708 replies to this topic

[G-Man]

Ah! I am not buying it. That has been the long term plan for the last 10 years. Also it should be noted that this mall is owned by the Ontario teachers Pension Plan just like T&C so would be required to get a partner to build any residential buildings.

If the plan is so great build it now and sacrifice some parking. I know there was some opposition building to status quo on the mall and this sounds like pure appeasement to me.

[Galvanized]

This plan isn't 10 years old, it's brand new and was revealed last night. And there is no way they could sacrifice parking to do it all now.

[G-Man]

Hillside mall included a redevelopment of its parking lots to resdential mixed use as part of the Victoria portion of the RGS that was drafted in 1998 if I am not mistaken. This included drawings of the parking lots with these mixed use buildings in these locations.

[G-Man]

Also why can they not "sacrifice" parking?

The mall is on two of the best bus routes in the city!

[Galvanized]

^^Nope, D'Ambrosio did the plan.

I think the plan kicks ass over T&C because it doesn't look like disneyland, the final product looks like an urban village.

[Galvanized]

Also why can they not "sacrifice" parking?

The mall is on two of the best bus routes in the city!

The would never get the re-zoning.

[G-Man]

I know of some people at city hall that would be much more in favour of this proposal if it had less parking.

[Galvanized]

Wouldn't happen, too much opposition from residents as there is already overflow into the neighbourhood. I'm sure this will come up with the current proposal as they are adding 100,000 sq ft of retail with no net increase in parking.

[G-Man]

Perhaps D'ambrosia did this incarnation but the RGS was done a long time agao and the plan already included the residential on the parking lots. This means that the mall owners already saw that this was coming back then and have been sitting on there hands since then.

[G-Man]

Wouldn't happen, too much opposition from residents as there is already overflow into the neighbourhood. I'm sure this will come up with the current proposal as they are adding 100,000 sq ft of retail with no net increase in parking.

This could be easily fixed with parking permits. Sounds like the JBNEAs reason for not wanting to build on parking lots.

[Galvanized]

The OPB people didn't even own the whole site until about a year ago when they bought it from Sears. It was stated without that transaction none of this could happen.

[Holden West]

I'm glad D'Ambrosio's the architect. Because of the superior design and large already-built commercial component this has the potential to be a more exciting and vibrant place than either T&C or Selkirk.

[G-Man]

Did they discuss the fact that the OPB cannot build residential?

[Galvanized]

It's the same story as T&C Mall, they'd look for a partner. I got the impression from D'Ambrosio that they are watching the T&C redevelopment very closely as they want to be able to improve upon it by not repeating any potential mistakes they make. I think they are already a step ahead.

[Icebergalley]

Wouldn't happen, too much opposition from residents as there is already overflow into the neighbourhood. I'm sure this will come up with the current proposal as they are adding 100,000 sq ft of retail with no net increase in parking.

Are they using up "excess" parking stalls and still meeting or exceeding the parking ratios in the zoning by-law?

[Galvanized]

^There aren't any variances so yes.

It's kinda of a catch 22, residents want more parking but no parking structures. Going underground is an option but doesn't make any economic sense unless it was bigger.

[G-Man]

I think residents need to move into the 21st century. I mean all neighbourhoods deal with parking issues and the area around Hillside is no different then Fairfield around Cook Street Village, James Bay around the legislature, downtown in general, Ferwood around their village etc etc...

The problem is not what the attraction is, the problem is that we have not effectively put in place rules that would make people consider take other methods of transport.

By implementing residential parking only and lowering the parking requirment at the mall we would get the best of both worlds less people using their cars and less people parking on residential streets.

If Hillside cannot survive financially without vast seas of parking then there is something wrong with their business model.

[Holden West]

Woman crashes Jag into Hillside Centre
Times Colonist
Published: Friday, May 18, 2007

An elderly woman crashed her car into the side of Hillside Centre in Victoria yesterday.

The woman, in her 90s, did not appear to be aware of her surroundings or understand her situation, said Victoria police Sgt. Brad Fraser. Police were initially called after reports she was doing doughnut-shaped spins in the parking lot. She then straightened out her older model Jaguar car and hit the mall at a "pretty high speed," said Fraser.

[...]
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

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I admit I once did high-speed doughnuts in the Hillside Mall parking lot (at night, after a heavy snowfall) but I assure you it was quite deliberate and that I was fully aware of my surroundings (with the exception of a buried curb, that when struck at top speed proceeded to shatter the car's tie-rods).

[Mike K.]

Remind me why senior drivers are not assessed every six months? If they can visit their doctor a dozen times to a year, surely two escapades to the local DMV aren't too much to ask.

[G-Man]

Perhaps this says more about older model jags