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[James Bay] Crystal Court Motel site | Unknown plans

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#441 jonny

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Posted 15 December 2014 - 04:10 PM

Great! Anything that extends the awesomeness of the 'Humboldt Valley' would be welcome in my view. My personal preference would be for something thin and tall.

 

Still loads of potential in this area with the rental car lot, the bus depot and Crystalview property.

 

Edit: Hard to believe it was 6 years ago the original project was cancelled.


Edited by jonny, 15 December 2014 - 04:11 PM.

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#442 Mr Cook Street

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Posted 15 December 2014 - 04:17 PM

Might bode well for the plans that the building immediately south is now a rental building rather than a hotel. I'd say they'd have a little less pull in terms of 'view loss' arguments.



#443 Rob Randall

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Posted 15 December 2014 - 04:27 PM

 My personal preference would be for something thin and tall.

 

You and Tiger Woods.

 

Because this is on the border, Downtown, James Bay and Fairfield residents will have an opportunity to weigh in officially on this.

 

It will be interesting to see what if any is retained from the old Westbank proposal in terms of massing and landscaping. You will recall there was a lot of excitement about the prospect of landscaping that would visually link St. Ann's with the rest of the Belleville properties.



#444 Nparker

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Posted 15 December 2014 - 04:34 PM

I doubt we'll see anything over 4-floors here, which of course will be a terrible waste of potential.



#445 Koru

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Posted 22 December 2014 - 07:42 AM

The property was closed on in October. Concert is the Developer that purchased the property.

 

Gone is an iconic design and property that Victoria so foolishly rejected.


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#446 2F2R

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Posted 22 December 2014 - 08:37 AM

First post on this proposed site was in 2008, i believe it was a beautiful 21 story building with the an art gallery attached. I would have worked with the developer to get the size of the gallery right, as I seem to remember it was to small as first proposed. Speed ahead six years ... still sitting there boarded up. I bet in another four years we will see something there, but not a tall beautiful tower. 


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#447 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 08:08 AM

I hear the property was sold to a developer so we should be hearing something soon.


Concert has bought the property. Madoff says the absolute biggest concern will be the height. Sigh.
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#448 Nparker

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 08:52 AM

Concert might as well slap a coat of paint on the existing structure and walk away if they want to avoid the biggest headache of their life.



#449 aastra

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 12:52 PM

You definitely wouldn't want a tall building back there behind the Empress. It would ruin everything.



#450 martini

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 12:59 PM

http://www.timescolo...-life-1.1726696

Carla Wilson / Times Colonist 
January 9, 2015

Crystal Court Motel, closed and boarded up for nearly eight years, has a new owner who wants to bring new life to the high-profile site, surrounded by landmark Victoria ...



#451 aastra

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 01:34 PM

Re: this property, I'm running out of patience for the "sensitive location" stuff. If it's such an extremely delicate/sensitive location, why was a mundane little motel never an issue for all those decades? How come the mundane little hotel didn't wreak the (undefined) harm that we're all supposed to be dreading whenever somebody proposes to do something interesting on the same site? And why isn't the abandoned motel a major issue now? Surely an abandoned motel should just be oozing that terrible whatever-it-is all over Victoria's various landmark properties? And how come nobody cares about the negative impact of that craptastic bus station on the other corner? It isn't oozing, it's gushing. And it's been gushing for decades. How come nobody ever cared about the surface parking lots that dominated this ultra-sensitive district until very recently? For those who obsess about height and height only, the Hotel Grand Pacific is a fairly tall building over on the James Bay side. Has it ruined anything re: Victoria's landmark properties and transition and all of that?

 

I'm not just being a jerk, I'm seriously posing the question. What exactly are we supposed to be worried about? Several significant developments have occurred in the immediate vicinity in the past 20 years or so. Each one of them was supposed to ruin Victoria. None of them ruined Victoria. Crappy properties are slowly but surely being eliminated. The area is much, much nicer than it was. And yet (again) we've got a potential development that threatens to be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. For such a supposedly sensitive camel, its back seems to be damn strong, I have to say.


Edited by aastra, 10 January 2015 - 01:35 PM.

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#452 Hotel Mike

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 01:35 PM

Concert has done quite a number of developments in Victoria. They must know the ropes by now NParker.


Don't be so sure.:cool:

#453 Nparker

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 08:59 PM

Concert has done quite a number of developments in Victoria. They must know the ropes by now NParker.

Has Concert ever come up against the ultimate brand of NIMBY: The James Bay BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything)?



#454 Sparky

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Posted 11 January 2015 - 06:29 AM

Concert is working on more than this one site in James Bay. This will #3 in recent works.

 

http://www.timescolo...lature-1.783181



#455 Rob Randall

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Posted 11 January 2015 - 08:51 AM

Lisa Helps posted that TC article on her FB page saying what a great story it was to have investment in that neighbourhood. This was my reply:

 

Here is the timeline for Westbank's planning for this site, with changes requested by City Hall:

July 15, 2007: Rezoning Application
July 18 2007: Rezoning Submission
Dec. 20 2007: Rezoning Application Amendment
Feb. 20 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
Feb. 26 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
May 12, 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
June 13 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
June 19 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
Aug. 01 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
Sep. 09 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
Sep. 18 2008: Rezoning Re-submission Amendment
October, 2008: Westbank gives up and cancels project, withdraws $470,000 affordable housing contribution.

Lisa, what will you do to ensure this run-around doesn't happen again?

 

 


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#456 Nparker

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Posted 11 January 2015 - 09:49 AM

That is awesome Rob. I look forward to seeing Ms. Help's reply.



#457 Rob Randall

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Posted 12 January 2015 - 09:29 AM

I believe the Westbank proposal also had $150,000 in public art and over $400,000 in road and intersection improvements for Belleville Street.

 

Remember, this is the third owner to try to resolve this site. The first was Austin Hamilton, around 2004, then Westbank in 2007 and now Concert.

 

Whatever Concert proposes, we should keep in mind Westbank's million dollar amenity contribution (or "bribe" as the critics would say).

 

Is the purchase price for this property known for any of the three points in time?



#458 Mike K.

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Posted 12 January 2015 - 09:34 AM

Concert isn't likely to push the sorts of design frontiers Westbank did, which is unfortunate for such a high profile site.

But no matter what they propose at least the Q Apartments won't object!
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#459 AllseeingEye

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Posted 12 January 2015 - 09:36 AM

Lisa Helps posted that TC article on her FB page saying what a great story it was to have investment in that neighbourhood. This was my reply:

 

Great points; I among many others will be eagerly awaiting her response. I mean....yet another senior's housing proposal? Really? I'm all for them in general as I have a parent in such a facility but come on there are already a plethora of such care facilities in James Bay and given the high profile of this site is this really the best Victoria can do at this location? Hm.......



#460 Rob Randall

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Posted 12 January 2015 - 09:48 AM

Concert isn't likely to push the sorts of design frontiers Westbank did, which is unfortunate for such a high profile site.
 

 

So instead of an iconic,graceful curvy tower we'll likely get another generic, boxy Era clone, minus the million dollar amenity.



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