Tuesday March 9, 2021 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
The #MyBelmont master-planned community in south Langford is celebrating its third year anniversary. They broke ground on the project in March 2018 with a lot of fanfare. This anniversary is relatively quiet, during the pandemic and with most units rented and sold.
The project is bringing 521 homes to Langford which is now recognized as one of Canada’s fastest growing communities.
The 22-acre community in the west shore area of south Vancouver Island is comprised of rental apartments and condominium homes. The target market is working professionals, first-time buyers, and downsizers.
Historical location:
Located on the same massive corner property at Jacklin Road and Kelly Road, the #MyBelmont residential development sits adjacent to the Belmont Market with 160,000 sq ft of retail space including the 53,000 sq ft Thrifty Foods grocery store.
The land was purchased from the Sooke School District 62 (SD62) during the period of 2013-2014. The Belmont Secondary School previously on that land was built anew in the Westhills area, opening in September 2015 as ‘Belmont 2.0’ to recognize the legacy of the school in the community.
Phases of construction:
The initial two phases of #MyBelmont have been completed, says Pat Patterson, President, Ledcor Property Investments Ltd. The Crossing at Belmont building features 156 rental homes with over 20,000 sq ft of commercial space as part of the Belmont Market. Belmont Residences West features 80 condominiums.
The third phase of construction began in November 2020 — the Belmont Residences East project comprised of 85 condos is already 90% sold.
Mostly the largest units remain available: B3 (2-bdrm/2-bath, 1,015 sf), C (2-bdrm+flex/2-bath, 1,191 sf), and C1 (2-bdrm+flex/2-bath, 1,187 sf).
The #MyBelmont Sales Centre is open by appointment only for socially-distanced viewings during the continuing COVID pandemic. Guided tours can be booked for Wednesdays to Sundays from 12 noon to 4 pm.
Modern design:
Designers, consultants and professionals were hand-picked to bring new expertise to the development of these compact homes.
“All of #MyBelmont’s masterplan neighbourhood has been designed, built, and delivered within the original proposed timeline and with excellent quality,” says Marcela Corzo, Director, Development, Ledcor Property Developments.
Attracting renters and first-time buyers:
The #MyBelmont rent-to-own program — created in partnership with the City of Langford — has helped many renters become homeowners and has put the development at the forefront with first-time buyers, according to the developer.
In early 2020 the Crossing at Belmont building was sold to Killam Apartment REIT, one of Canada’s largest apartment investors and landlords. Killam continues to expand their apartment portfolio in Victoria.
“The recent addition of the two, five-storey rental buildings is a great example of Ledcor’s commitment to community that we are proud to be a part of,” said Killam Apartment REIT’s president and CEO Philip Fraser, in a news release today.
City commitment:
“The City of Langford remains committed to supporting the development of a range of housing options for Langford residents,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young in today’s release.
He calls the #MyBelmont project a “key economic driver for the City” and says it’s a great example of where people can ‘live, work and play’ in one spot.
The Victor Chen Memorial Park is situated within the #MyBelmont community. Chen was the city’s engineering manager and is remembered as being the key staff person largely responsible for master planning the significant roadway improvements in Langford including the Bear Mountain Parkway and West Shore Parkway.
