1722 replies to this topic

[zingzamzoom]

weird...who drew up this conceptual drawing? The hotel secttion is almost exactly the same as Juliet. hmmm...

by the way hello.

:twisted:

[Scaper]

hmmmm missing in action....but back in the fight!!!

[Doc Sage]

This area is very close to my lady's house.

Eh...London Drugs must be the blue roof is the back, right? The former Colwood Corner's Pub is on the far left.

I like it, love the condo's in the back of the property.

Doc Sage

[DelsterX]

Reminds me of Park Royal in West Vancouver.

[Walter Moar]

Colwood Corners plan clears hurdle
Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, December 14, 2006

A massive plan to redevelop the centre of Colwood with a highrise hotel, shops, and apartment and office buildings up to 29 storeys squeaked through the city's planning and zoning committee.

The rezoning application by Les Bjola of Turner Lane Development Corp. for the 2.9 hectare Colwood Plaza site at Colwood Corners, bounded by Sooke Road, Jerome Road and Colwood Crescent, will go to council Monday.

Bjola told the committee Tuesday night he also bought the adjacent London Drugs property that afternoon and he will be looking for an integrated development. He said in an interview that planning for the London Drugs site is getting underway immediately, and would eventually mean relocating tenants.

The first of the eight buildings Bjola hopes to construct at Colwood Plaza is a 12-storey hotel at the corner of Sooke Road and Colwood Crescent.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide is interested in operating the 80-room and 20-suite hotel as either a Radisson or a Park Lane, Bjola said.

"The hotel would take about 18 months to build and, in my perfect world I would like to get started in the summer of 2007 and open by Christmas of 2008."

The next phase in the 15- to 20-year building program would be three four-storey assisted-living buildings on the Jerome Road/Galloping Goose Trail side of the development.

That would mean knocking down nine rental houses Bjola owns.

"The bulldozer would probably be doing them a great favour," he said.

The pedestrian-friendly development, which would require road realignments, would have two levels of underground parking, rooftop gardens, green buildings using solar power and wind energy, and underground utilities.

A mixed-use building facing Sooke Road would be eight storeys, but controversy is already simmering over the three condominium buildings in the centre of the project. Bjola wants zoning for 29 storeys, even though the immediate plans call for 16, 20 and 24 storeys.

The compromise reached by the four committee members was for buildings fronting Sooke Road to be no higher than 15 storeys, no buildings beside the Galloping Goose to be more than four storeys and for buildings in the middle not to exceed 29 storeys and to be tiered, meaning only one could be 29 storeys.

"This is the Official Community Plan on steroids," said Coun. Jason Nault, who voted against sending the proposal forward.

Coun. Ernie Robertson, chairman for the meeting, retorted, "I think this is the Official Community Plan on Viagra. It's a much-needed boost."

The project cost is estimated at $500 million, with another $350 million for the London Drugs property.

But the figure which made some eyes light up was Bjola's estimate of the dollars that would flow into Colwood coffers.

"There's over $3 million, if you count the property I bought today, in annual net taxes to the city. That's net -- after the province and school board have taken their share," he said.

Robertson said the prospect of the taxes makes it difficult to delay the process until the Official Community Plan has been reviewed.

"We have an investor who's willing to put $3 million annually into Colwood coffers. I am not going to jeopardize that for a process," Robertson said.

However, the full tax benefits would not come until all parts of the project are built, and Bjola is also looking for a tax freeze on the properties until occupancy permits are issued and a five-year tax-free status for the hotel.

As the application goes through the council process, it is likely only five councillors will be voting on it. Coun. David Saunders and Mayor Jody Twa will probably absent themselves, as both have property interests in the area.

mailto:jlavoie@tc.canwest.com
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006

[aastra]

The pedestrian-friendly development...

Notice how they didn't put "pedestrian-friendly" in quotes?

[jaylow]

Colwood Coffers?
is that a spelling mistake or is also called "colwood coffers"?

[Walter Moar]

Colwood Coffers?
is that a spelling mistake or is also called "colwood coffers"?

Coffers, as in where you put the tax income.

[aastra]

No doubt, the redevelopment of Colwood Corners will fatten Colwood's coffers, if condo buyers can cough up the cash.

Also, expect a corner coffee shop.

[G-Man]

Article about this project I believe but its locked:

Colwood reaches for the skies
Times Colonist

[Mike K.]

In today's TC?

[G-Man]

Yup A14 Comment section...

[ressen]

I still think that a LRT line running trough Colwood corners and across Esquimalt harbour to Esquimalt would both invigorate Esquimalt and justify high dencity on the west shore.

[Scaper]

It would be cool if the Lrt line went strait out of Victoria over the harbour through Esquimalt to the end of Esquimalt Rd. and bridged over to the other side to Colwood (Ocean Boulevard) and out to The West Shore Mall.

[VicHockeyFan]

It would be cool if the Lrt line went strait out of Victoria over the harbour through Esquimalt to the end of Esquimalt Rd. and bridged over to the other side to Colwood (Ocean Boulevard) and out to The West Shore Mall.

You know, that would rock - and I'm against LRT.

[Icebergalley]

^Why would you do that?

[Ms. B. Havin]

Why would you want to extend an LRT through Esquimalt to Colwood? You could take the following sentence and substitute "LRT" for "Museums," noting that "subway station" is essentially "valuable & enlivening transit route":

"Museums are pump primers, their presence can be compared to the opening of a subway station, or even an airport: an investment which has the effect of raising property values. They have the ability to raise the profile of a development, bringing life into an area."

(The quote is from a 1993 book by Deyan Sudjic -- who, perhaps sadly for us, also wrote a more recent book called The Edifice Complex... ;-).)

I think the point is that good transit, like signature special places (museums, etc.) can pull a whole bunch of economic effects in their wake, and that, I guess, is a good thing.

[Scaper]

By going through Esquimalt and bridging to Colwood would make a very quick straight route to Downtown. You could have a couple of large park and ride stations. It would be a much faster route to Downtown and by the end of the completions of Royal Bay, West Hills, Bear Mountain, Lagoon Estates, and the Dense Colwood Corners area, it would make sense to take vehicle preasure off the Trans Canada Highway. If something is not done to help with traffic problems along the Trans Canada the Government will probably end up spending hundreds of millions in dollars upgrading the freeway out that way. Though upgrading work is already needed now such as the McKenzie Ave and Tillicum intersections.

[gumgum]

It would have to be a VERY high bridge in order to fit naval (navel?) vessels underneath.

[Scaper]

AirCraft carriers can squeeze under the skytrain bridge built in 1990!