The Developer

Who are the Papaloukas?

The Papaloukas family came to Canada from Desfina, Greece in 1957 and have been part of the Saanich community since the early 1980s. To this day, all but one family member still resides in Saanich. The proposed development is intended to honour the oldest members of the family who first purchased the property in 1989.

Rejected by eight financial institutions before the ninth bank said “yes”, the family bought the 4512 West Saanich property with every last penny they had. For the first few years the family operated the existing Villages Pizza & Restaurant on the site, but barely made enough money to cover the mortgage.

However, the business did slowly begin to turn a profit. In 1997, the Villages restaurant business was sold, and the building was transformed into the Med Grill Restaurant. The family believes in and is committed to the Saanich community.

Why they are investing in this building

In the words of John Papaloukas: “We are proposing this new building to honour both our parents, who have now passed, and to be a beacon for future, necessary densification of Saanich's Royal Oak neighbourhood. This building is a testament to our family's current and future commitment to the community; a building that will be shared and enjoyed by many future generations."

Site Planning & Design Principles

A number of unique conditions and land use policy directions have informed the development approach to the site. The core principles anchoring the design solution are to:

  1. Create an inspiring landmark, mixed-use building that will anchor future redevelopment and re-investment into the Royal Oak Commercial District.
  2. Rehabilitate and restore the heritage building and incorporate it as a central element of the design vision for the site.
  3. Conserve the London Plane trees by keeping the building envelop outside the root zone of the protected trees, and create a pleasing park-like setting along the Shawnee Road frontage.
  4. Provide convenient and seamless access from West Saanich Road to a publicly accessible plaza, incorporating public pedestrian access from West Saanich Road to Shawnee Road.
  5. Create a building mass and form using high quality materials, a comfortable street-to-podium building ratio, an elegant “slender” tower, and a built form that reflects a modern architectural style while also respecting the heritage building.
  6. Incorporate significant green building features into the design, including rain gardens and stormwater retention, sustainable energy systems, and options that promote active transportation and alternative modes to private-use vehicles.
  7. Provide ground floor commercial floor space that will activate the internal plaza and draw pedestrians to the site from different parts of the Royal Oak neighbourhood.
  8. Provide landscaping that integrates with the characteristics of the site and buildings, including reference to the Arts and Crafts movement, to pay homage to the heritage building.