The Property
Fairfield Hotel is an old heritage building with 62 single-room occupancy units located at 1601-1609 Douglas Street, across from Victoria City Hall. In 2017, Pacifica Housing was given a $250,000 grant from the city of Victoria to help run Fairfield Hotel. The Fairfield houses 62 individuals earning little or no income, with several of the tenants receiving social assistance. The single-room units with shared washrooms are rented at or close to the B.C. Income Assistance shelter allowance of $375 a month.
As an aging building, there is a need for upgrades to the four shared bathroom facilities and steep staircases. Reliance Properties, the development company which purchased the Fairfield Hotel in 2017, said that there were no immediate plans for the Faifield’s rooms. However, they’ll likely carry out more renovations to upgrade the old heritage building, as it is greatly needed.
Hotel Service Upgrade
As part of Phase 1, Houston installed a 1200A service upgrade to the building with the electrical distribution feeding the Fairfield Hotel and 6 commercial retail units below. With a low ceiling basement and small metering room, Houston worked with Williams Engineering to redesign the equipment layout and specifications to accommodate a 1200A draw-out breaker and main distribution, along with two-meter stacks and a 1000A hotel/house distribution.
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