The 834

About The 834

The 834 is a 15-storey steel-and-concrete condominium building on the north side of Johnson Street, between Blanshard and Quadra, in the heart of downtown Victoria. Completed in 2011 by Chard Development, it contains 115 strata lots, and it belongs to the cohort of Chard projects that turned the blocks east of Government Street from somewhere people parked into somewhere people lived.

The building is one of the more accessible entry points into concrete construction in the downtown core. Suites run small and efficient rather than large and generous, which is the trade the building was designed around.

Architecture & Design

The 834 pairs a glass-and-steel tower with a brick podium that holds the Johnson Street streetwall, a common Victoria solution to the problem of putting height on a heritage-scaled block without flattening it. Copper cladding and metal siding on the upper elevations distinguish it from the beige-stucco stock of the same era.

Construction is poured concrete foundation with steel-and-concrete structure — a different depreciation, insurance and sound-transmission profile from the wood-frame buildings a few blocks north, and one of the specific reasons buyers shortlist it.

Suite Features & Finishes

The mix is predominantly one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den homes, with a small number of studio-scale suites at the lower end. Recent floor areas have ranged from roughly 405- 670 sqft one-bedrooms, 700-980 sqft two-bedroom, and 1,100 square feet townhomes with mixed/use zoning.

Standard features across the building include nine-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, open floorplans, engineered hardwood flooring, granite or quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and in-suite laundry. Every home has a balcony; sizes vary considerably, from about 35 square feet on the smaller stacks to over 100 square feet on the larger northwest-facing homes.

Views depend entirely on orientation and floor. Upper-floor and corner homes take in the downtown skyline, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Sooke Hills; lower and interior-facing homes look into the surrounding block.

Two practical notes buyers should price in. Heating is electric baseboard and there is no cooling anywhere in the building — relevant in a glass tower with south-facing exposures. And parking is not universal: a meaningful share of homes here have no parking stall at all, which is what makes the entry-level units entry-level.

Building Amenities

The amenity package is modest by design, which is part of why the fees are what they are.

• Rooftop deck — top-floor common terrace with panoramic city and water views
• Media room — shared screening and lounge space
• Meeting room — bookable common space
• Shared BBQ area — electric, propane or natural gas only, per bylaw
• Bike storage — secure, common
• Storage lockers — separate storage included with most homes
• Elevators and controlled entry
• Secure underground parking — attached, with guest stalls; not allocated to every home
• Accessible entry — no-step entrance on select homes

Strata, Fees & Bylaws

The strata is professionally managed by Tribe.

Rentals are unrestricted, with short-term rentals prohibited. There are no age restrictions. Pets are permitted, including up to two dogs with no size restriction — a genuinely permissive policy by downtown standards, and a recurring reason buyers with larger dogs end up here.

Confirm all bylaws, fees and pet limits with the strata before writing an offer. These are subject to change.

The Downtown Neighbourhood

The 834 sits in the middle of downtown Victoria's densest commercial stretch. Chinatown, Canada's oldest, is three blocks north. The Market on Yates handles groceries a block away. The Bay Centre, the Royal and McPherson theatres, and the restaurants and bars of lower Johnson and Yates are all within a five-minute walk.

The Inner Harbour causeway, the Parliament Buildings and the Royal BC Museum are roughly ten minutes on foot to the south. Reeson Park and the Johnson Street Bridge sit at the western end of the same street, connecting to the Galloping Goose and Vic West.

This is an urban address in the full sense. The nightlife, the foot traffic and the street noise are the neighbourhood — they are the amenity and they are the drawback, and which one they are depends entirely on the buyer.

Connectivity & Transportation

Daily errands, dining and services are all walkable from the front door. BC Transit's downtown exchange is within a few blocks, putting most Greater Victoria routes within a short walk. The Johnson Street Bridge connects to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail for cyclists heading west to Vic West, Esquimalt and the Westshore.

For drivers, secure underground parking is available with select homes and guest stalls are provided. Victoria International Airport is approximately 40 minutes north; the Swartz Bay ferry terminal to Vancouver is roughly 50 minutes.

Who this building suits — and who it doesn't

It suits first-time buyers who want concrete construction rather than wood-frame at a similar price, investors who need rental flexibility without short-term-rental exposure, and owners with dogs who have been turned away by other downtown stratas.

It doesn't suit anyone who needs quiet, anyone who needs air conditioning, or anyone who needs more than about 1,000 square feet.