The Fernwood Urban Village is located at the corner of North Park and Chambers Street in the lively, rapidly evolving district of Fernwood in Victoria, BC.
Four large lots, totalling nearly 2/3 acre, have been assembled. This site is away from major street traffic, across from a public park as well as a community allotment garden.
Our Urban Location
We are on the rim of Victoria’s urban core. It’s an easy walk or bike to all of the city’s major workplaces and attractions such as the inner harbour, BC Legislature, Public Library, Chinatown and a variety of shopping destinations.
Historic and lively Fernwood Square is close by, hosting a variety of businesses including the Belfry Theatre and various art galleries. The Square is home to aesthetics, massage and hairdressing studios as well. A lawyer, architect and dentist can be found nearby. Eateries such as Uhu’s, Little Piggy’s Soul Food, the Fernwood Inn and the Cornerstone Cafe create a community ‘hub’ within the area. The locally famous ‘Fernwood Coffee Co’ is one block from the Village. This impressive list is always growing!
Because of our proximity to services and downtown, the Village encourages the use of bicycles and car-share. While residents may own a car, our internal parking spaces are designed to accommodate a limited number of smaller energy-efficient vehicles. Electric vehicles have charging stations. Sheds for kayaks and bikes are part of our common infrastructure.
History
The “Village” concept began in 2009 when a few neighbors got together and decided to assemble their properties into a large parcel and start the design process to create a cohousing complex. After much research, including hiring a well known American cohousing architect to lay out the conceptual plans, the plans moved forward and we are now in the process of going through Victoria City Hall towards obtaining a Development Permit. Given this permit is approved by Council, see Timeline, we will be in a position to build.
We have hired a cohousing consultant/facilitator, see Kylie Sandham profile to help keep us on track. Kylies role includes facilitating meetings, helping us with community building and monitoring member integration/satisfaction. In addition, one of our members is an experienced developer who is guiding the plans through the city building process. Constructing the Village is a developer assisted cohousing project, an asset in achieving our common goals of constructing on time and on budget. See profile of developer.
Since we are a member driven organization our governance procedures take first priority. We are ruled by consensus decision making using a model of governance that most successful cohousing communities employ. Members are currently forming committees to design the way physical spaces are used and select modern technology that will lower strata costs and leave a lighter footprint on the planet.