Victoria Construction - #7

[Mike K.]

Surprise! Apparently the documents were signed just last week and the crews are ready to go that fast. Same team as who is doing work on 1075 Pandora.
 

 

Excavation begins for 209 unit rental tower on "Capital Six" parking lot
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/exc...x-parking-lot/
 
A long-time parking lot behind the former Capital Six movie theatre in downtown Victoria will be fenced off this week as crews begin site preparations for a 15-storey, 209 unit rental tower at 819 Yates Street.
 
Vancouver-based Chard Development is embarking on the company's first purpose-built rental project following a half-dozen condo developments in Victoria. The company's decision to build rental housing in lieu of condos is in response to the local market's penchant for market condos-turned-rentals given the region's historic lack of new-build rental housing and strong demand for modern homes without the commitment of a purchase. [Full article]

[Mike K.]

Customs House development receives approval from the City of Victoria
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/cus...y-of-victoria/
 
The City of Victoria has approved the development proposal for Customs House, a mixed-use office, rental apartment and ground floor commercial project at 816 Government Street.
 
The property currently consists of the historic Customs House building at Wharf and Courtney streets and a faux heritage 1950's addition spanning the block along Government Street between Wharf and Courtney streets.
 
Cielo Properties plans to fully restore and convert the Customs House building, built in 1914, into 43 rental apartments sized between 700 and 1,500 square feet with rents starting at $1,500. Ground floor retail units will envelop the building and a single recessed floor of office space will be added to the roof. [Full article]

[Mike K.]

Affordable housing eyed for fixed up Fairfield Block building
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/aff...lock-building/
 
Affordable housing has been announced as a key part of a plan to purchase and rehabilitate the historic Fairfield Block building on Douglas Street at Cormorant Street across from Victoria City Hall.
 
Jon Stovell, President of Vancouver-based Reliance Properties, made a statement on VibrantVictoria indicating the company has an option to purchase and "fix up" the three storey mixed-use commercial and transient accommodation building while maintaining the homes as affordable rental apartments. [Full article]

[Mike K.]

Larger units trump studios at Fort and Cook condo development
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/lar...o-development/
 
A big change is coming to the intersection of Cook and Fort streets on the eastern fringe of Victoria's downtown core.
 
Abstract Developments is readying to build the firm's largest project to-date, a six storey mixed-use condo with 11,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space at 1101 Fort Street.
 
In February of 2014 Victoria city council approved Abstract's plans to redevelop the Fort Building property into a six storey building with 88 condo units above a commercial ground floor. Since then the developer has fine-tuned the project to expand the ground floor commercial space, reduce residential units by approximately ten per cent and add an additional level of underground parking. Moderate exterior design changes are also underway following a transition from D'Ambrosio Architecture + Urbanism to Cascadia Architecture. [Full article]

[Mike K.]

Remaining phases of Railyards development in Vic West revealed
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/rem...west-revealed/
 
A development plan by Lefevre & Company for the remaining parcels of Vic West’s decade-long Railyards development has been granted a public hearing by City of Victoria councillors.
 
The updated development concept, requiring approvals for revisions made to an earlier plan, calls for three residential buildings up to eight storeys tall built over three phases with a combined 144 condo and townhome units on The Railyard's southern-most land. [Full article]

[Vin]

Is there going to be a commercial or retail centre planned for the Railyards neighbourhood? That area needs more vibrancy. Also would be convenient for the increasing number of residents living them not to have to cross the Blue bridge for their shopping.

[aastra]

The supermarket and such are right there in Vic West so people don't actually need to go downtown for basics (I assume this is what you meant by "cross the Blue bridge").

Otherwise, I don't think we're ever going to see a significant retail atmosphere in that neighbourhood (by "significant" I mean something similar to Cook Street village or Oak Bay village).

At this point I'm just hoping that the Dockside Green lot beside the Bay Street Bridge gets developed and that there's a decent commercial unit/patio on the corner there facing the path and the harbour. It would be a great spot for a restaurant/pub.

[Mike K.]

BlueSky secures approvals for North Park rental project
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/blu...ental-project/
 
The City of Victoria has approved a six storey, 195 unit rental development with nearly 50,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space at 1008 Pandora Avenue.
 
The project will replace the former St. Andrew’s Elementary School at Vancouver Street and Pandora Avenue that has sat vacant since its closure by the Catholic Diocese of Victoria in 2013. [Full article]

[Mike K.]

Affordable housing reignites Dockside Green development
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/aff...n-development/
 
The City of Victoria has approved two buildings for exclusive use as affordable "work force" rental housing at 370 and 380 Harbour Road as part of the Dockside Green project in Vic West. The development will be in partnership with Dockside Green developer Vancity and Catalyst Community Development Society, a not-for-profit using social equity in project financing that will own and operate the units once completed. Pacifica Housing will handle tenant intake and the day-to-day management.
 
The two buildings, referred to as R4 (19 units) and R5 (30 units), will rise to three floors with units ranging from 250 square foot studios to 1,130 square foot three bedroom and den townhomes. In accordance with BC Housing Income Limits maximum rent for studio apartments will be $737.50 rising up to $1,675 for townhomes. [Full article]

[Metro-One]

Thanks for always keeping us updated on what is going on in Victoria.

A lot of infill happening there.

[Mike K.]

No worries. Lots is happening, for sure. The rental industry in particular has really taken off.

[hollywoodnorth]

thanks as well from me. much obliged

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Mike K.

What the F is this? The "faux" heritage addition (which is now like 60 years old in its own right) is an essential and stately part of a consistent heritage streetscape and prominent heritage street corner. How the F could the city destroy it for this gargage and ruin a stately heritage street corner?

A well-exectuted conversion of the existing building/facade to create street level retail and whatever else is all that should ever have been contemplated.

[Mike K.]

Faux heritage is a mockery to architecture. There's nothing stately about chipping fiberglass and a 1950's building that no longer meets the needs of any commercial tenants, even the federal government that built and leased it. We're glad to be losing a Disney-esque building passed off as heritage.




Bosa's Encore development reaches sales milestone
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/bos...les-milestone/
 
Bosa Properties' latest condo development in Victoria has struck a chord with buyers as sales outpace market expectations.
 
Since mid-September 65 of the 17-storey Encore at Bayview Place's 134 units have sold. The sales volume represents just under 50% of the luxury project's total inventory solidifying Encore as one of the decade's best received residential developments in Victoria.
 
The combination of a unique location affording unobstructed views coupled with an opportunity to invest in an increasingly popular district within the City of Victoria is what's drawing in the buyers, according to Bosa's sales team. [Full article]

[aastra]

The "faux" heritage addition (which is now like 60 years old in its own right)...

This is not quite correct. Yes, ~60 years ago the magnificent 1890s post office was replaced by a bland modern office block, but the faux-heritage dressing was not added to the bland modern office block until the 1990s.

Timeline:
1890s - magnificent post office is built
1914 - less magnificent "customs house" addition is built
1950s - demolition of magnificent post office/replacement with bland modern office block
1990s - bland 1950s office block gets faux-heritage dressing
2016? - demolition of bland 1950s office block in faux-heritage dressing

*****

From "Exploring Victoria's Architecture" by Martin Segger:

"Dominion Custom House - 1914
This was built as an addition to the 1894 Second Empire Post Office which stood at the Government Street corner. Demolition of the Post Office in 1965 (aastra says/asks: should that be 1956?) and replacement with a bland modern structure constituted a major loss to Victoria's grand processional entrance as seen from the Inner Harbour. The surviving addition utilized the Edwardian palazzo form but quoted many of the Classical elements from the wall surfaces of the old Post Office. Interestingly, the Federal Government recognized its symbolic faux pas and in time for Victoria's hosting the Commonwealth Games in 1994 had the modern building reclad..."

*****

Original 1890s Post Office:

pic from BC Archives...


pic from BC Archives...

*****

1890s Post Office and 1914 Customs House addition beside:

pic from BC Archives...


pic from BC Archives...

*****

Demolition of 1890s Post Office (leaving the 1914 Customs House addition):

pic from BC Archives...

*****

Bland modern office block that replaced the 1890s Post Office:

pic from BC Archives...

Bland modern office block beside the 1914 Customs House:

pic from BC Archives...

Another pic:
http://s266.photobucket.com/user/smw...n0002.jpg.html

*****

Bland modern office block in 1990s faux-heritage dressing, as it looks today (beside the 1914 Customs House at left):

[aastra]

The "faux" heritage addition (which is now like 60 years old in its own right) is an essential and stately part of a consistent heritage streetscape...

Wow, I could not disagree more. That modern addition can't get the boot soon enough. They should have deleted it back in the 1990s instead of giving it the faux-heritage treatment.

For some reason Victorians after WW2 were keen on wiping out anything grand so that they could replace it with something bland. This project represents a rare opportunity to rectify a stunning mistake. I don't think the new building will be equal to the opportunity, which is disappointing. The first proposal would have been much more appropriate, but (as always) it got watered down. Still, it will be a major improvement over what's there now, and a much better fit for such a prominent corner.

[Vin]

Is the faux heritage building stone and concrete? If only the original post office's facades were retained and interior rebuilt with concrete, imagine how much better that part of the harbour area could look now! The "faux heritage" building itself is beautiful and could have been built a block or two away (like where the ugly parkade is at Gordon and Broughton).

I also need to add that it is important to retain as much of the 50s building as possible because it is beautiful in its own right. The new addition can be done across the blue bridge or elsewhere outside the heritage zone.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Mike K.

Faux heritage is a mockery to architecture. There's nothing stately about chipping fiberglass and a 1950's building that no longer meets the needs of any commercial tenants, even the federal government that built and leased it. We're glad to be losing a Disney-esque building passed off as heritage.




Bosa's Encore development reaches sales milestone
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/bos...les-milestone/
 
Bosa Properties' latest condo development in Victoria has struck a chord with buyers as sales outpace market expectations.
 
Since mid-September 65 of the 17-storey Encore at Bayview Place's 134 units have sold. The sales volume represents just under 50% of the luxury project's total inventory solidifying Encore as one of the decade's best received residential developments in Victoria.
 
The combination of a unique location affording unobstructed views coupled with an opportunity to invest in an increasingly popular district within the City of Victoria is what's drawing in the buyers, according to Bosa's sales team. [Full article]

Are they going to establish a commercial/retail area here in the long term. The increasing number of residents in this part of town surely need more services. Last time I was there, the area was kinda dead.

[Mike K.]

Yes, there's a significant commercial component coming to the right of the two Bosa towers. You can see the brick building to the right of the blue box, that's part of the commercial component. More info: http://victoria.citified.ca/commerci...e-marketplace/

[Mike K.]

 
Brewpub to anchor proposed downtown residential tower
http://victoria.citified.ca/news/bre...dential-tower/
 
A yet unnamed brewpub operator is planning to anchor a 16-storey mixed-use rental and ground floor commercial tower proposed for the southwest corner of Caledonia and Blanshard streets, according to documents filed with the City of Victoria by Richmond-based developer Townline.
 
Dubbed Hudson Walk, phase two, the project will include 106 rentals in a mix of one and two bedroom layouts plus two-storey street level townhomes. 100 apartments will range between approximately 581 and 800 square feet with six two bedroom-plus-den townhomes afforded 1,200 square feet.
 
Kitty-corner to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the tower's 4,000 square foot ground floor commercial space may become a hive of rather jovial activity if Townline receives the necessary approvals to house a craft brewery and pub in the podium of the residential building, a first for Victoria. [Full article]