Victoria Construction - #7

[craneSpotter]

YYJ started the year with a small increase in traffic, up 3.0% from January 2014 to 120,622.

[Vin]

Couple of Vancouver forumers think that the Uptown development is "suburban crap". What do you guys think? Personally, I love that development.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Uptown reminds me of the Morgan Crossing retail area. Suburban crap. No way that makes any sense in OV.

Originally Posted by quobobo

I have been there and I agree with Warren.

I'm really curious if residents of Saanich and Victoria actually love such a retail centre, as I'm always wondering why Vancouver would not embrace such a retail concept.

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by Vin

Couple of Vancouver forumers think that the Uptown development is "suburban crap". What do you guys think? Personally, I love that development.





I'm really curious if residents of Saanich and Victoria actually love such a retail centre, as I'm always wondering why Vancouver would not embrace such a retail concept.

It is very much like Morgan Creek, except maybe more compact - and it is built smack dab in suburban Saanich. I guess it isn't the best design in the world, but I would say most people here are OK with it... keeping in mind phase 3 has not started yet, but is supposed to later this spring/summer as Whole Foods has leased space to spur construction. Phase 3 will also add residential I believe.

The Wal-Mart Supercentre has to be the nicest in the country - for what that's worth, and it is BUSY. And who doesn't like cart elevators!

I think the issue most people here have with it is access. It is sort of inward focused... at least now. Some people just don't seem to want to take the time to learn the labyrinth of underground parking - which I actually use and like!

I do prefer it over the ugly power centres, and I also like it better than the typical large indoor shopping malls (yuck) ... so I guess I like it

[craneSpotter]

Crane is up today

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

755 Caledonia Avenue - http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=104415

Raffi Architects
Townline Group

16 floors, 64 m in height, residential and retail

[aastra]

I'm really curious if residents of Saanich and Victoria actually love such a retail centre.

People definitely love it, judging by how busy it is. But it also gets a ton of criticism (in Victoria you'll often hear the harshest criticisms from the heaviest users of whatever thing you happen to be discussing). Uptown is very similar to Morgan Crossing in concept but the esthetics are a fair bit better at Uptown and obviously Uptown is in a much more urban location.

My two cents: it could have been and should have been quite a bit better. It would have been easy to have a few more storefronts and entrances on the street (there's a narrow pedestrian passage facing Oak Street that I really like, where the yogurt place is... I wish there was more of that sort of thing throughout the complex).

Then again, it's infinitely better than Town & Country, which it replaced.

[Vin]

Thanks for the reply guys. I certainly loved it when I was there last December to check it out and it sure was busy! That area would definitely ensure more residential constructions to be built around it due to the convenience it brings.

Yes, the next phase is definitely coming up so stay tuned. In the long term, it is going to be a greater hub than Morgan Crossing simply because of the compact projects planned in and around it, and not just another suburban mall by a multi-laned highway. Further more, Uptown is at a major crossroad of Victoria's thoroughfares. Nearby, Mayfair will inevitably go through huge upgrades to compete with Uptown, adding to the vibrancy of that area.

I would love to see more frequent buses plying between there and downtown Victoria though. A street car would be lovely, as it would bring a lot more visitors and residents downtown to Uptown. Lastly, other than the Indian restaurant, I find that there isn't much one can grab a bite at Uptown. Perhaps a nicely-themed food court should be included for the next phase.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Hudson Walk crane





http://vibrantvictoria.ca/forum/inde...uction/page-28

[Metro-One]

I like that new office building near this one being constructed in the first pic.

Strange comment, but Victoria is building a very Japanese style urban core regarding density and building heights.

All the cities in Japan between 300 000 and 600 000 are packed with 5 to 15 floor tall buildings in their cores. Then there is usually only a few taller 20 to 25 floor tall towers (usually hotel convention centres).

[Procrastinational]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Strange comment, but Victoria is building a very Japanese style urban core regarding density and building heights.

All the cities in Japan between 300 000 and 600 000 are packed with 5 to 15 floor tall buildings in their cores. Then there is usually only a few taller 20 to 25 floor tall towers (usually hotel convention centres).

I've always found that Victoria feels quite a bit larger than it actually is because of this.

[aastra]

The approved condo tower on Yates across from London Drugs:

[aastra]

Proposal for the parking lot at Johnson and Vancouver:



pic from www.vibrantvictoria.ca

Site (left of the pink building in the center of the pic):

[Mike K.]

.

Cox Developments readies to build first of four residential towers
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/cox...ential-towers/

Cox Developments Ltd. has embarked an an ambitious plan that could see the company build upwards of four downtown Victoria residential towers totalling 380 units by the end of the decade.

Currently seeking approvals from the City of Victoria is a two tower, 17- and 15-storey, 205 unit condo development with ground floor commercial space at 989 Johnson Street (on the former McCall Bros. Funeral Home parking lot). Units will range between approximately 500 square feet and 1,800 square feet with 9,000 square feet of commercial space fronting onto Johnson and Vancouver streets. [Read more]

[Mike K.]

Excavation will begin this summer with completion in the spring of 2018.

Rental tower to replace Capital Six parking lot
By Mike Kozakowski, Citified.ca
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/ren...x-parking-lot/

The parking lot behind the former Capital Six movie theatre on Blanshard Street will be transformed into a 15-storey mixed-use residential and ground floor commercial tower by Chard Development.

Currently known as 819 Yates, the project is comprised of 209 rental apartments in one and two bedroom configurations between 508 and 1,052 square feet. Approximately 6,600 square feet of ground floor commercial space will front onto Yates Street. [Read more]

[Mike K.]

New renderings have been released for the Legato tower on Yates. Site clearing is underway and construction will be starting this summer.

[Mike K.]

.

Fall construction start planned for long-awaited Jukebox Lofts development
By Mike Kozakowski, Citified.ca
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/fal...lofts-project/

Mosaic Properties plans an early fall construction start on Jukebox Lofts, a nine storey mixed-use residential and ground floor commercial building on a long-vacant lot in the 1000-block of View Street.

Originally proposed in 2010, Mosaic redefined its vision for Jukebox multiples times while researching innovative and emerging trends in urban living spaces. The project is now before the City of Victoria for a development permit that calls for 212 studio and one bedroom units sized approximately 310 to 800 square feet with over-height ceilings from 10 to 14 feet. 11 commercial spaces fronting onto View Street range between approximately 400 to 600 square feet. 158 parking stalls will be provided. [Read more]

[Daveography]

^ That last one looks kinda terrible. Really subpar for Victoria.

[giallo]

Yeah. The massing and exteriors are pretty 'blah'.

I love viewing aerials of Victoria. Such an impressive small city.

[Daveography]

^ It is; I would even go as far to say I think it is Canada's most beautiful city.

It's been way too long since I've been in Vic, I would really like to return sometime soon.

I also just realized I never really post in this thread, so it might seem a bit drive-by to criticize a single development as my one recent contribution to this section. Rest assured, it is because I find the quality of developments in Victoria to be of such a consistently high caliber that there's just really not much I can say about them - except that I would love to see more of this scale and quality in Edmonton's inner city.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by giallo

Yeah. The massing and exteriors are pretty 'blah'.

I love viewing aerials of Victoria. Such an impressive small city.

Maybe it's the government presence in the city centre, but I always feel that Victoria is a much more sophisticated city than its population would suggest.

[Mike K.]

Originally Posted by Daveography

^ That last one looks kinda terrible. Really subpar for Victoria.

The rendering really, really leaves a lot to be desired.

Here is another project from the same developer and architect combo in Victoria. The exterior materials will shine through when we see a proper marketing rendering.





http://www.doncharity.com/the-reef.html