District of Saanich planning staff are taking their first looks at a proposal to build a 19-storey residential tower on the current site of the Med Grill restaurant in Royal Oak.
While the proposal for 4512 West Saanich Rd. is still very early in the approvals process, such a structure would be one of the tallest in the municipality if built as submitted.
The design calls for a mixed-use building with commercial at grade and 101 residential units above. A heritage structure on the site is to be retained under the plan.
Applicant Deane Strongitharm with CitySpaces Consulting told Black Press Media in an email that the restaurant is not going anywhere for at least two years and will continue operating. Commercial space on the ground floor would be available for the Med Grill if it chooses to return, he added.
Approval of a development permit for this application would require a rezoning from C-2 Commercial to a site-specific, mixed-use zone. Along with the residential units, 422 square metres of commercial space is called for in the proposal.
The site is at the corner of Viewmont and West Saanich roads, and faces Royal Oak middle school from the rear of the lot.
The tallest building proposal currently moving through the planning process in Saanich is a 24-storey mixed-use development with 329 rental units proposed for the north end of the Uptown centre site.
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