Victoria Construction - #7

[Phil McAvity]

The best view from the hospital would be from the roof of one of the patient towers because they tower over that parkade, or from the roof of Vic High which I endeavor to get in the near future

While Black and White is a great looking building it, like so many buildings, it looked even better in the renderings than completed because the overhanging sections seemed to stick out more

[aastra]

Gary Hoyer pic from October over at flickr.com:

[vicdevelopments]

That’s an amazing photo

[Apey]

Originally Posted by aastra

Gary Hoyer pic from October over at flickr.com:

Awesome pick of the new bridge at night! Still weird not seeing the blue bridge though, always think about the different movies it's been in! Hope everyone has a great New Year's tonight!

[vicdevelopments]

I second that! Happy New Years to everyone 🤘🍷

[Phil McAvity]

Originally Posted by melissasandever

Still weird not seeing the blue bridge though, always think about the different movies it's been in!

Excess Baggage is the only movie I know of that it's been in. Name another

[skylinegazer]

good morning everybody!

here's a photo of the city taken from the US that was recently posted on reddit -

https://reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comm...ungeness_spit/

be sure to click throught to the large version if you want to get a good look at it.

[vicdevelopments]

Thank you for posting that!

[vicdevelopments]

Walmart is opening up a Super Center at the old Sears location at Hillside Mall. I was told about this a few months ago but was told not to say anything about it. It will be interesting to see how it affects the uptown location.

[aastra]

Recent pics by MarkoJ at vibrantvictoria.ca:

HP1:



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1008 Pandora common area:



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989 Johnson:



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Yates on Yates/Vivid:



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Ironworks and its rusted cladding:

[Apey]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

Excess Baggage is the only movie I know of that it's been in. Name another

Wanted to apologize to you Phil McAvity, was thinking there was another movie with the Johnson Street bridge in it, but turns out the link I had found before for what I thought was a documentary, seems to be no longer! I should have bookmarked the page!

[Apey]

Originally Posted by skylinegazer

good morning everybody!

here's a photo of the city taken from the US that was recently posted on reddit -

https://reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/comm...ungeness_spit/

be sure to click throught to the large version if you want to get a good look at it.

Great pic! Have to agree with the other posts from the link, regarding the flat earthers'; you can definitely see the curve of the earth in the photo!

[Apey]

Originally Posted by aastra

Recent pics by MarkoJ at vibrantvictoria.ca:

HP1:



*****

1008 Pandora common area:



*****

989 Johnson:



*****

Yates on Yates/Vivid:



*****

Ironworks and its rusted cladding:

Great and amazing photos of the projects in Victoria mid construction! Can't wait to see the projects once they are finished!

[vicdevelopments]

It’s cool driving down Blanshard Street seeing the cranes as you drive downtown. Chard’s buildings will definitely add to the skyline from that view point. So cool to see new high rises downtown.

[DKaz]

Great photos. Would love to see this quality of development happening in Kelowna, but population wise they're a bit under half way there.

General question, does Metro Victoria feel like a small big city (or big small city)? Like it still has a friendly small town like atmosphere but has enough big city amenities that you feel like you never have to leave? I'm moving back to Kelowna but wonder if I should've considered Victoria. I've always enjoyed visiting the city.

[aastra]

I'd say most cities that have a population of a few hundred thousand and that also have a legitimately rich and varied urban vibe would get filed under the "small big city" category. Some people like to call Victoria a big small town, but that never made any sense to me because a big small town would be more like a large suburban municipality (homogeneous, no texture), whereas a small big city would have much of the architectural/cultural/demographic variety, density, restaurants, amenities, action, surprises, unique details etc. of a much bigger city without actually having the large population and some of the more negative extremes that you normally associate with very big cities (although Victoria does have some of the negative extremes, like expensive real estate, a gritty street scene, etc.).

Victoria was expecting to be the metropolis on Canada's west coast, so it has those bones, and the fact that it didn't pan out as expected is part of what makes the place interesting. I just wish more of the ambitious old architecture had been preserved during the post-1950 purges.

[aastra]

From afar I'd say Kelowna is doing pretty well with the quality of its new developments. My only concern would be the focus on very tall towers, because when an extensive lowrise/midrise base is lacking it can make a place seem one-note and artificial (resort-ish).

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by aastra

From afar I'd say Kelowna is doing pretty well with the quality of its new developments. My only concern would be the focus on very tall towers, because when an extensive lowrise/midrise base is lacking it can make a place seem one-note and artificial (resort-ish).

While a lot of focus has been on the taller towers, there are actually quite a few midrises going up just outside the main core, especially in the North End and around Clement, and to the south in Pandosy and Central City (Central Green area).

[Phil McAvity]

I'm just glad that Kelowna is finally putting some high-rises downtown because for a while i've bitched about how the city's high rises are spread out all over the place so it always seemed like there was never any plan for downtown but it finally seems to be taking shape


High-rise hotel proposed for downtown Victoria

A 15-storey hotel could be coming to the Fort and Blanshard streets area

NICOLE CRESCENZI Jan. 22, 2020 10:00 a.m.LOCAL NEWS

A B.C. developer is proposing a high-rise hotel for a central block in downtown Victoria.

Merchant House Capital is bringing forward early plans for its properties along the 700-block of Fort Street and 1100-block of Blanshard Street, known collectively by the group as “Blanshard Block”.

Currently, the site is occupied by a Monk Office, the Self-Heal Herbal Center, Elder Chiropractic, Chimoto, Italian Food Imports, Guitar Plus, Better Choice Staffing, as well as residential units in the top two floors of the heritage-registered Montrose apartment building.

In a presentation coming to the Victoria Downtown Residents Association on Jan. 29, Merchant House Capital proposes a zoning change to accommodate the Montrose Wintergarden Hotel Project.

ALSO READ: New downtown Victoria hotel slated to replace two heritage buildings

The proposed project would accommodate hotel, office, food and beverage businesses, and have a proposed height of 65.5 m, which could translate into roughly 15 storeys, making it one of the highest buildings in the area.

The Montrose apartment building is set to be retained for the development.

More information will come forward at the upcoming meeting, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Christ Church Cathedral at 930 Burdett Ave.

Black Press Media reached out to Merchant Capital House for comment, but no one was immediately available.

https://www.vicnews.com/news/high-ri...oria-location/



According to this article the building will be 215 feet tall which seems pretty tall for a 15 story hotel, that's the kind of height that 15 story office buildings usually reach

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by aastra

I'd say most cities that have a population of a few hundred thousand and that also have a legitimately rich and varied urban vibe would get filed under the "small big city" category. Some people like to call Victoria a big small town, but that never made any sense to me because a big small town would be more like a large suburban municipality (homogeneous, no texture), whereas a small big city would have much of the architectural/cultural/demographic variety, density, restaurants, amenities, action, surprises, unique details etc. of a much bigger city without actually having the large population

That's a good comparison. Small big city = city that has a big city like urban area (Victoria, Red Deer, Regina), big small city = city that's mostly suburban feeling (Abbotsford, Medicine Hat)

Originally Posted by aastra

and some of the more negative extremes that you normally associate with very big cities (although Victoria does have some of the negative extremes, like expensive real estate, a gritty street scene, etc.).

I think the problem is going to exist no matter what.

Originally Posted by aastra

Victoria was expecting to be the metropolis on Canada's west coast, so it has those bones, and the fact that it didn't pan out as expected is part of what makes the place interesting. I just wish more of the ambitious old architecture had been preserved during the post-1950 purges.

Victoria did seem to suffer more from this than any other municipality in BC, but yet there's still some of that old world charm there.

Originally Posted by aastra

From afar I'd say Kelowna is doing pretty well with the quality of its new developments. My only concern would be the focus on very tall towers, because when an extensive lowrise/midrise base is lacking it can make a place seem one-note and artificial (resort-ish).

Agreed that there's too much focus on high rises especially downtown, but as csbvan said, there is some effort to put in mid rises elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

I'm just glad that Kelowna is finally putting some high-rises downtown because for a while i've bitched about how the city's high rises are spread out all over the place so it's always seemed like there was never any plan for downtown but it finally seems to be taking shape

There's nothing wrong with building multiple town centres, but I just wish they'd build more office towers downtown and residential mid to high rises in the Landmark area.