Victoria Construction - #7 - Page 127

aastra · #**2521** Posted **Dec 22, 2020, 7:33 AM**

I think you said you saw them swimming in the pond out front of a condo building on Douglas Street across from Beacon Hill Park. This would have been years ago. (Long before today, but long after the time you picked a fight with me in a movie theater 30 years ago.)

The Great Scaper · #**2522** Posted **Dec 22, 2020, 7:52 AM**

That made me laugh, thank you. Yes you are right. I put some fresh water bass in the ponds of a condo building I maintained and still do and the otter ate them all. It actually knocked the plug out of the pond and it drained into the underground parking lot. There's no fish in the ponds now. But I've been tempted to put some gold fish in it. I still can't remember what the fight at the movie theater was all about though.

Vin · #**2523** Posted **Dec 23, 2020, 6:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Great Scaper

That made me laugh, thank you. Yes you are right. I put some fresh water bass in the ponds of a condo building I maintained and still do and the otter ate them all. It actually knocked the plug out of the pond and it drained into the underground parking lot. There's no fish in the ponds now. But I've been tempted to put some gold fish in it. I still can't remember what the fight at the movie theater was all about though.

Wow, those otters are really something: they massacred the population and then even destroyed the habitat too eh? They would definitely come back to eat the gold fish too if you put them in.

By the way, your Flickr album photos of Victoria look great!

Vin · #**2524** Posted **Dec 23, 2020, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aastra

This project almost seems too good to be true:
https://www.morganblock.com

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Would this be a rebuilt concrete building then? Looking really good.

If only they can also rehabilitate those old buildings across the street on Douglas too. Those look even shantier than the ones to be redeveloped.

The Great Scaper · #**2525** Posted **Dec 25, 2020, 8:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vin

Wow, those otters are really something: they massacred the population and then even destroyed the habitat too eh? They would definitely come back to eat the gold fish too if you put them in.

By the way, your Flickr album photos of Victoria look great!

Thank you so much Vin. I've really enjoyed taking new photos of Victoria this year. I've also gone out with Zoomer a few times too, taking photos which I've enjoyed.

I took this photo yesterday on one of my maintenance contracts. It's a photo of a pyracantha. I thought it made a Christmassy photo.

A Christmassy photo... by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a joyful day.

The Great Scaper · #**2526** Posted **Dec 26, 2020, 12:33 AM**

I was out at Sidney yesterday and was amazed at all the new development so I took some photos. I remember when I was younger that Sidney was totally apposed to new development so this is quite amazing to me.

Sidney B.C. Canada New developments by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Sidney B.C. Canada New Developments by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Sidney B.C. Canada by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Sidney B.C. Canada developments by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Sidney, B.C. Canada developments by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

tophat · #**2527** Posted **Dec 27, 2020, 5:13 PM**

Having lived in Sidney for about 12 years now, this amount of change all at once generated major push back and was the primary reason the mayor and most of the existing council members lost the last election.

Now that council has voted to limit building heights to four stories, development applications have more or less dried up.

The argument for all of this development was high housing prices and once the condos under construction have sold, we will be right back were we started on that front.

The Great Scaper · #**2528** Posted **Dec 27, 2020, 8:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by tophat

Having lived in Sidney for about 12 years now, this amount of change all at once generated major push back and was the primary reason the mayor and most of the existing council members lost the last election.

Now that council has voted to limit building heights to four stories, development applications have more or less dried up.

The argument for all of this development was high housing prices and once the condos under construction have sold, we will be right back were we started on that front.

Thanks so much for your comment tophat. Welcome to the forum as well. I'm sorry to hear that Sidney has resorted back to how it use to be. This is disappointing to hear. Hopefully the new council will see things differently or that next election it will change.

aastra · #**2529** Posted **Dec 27, 2020, 9:11 PM**

A few years ago there were all sorts of grim news items about how Beacon Avenue was dying and small businesses were threatened because of the new shopping centres on the other side of the highway. Emphasizing Sidney's town centre and adding more local residents in new Sidney-style lowrise buildings should have been the obvious solution... but instead it's depicted as yet another menace. Can emphasizing Sidney's urban neighbourhood character really endanger Sidney's urban neighbourhood character? People will never learn.

aastra · #**2530** Posted **Dec 28, 2020, 9:57 PM**

Yates on Yates has a great presence and a solid podium, but such an unfortunately bland head on its shoulders. What a missed opportunity. Does anyone still think it makes sense for prominent buildings to be artificially bland? This approach doesn't accentuate the rest of the cityscape; it diminishes it.

pic from https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...toria-downtown

The Great Scaper · #**2531** Posted **Dec 29, 2020, 1:15 AM**

That's such an awesome photo. Thanks for sharing it. You should add that to our photo thread on "Found City Photos" too.
I am so happy with the height of these buildings but agree that they fall short of what could have been built unlike Chard's Juliet building. They could be worse mind you...

skylinegazer · #**2532** Posted **Dec 31, 2020, 4:08 PM**

I like the plainness of the new Yates St. tower. Not every building needs to be flashy in IMHO :-) Good job Chard and MCMP!

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you guys want to see some incredible views of the city? check out this page for the Shoal Point penthouse! --> https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/2...oria-james-bay

Vin · #**2533** Posted **Jan 5, 2021, 12:35 AM**

The ugly Yates on Yates will look much worse when residents start packing stuff on the balconies. Such a shame it's built to look like this when the design could look so much better.

The Great Scaper · #**2534** Posted **Jan 8, 2021, 3:10 AM**

I was driving south down Blanshard Street this afteroon and Chards towers are prominent on the skyline and I agree they really lack pizazz. It's a disappointment in my opinion they could have been so captivating being that tall. At least they are a little better than View Towers.

skylinegazer · #**2535** Posted **Jan 8, 2021, 5:02 AM**

oh speaking of driving down a street, now when driving south down Quadra st. the view to the christ church cathedral is gone. the new building under construction on Johnson st. obscures the view. oh well!

here's the view: https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.42946...7i13312!8i6656

skylinegazer · #**2536** Posted **Jan 9, 2021, 6:52 PM**

here's a rendering of the Talwood project in Langford, from the website - https://district56.ca/vancouver-isla...dation-permit/

skylinegazer · #**2537** Posted **Jan 9, 2021, 6:58 PM**

apparently that thing is already under construction! :-D https://www.facebook.com/DesignBuild...68011019962659

The Great Scaper · #**2538** Posted **Jan 11, 2021, 8:21 AM**

I didn't realize that Saanich had a new community plan that allows for over 20 story buildings in the southern part of the municipality by uptown and that the new uptown residential proposal will be over 20 stories. That's pretty exciting. I look forward to seeing the design too.

Phil McAvity · #**2539** Posted **Jan 15, 2021, 8:51 PM**

I'm sorry to hear that the nimby's are alive and well in Skidney although given it's demographics i'm not really surprised and in fairness to them who wants to see jobs, housing, an increased tax base and a bit more vibrance threaten their boring, sleepy little town?

Quote:

Originally Posted by skylinegazer

oh speaking of driving down a street, now when driving south down Quadra st. the view to the christ church cathedral is gone. the new building under construction on Johnson st. obscures the view. oh well!

here's the view: https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.42946...7i13312!8i6656

I don't think i've ever noticed Christ Church driving down Quadra but complaining that the view of it is gone from that angle was the same argument False Creek residents in Vancouver used when looking at the mountains as though their view should never change and is why "view cones" were implemented to pander to those nimby's which is one of the craziest things i've ever heard. Cities grow and need to densify and with that come jobs, housing and a bigger tax base but nimby's don't care about any of that due to their sense of entitlement, and it's not like there aren't an almost infinite number of other places to view such things but because their precious view was impeded they made a stink. A friend of mine on facebook made the mistake of saying he opposes high-rise development (although of course he couldn't come up with one sound reason why) and as i've explained to him some of the myriad benefits of it before, I simply asked him if he were dropped on his head as a kid. Bugs bunny had a colorful term for such people

The end is in sight for Uptown finally with the last lot which was supposed to be residential all along:
https://shopuptown.ca/development/

The Great Scaper · #**2540** Posted **Jan 21, 2021, 6:22 AM**

I agree with both your statements Phil regarding Sidney and downtown views. I remember when the Aria was being proposed at 19 stories a man who just bought a condo on the 20th floor of Astoria said he had saved his whole life to buy his condo with his view and that the Aria was going to destroy his precious view...the Aria got rejected for being too tall...just craziness.

Here's a few photos that I have taken from around town lately with Zoomer...

Victoria B.C. Canada by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

A flowering cherry tree in January by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Victoria B.C. Canada by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Victoria B.C. Canada City Hall by thegreatscaper, on Flickr

Victoria B.C. Canada by thegreatscaper, on Flickr