Like South Nanaimo and the Old City, the University District is distinguished by its greater concentration of students, young families, and artsy types. It's a very convenient place to live, being close to downtown yet close to the mountain - and also close to the Parkway expressway and VIU.
Note: While the University Village shopping mall is only a few blocks from the university, the Real Estate Board calls that area "South Nanaimo". Homes in that area are listed on my South Nanaimo page.
Condos & Townhomes in University District
Homes for Sale in the University District
New
$885,000
145 Garner Cres, Nanaimo
4
Beds
3
Baths
1,970 SqFt
15,246 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 979903
RE/MAX of Nanaimo
$439,900
455 Watfield Ave, Nanaimo
0
Beds
0
Baths
0 SqFt
5,228 SqFt Lot
Land
MLS® # 979586
RE/MAX of Nanaimo
New
$385,000
438 Gail Pl 3, Nanaimo
2
Beds
2
Baths
969 SqFt
872 SqFt Lot
Row/Townhouse
MLS® # 979797
RE/MAX of Nanaimo
$1,195,000
95 Kennedy St S, Nanaimo
8
Beds
5
Baths
4,775 SqFt
9,148 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 973803
Sutton Group-West Coast Realty (Nan)
New
$355,000
266 Harwell Rd 17, Nanaimo
2
Beds
1
Bath
905 SqFt
0 SqFt Lot
Row/Townhouse
MLS® # 980204
eXp Realty
$275,000
1853 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo
2
Beds
1
Bath
924 SqFt
872 SqFt Lot
Manufactured Home
MLS® # 976904
RE/MAX of Nanaimo
New
$769,000
1936 Coal Tyee Trail, Nanaimo
3
Beds
3
Baths
1,844 SqFt
7,406 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 980001
Royal LePage Parksville-Qualicum Beach Realty (PK)
New
$349,900
1865 Valley Oak Dr, Nanaimo
2
Beds
2
Baths
1,162 SqFt
0 SqFt Lot
Manufactured Home
MLS® # 980037
RE/MAX of Nanaimo
$1,159,000
2127 Wren Pl, Nanaimo
6
Beds
4
Baths
3,170 SqFt
7,406 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 963992
eXp Realty
New
Open House
$998,900
600 Ravenswood Dr, Nanaimo
5
Beds
3
Baths
2,017 SqFt
6,099 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 979838
460 Realty Inc. (NA)
$928,000
545 Poets Trail Dr, Nanaimo
6
Beds
4
Baths
2,904 SqFt
6,534 SqFt Lot
Single Family Detached
MLS® # 968774
eXp Realty
$399,999
525 Third St 202, Nanaimo
1
Bed
1
Bath
685 SqFt
0 SqFt Lot
Condo Apartment
MLS® # 977547
Royal LePage Nanaimo Realty (NanIsHwyN)
Back to top
University District Areas
There are a few distinct neighbourhoods in the University District, as shown in the image below. Scroll past the image for more info about the areas:
College Heights
This neighbourhood of about 400 homes is perched on a knoll above the university and the Parkway. Many of the homes are large and have incredible views toward downtown and across to the coastal mountain range and Vancouver.
Buttertubs: Beside the marsh there are some larger, well-kept 1970s-80s homes around Bird Sanctuary Dr and Wildlife Pl, as seen below. It's a proud neighbourhood and most of the homes are renovated, though some fixer-uppers are still to be found.
Hawthorne
Very desirable for families, this subdivision near the university includes mostly mid-2000s detached homes, as well as a European/loft-style cluster of townhomes at the corner of Wakesiah and 2nd St. Another phase is under construction in 2020/21.
Fairview: An old neighbourhood on the outskirts of downtown Nanaimo - between Wakesiah Ave and Pine Street. These are solid old homes, similar to what is found in Harewood. This area is only slightly less sought-after in comparison with the Old City.
Northwest Harewood (this is not a name that is used): The real estate board's "University District" boundaries happen to include the northwest parts of Harewood, closest to VIU, reaching down to Harewood Road as far as the Colliery Dams. This area has a lot of ageing houses, though many are very nicely renovated, and beautiful gardens are common. This is a popular area for investors to purchase homes for renting to university students, as the neighbourhood rests directly between VIU and shopping.
Recreation and Amenities
The malls of North Nanaimo are easily accessed via the Parkway. But the lakes and ocean and mountain are even closer:
- Hiking trails (easy to alpine) - 6 minute drive
- Dog off leash areas - 5 minute drive
- Rocky beaches - 8 minute drive
- Lake swimming - 6 minute drive
- Nanaimo River swimming - 20 minute drive
Nearby Schools
- Fairview Elementary ; 205 Howard Ave.
- Georgia Avenue Elementary ; 625 Georgia Ave.
- Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS) ; 355 Wakesiah Ave.
- John Barsby Secondary ; 550 7th St.
New Developments in the University District
Fourth and Howard townhomes
560 Fourth St & 361 Howard Ave
Locals will recognize this large vacant property on Fourth St in Harewood, just a couple blocks from VIU. It was owned by the school board for decades, with a daycare and a karate studio operating out of a small schoolhouse before it was demolished in the 1990s. The property has sat vacant since, and is often the site of fires from homeless encampments. Now, there are plans to redevelop the property, as well as the 2-acre property next door (currently has a beautiful 1945 house and orchard) into a townhome complex with 18 buildings and a total of 219 units, at least half of which will have 3+ bedrooms in order to accommodate the municipality's call for family dwellings.
The Village on Third (Phase 4)
The first buildings in this development were built in 2019-2020 at 525 3rd St & 308 Hillcrest Ave. (See a full breakdown of those here) You may know the "Bee's Knees" café which is in one of those buildings.
This newer phase involves a 31-unit apartment building east of the Bee's Knees, closer toward Howard Ave. It will also have a commercial space. In the image below you'll notice the location of 521 Third St (orange circle).
I don't know anything else about this new phase yet, but you can contact me for updates.
254 Adderly Rd: View Townhomes
This will be the first condo development at College Heights, and only the second condo development EVER west of the Parkway (the other is the 1990-built townhome complex at Harwell Place near the Jingle Pot Pub).
The views are going to be phenomenal from these Westcoast-style rowhomes. The plan is for 14 buildings with a total of 79 units, all of which appear to have garages and multiple balconies.
In May 2024 this development application was approved by the City - the permit expires if they don't start construction by May 2026.
Menzies Ridge Estates (townhomes)
Located in the desirable Hawthorne neighbourhood near VIU, this development will include 7 buildings with a total of 22 townhome units (and a kids playground!). The City approved the development in early 2022 and there has been a lot of anticipation. The developer is signalling they expect to complete in summer of 2025, with presales coming soon (winter 2024/2025), starting at $589,000.
The rendering you see here was submitted along with the application and gives a sense of the layout and types of buildings.
Below is the location in relation to Buttertubs Marsh and the other homes in the area.
New cul-de-sac off Jingle Pot
(Still in approval application stage)
There's an application for redevelopment of this 4-acre property at 2186 Jingle Pot Rd. It would become a little cul-de-sac area with 13 new lots. This is very near to the location of the Jingle Pot mine from the first decades of the 20th century (a geo-technical assessment is likely a part of the re-development application process). This will be a very convenient location, and probably surrounded on all sides by trees. However, noise from the Parkway will certainly be a factor.
Hawthorne Estates (second buildout)
Current/Ongoing
In the mid-2000s there was an initial phase of homes built near Buttertubs Marsh in the University District. Almost twenty years later, Hawthorne is still recognized as a very desirable neighbourhood. About half of the land was left undeveloped until recently.
This newer phase appears to be characterized by larger homes than the first phase, with more secondary suites. And while the first phase was characterized by a lot of tree-planting (and those trees have matured very well), such trees are noticeably missing in this newer phase. However, there are great mountain views, and the homes are looking good.
Back to top