5209 Old West Saanich Rd

Don't confuse this address with West Saanich Road's busier corridor. Old West Saanich Road is the quieter, parallel lane locals know as one of the district's most private rural pockets — the kind of legacy acreage that rarely changes hands, tucked away from the traffic, wine-country,tasting rooms, and roadside businesses that line the main route just minutes away. Nearby vineyards and farm gates are neighbours here, not a backdrop of passing tourist traffic.

Set on 8 acres of ALR-protected land at the end of a long private driveway, this 1980-built, 5014 sq ft home pairs real country privacy with genuine city convenience — downtown Victoria, the airport, and the ferries are all just minutes away. Inside: 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 3 fireplaces across a true multigenerational layout with two full kitchens (the main-level kitchen and bathrooms are recent renovations). The lower-level suite steps out through its own full walkout to a private, southwest-facing garden patio, while a concrete wraparound deck off the main level catches the afternoon sun.

Both levels are wheelchair accessible, and a heat pump plus backup generator with transfer switch keep the home comfortable and self-sufficient year-round. Outside, a 2,169 sq ft barn and wide-open acreage suit equestrian use, a hobby farm, a vineyard, or simply the garden you've been imagining. The property also currently carries Farm Class assessment status, meaning real, already-in-place property tax savings for whoever calls this home next.

Other agricultural-zoned pockets around Saanich — Prospect Lake, Blenkinsop Valley, the Martindale wine country — offer similar acreage and zoning, but few combine this level of seclusion with a location this close to downtown, the airport, and the ferry terminals. That quiet, low-traffic character helps land values here hold firm even as the broader market shifts. Large, non-subdividable holdings like this one are only getting scarcer.