prior to February 2014,” Snyder explained. “If construction isn’t started by then, the developer would have to apply for a new permit, which means going through the process again.”
