Nanaimo & surroundings · An area guide
Pleasant Valley
A little room around the routine.
Pleasant Valley sits in northwest Nanaimo, with residential streets and the Brannen Lake area contributing to its character. The north end’s shops and services remain part of the practical appeal. It is a useful place to look when you want to combine outdoor time with an ordinary working week.
01 · Beyond the front door
Living in Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley brings together the Brannen Lake area and Nanaimo’s north-end shopping connections. Its residential streets reflect the transition from a rural setting to an established city neighbourhood.
An area guide from Gillette & Associates, Derek Gillette’s Nanaimo real estate practice.
01Around Brannen Lake
Brannen Lake is the local landmark to use when getting your bearings. Homes here reflect the area’s change from rural land into residential streets. The result is a mix of lot sizes, ages and approaches to the lake, rather than one uniform style of housing.
Visit the immediate surroundings of a home as well as the main roads. Lake proximity, a lake view and access to the water are separate things. Ask which applies to the property you are considering, and whether the route works for walking as well as driving.
02North-end errands and nearby areas
Woodgrove Centre and Nanaimo North Town Centre are useful reference points for the shopping side of daily life. Country Club Centre is farther along the city’s main corridor. Compare the actual route from a home instead of treating every north-end destination as equally close.
Uplands and the Long Lake area offer another way to combine water and city services. Touring them alongside Pleasant Valley can help clarify whether your priority is the setting, a particular housing type or the convenience of a shorter daily trip.
A closer look · Local map data
Around the neighbourhood
A few places to explore around Pleasant Valley. Distances are approximate straight lines from our reference point on Doumont Rd; walking and driving routes will be longer.
Parks & outdoors
- Pleasant Valley ParkPark≈ 50 m
- Doreen Place ParkPark≈ 150 m
- E & N Trail (Future)Trail≈ 150 m
- Dennie ParkPark≈ 150 m
More nearby places
- Amsterdam ParkPark≈ 450 m
- Brannen Lake BeachWater access≈ 600 m
- Edgewater Pond ParkPond≈ 650 m
- Everest Drive ParkPark≈ 700 m
- Noye ParkTrail≈ 750 m
- Jeevans Road ParkPark≈ 850 m
- Parkwood ParkPark≈ 900 m
- Molecy Creek ParkPark≈ 900 m
Schools nearby
- Pleasant Valley ElementaryElementary≈ 300 m
- Randerson Ridge ElementaryElementary≈ 1.3 km
- Dover Bay SecondaryElementary≈ 1.6 km
Proximity does not establish a catchment or admission. Check a home’s school assignment with SD68 ↗
The everyday stops
- Black Bear PubFood & drink≈ 400 m
- MakiFood & drink≈ 600 m
- Noodle BoxCoffee≈ 650 m
- Boston PizzaCoffee≈ 700 m
More nearby places
- 1421102 Bc LtdFood & drink≈ 750 m
- Wa-Ku North Ramen IzakayaFood & drink≈ 800 m
- Daily MartGroceries≈ 800 m
- Mary Brown’s ChickenFood & drink≈ 950 m
- Regard Coffee RoastersCoffee≈ 950 m
- Serious Coffee Hammond BayCoffee≈ 1.1 km
- Tablet Pharmacy #3Everyday services≈ 1.1 km
- Island Natural MarketsGroceries≈ 1.1 km
Changes around you
Permits & proposals
A sample of City files near the Doumont Rd reference point. Open a file for its current details and documents.
A file marked active can be under review or already issued. It does not confirm that construction has started.
All City applications ↗DP001356 · ACTIVE6124 Metral Drive
Development Permit
The proposed development is a multi-family residential development with a total of 2 buildings with a combined total of 89 dwelling units. Variances are requested to (1) increase the maximum height of a principal building from 14m to 15m; (2) increase the size of two retaining walls in the north side yard from 1.8m to 2.51m and south side yard from 1.8m to 2.8m; (3) reduce a portion of the landscape buffer in the rear yard from 1.8m to 1m; (4) reduce the number of required parking spaces from 122 to 115; and (5) increase the number of small car parking spaces from 40% to 50%
- Submitted
- September 11, 2024
BP131448 · ACTIVE5687 Big Bear Ridge - BLDG-A (INSPECTION ONLY)
Single / Two Family Dwelling
New construction of a 2-storey slab on grade detached single family dwelling. Building Classification: BCBC 2024, Part 9 building (Group C) residential, sprinklered, combustible construction. Building area: 208.31 m². Total GFA 300.15 m². BP131455 - Main Permit
- Submitted
- December 23, 2025
- Issued
- May 01, 2026
BP131573 · ACTIVE6000 Pine Park Place
Single / Two Family Dwelling
New one storey single family dwelling with secondary suite slab on grade
- Submitted
- February 17, 2026
- Issued
- September 02, 2026
Checked Oct 7, 2026 · Selected places and files around one reference point, not a complete neighbourhood inventory.
Sources: City of Nanaimo and BC school data. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence – Nanaimo.
What to look for
The homes here
Housing varies in age, layout and ownership format. Established properties and newer homes can offer quite different amounts of garden, privacy and upkeep. A neighbourhood name will not tell you whether a particular home has the setting you have in mind.
When comparing a house with a townhouse or apartment, consider outdoor maintenance, parking and ownership responsibilities as well as the rooms.
02 · The local market
Every neighbourhood keeps its own time
A market has a pulse the way a movement has a beat, and it differs street by street. The numbers below are read straight from the MLS® record — counted, not estimated — and refreshed through the day.
LIVE — THE HANDS KEEP NANAIMO TIME · THE INSTRUMENTS READ THE MARKET
03 · Find your place
Pleasant Valley homes for sale
If Pleasant Valley feels like your kind of place, start with a closer look at the homes.
Gillette & Associates
Our featured homes
From the wider market
More homes on the MLS®
Active MLS® listings · Courtesy of VIREB members · Availability can change
Find your place in Pleasant Valley.
Explore all current listings and narrow the search to what matters to you.
Keep exploring