Victoria Construction - #7

[Vin]

Originally Posted by mintzilla

Some more questions from a potential future Victoria resident.

Why do you have to go all the way to the airport to take ferry to Vancouver? How come there isn’t a ferry right from the bay beside victoria city?
Also is $350k reasonable for a 1 bedroom condo in or near downtown Victoria?

At the Swartz Bay ferry terminal there are public buses that will zip you right into downtown Victoria in 45 minutes and costs only CAN$2.50. It's double decker with air-con: makes you feel like you are in the UK. Can't beat that kind of experience.

[Phil McAvity]

^Well, I wouldn't say they "zip" you downtown since many of them toodle about Sidney and the peninsula but at $2.50 it's hard to complain about that


I went by the lot at the corner of Quadra and Johnson where there used to a be a little car lot and the site is being excavated with a proposal to put up a 14 story building there. How exciting

God I wish this city would pull it's head out of it's ass and dispense with arbitrary red tape like zoning and height restrictions

[aastra]

That one has changed a lot since the first proposal:

Versions 1 through 4:


Version 5:


The ADP meeting minutes suggest that the very first version might have been the one that should have been approved after all:

Panel members discussed:

-desire for increased consistency between the elevations, especially on the north façade, for a more cohesive appearance

-concern for the dark colour and strength of presence of the five-storey podium on Quadra and Johnson Streets (aastra says: the first version was fine in this regard)

-opportunity for lighter or reflective elements at the podium level to reflect and showcase the Conservatory building (aastra says: the first version was fine in this regard)

-desire for increased liveliness, as shown in the precedent images, perhaps through the introduction of a lighter element brought down to the street level

-lamenting the move away from the previously-proposed massing erosion at the northeast in recognition of the Conservatory building

-the need to refine the building massing at the Johnson and Quadra street corner

-concern for the imposing podium massing, especially on Quadra Street (aastra says: the first version was fine in this regard)

-opportunity to decrease the four-storey podium height to achieve a better-proportioned, more elegant tower (aastra says: the first version was fine in this regard)

-the proposal's heavy and squat appearance and its abrupt truncation

-desire for increased height

-opportunity for a lighter element, especially where the building meets the sky

[Vin]

The latest proposal is so much nicer! Fits Victoria and the neighbourhood way better. I love that area of Quadra with the number of beautiful churches around. If the city can upgrade the streets around there, like making Mason into a cobblestone pedestrian street with period-looking bollards, streetlamps, etc. I am pretty sure the area can turn into the next tourist attraction. At the moment, other than the beautiful churches, the area seems abandoned by the city.

Mason Street off Quaddra:
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4279...7i13312!8i6656

Quadra:
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4275...7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4280...7i13312!8i6656

[Phil McAvity]

Meh

The building just looks like all the others being built around town these days

[craneSpotter]

I like this one and it's location - but yet another mid-teen storey tower for downtown...

‘Leaning’ tower proposal for downtown Victoria

Oct 17, 2018 - Times Colonist - https://www.timescolonist.com/real-e...ria-1.23466333

It would also preserve and designate the chapel of the former McCall Bros. Funeral Directors Ltd., facing 952 Johnson St. The chapel would be saved as a stand-alone building on the corner of Johnson and Vancouver streets.
This pleases Coun. Pamela Madoff, city council’s heritage champion, who said the heritage designation offer is voluntary. The chapel does not have official heritage protection.
“The quality of the building materials inside is extraordinary,” Madoff said.

[VantageHD]

I like the roof line and the leaning part is pretty cool.

I was in Victoria last weekend, beautiful city. It was bigger than what I was expecting, but still had a chill vibe to it. I did notice the amount of mid-rise buildings, but think they were a positive when at street level. Doesn't help the skyline I guess tho.

[csbvan]

There's a lot to like in that proposal. Good stuff!

[Phil McAvity]

Pisa will be jealous

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by csbvan

There's a lot to like in that proposal. Good stuff!

Yes. Depending on the materials used on the exterior - it has lots of potential.

[mintzilla]

out of all the new condos proposed or under construction, which would you guys say would be the nicest to buy into. location, finishes and amenities wise.

[SpongeG]

$35M Sidney Crossing shopping centre project cancelled

Katie DeRosa / Times Colonist
OCTOBER 22, 2018

Sidney Crossing, a proposed $35-million shopping centre on a parcel of land owned by Victoria International Airport, has failed to launch.

Developer Omicron announced Monday that it’s pulling out of plans to build a 100,000-square-foot commercial centre on 10 acres of airport land at Patricia Bay Highway and the southwest corner of Beacon Avenue.

The company blamed rapidly rising construction costs for killing the project. Another factor, Omicron said in a statement, was the “significant off-site infrastructure requirements,” including a $3-million pedestrian overpass that was required by the Town of Sidney.

Omicron CEO Bill Tucker said in a statement: “The approvals necessary for this project regrettably took longer than any of us anticipated, resulting in a significant escalation of development costs. Standing down on this project is very disappointing and an extremely difficult decision for our firm.”


Geoff Dickson, president and CEO of the Victoria Airport Authority, said it’s unfortunate that the project will not move forward.

“All the parties put in a tremendous amount of effort into bringing this to fruition and it’s unfortunate that the rising costs have made the project not viable for Omicron,” Dickson told the Times Colonist.

...

https://www.timescolonist.com/real-e...led-1.23472611

[skylinegazer]

good. this planet doesn't need another strip mall!

[mintzilla]

if one took a bike on the ferry from victoria to vancouver how hard would it be to get from the terminal to Vancouver DT on bike? or bus or train?

[Vin]

The Translink express bus allows a maximum of two bikes to be loaded in front of it. So make sure you get to the bus loop faster than others. Once you get to the tranfer skytrain station, you can easily load your bike into the trains. Whole process should take you no more than 1hour20minutes.

[mintzilla]

^thank you.

guess i will need to throw some elbows to get one of those spots. what about just biking from Tsawwasana(sp) to Richmond and taking transit from there? will i die on the highway?

[aastra]

You'd need to address the tunnel. Can I ask, how would you be getting your bike to Swartz Bay?

[Vin]

Originally Posted by aastra

You'd need to address the tunnel. Can I ask, how would you be getting your bike to Swartz Bay?

Biking from downtown Victoria to Swartz Bay is a breeze. There are even designated bike paths or old quiet trunk roads along most parts of the highway....

Originally Posted by mintzilla

will i die on the highway?

...so mintzilla won't die while riding.

The stretch from Tsawwassen terminal to downtown Vancouver is rather risky. Like aastra said, you need to negotiate through the Massey tunnel and the chance to get hit is rather high. If you survive that and want to continue towards downtown, you need to go across another narrow bridge since it will be tricky for you to locate the bike/skytrain bridge while trying to cross the mighty Fraser River. So yeah, it'll be better if you just take transit. It's good to arrive downtown in one piece.

[aastra]

...you need to negotiate through the Massey tunnel and the chance to get hit is rather high.

Are you suggesting he could ride his bike through the tunnel? That's not what I meant.

Biking from downtown Victoria to Swartz Bay is a breeze.

SSP forumers are hardy, they think nothing of ~20 miles of cycling in the pouring rain. I suppose because they've got ~25 miles in the pouring rain still to come on the Vancouver side.

[aastra]

FYI: the tunnel shuttle's hours are very limited from November through March.