[Colwood] Capital City Centre | Condos, offices, commercial | Up to 29-storeys | Construction cancelled in Sept 2013

Developer Les Bjola (first opposed to highrises in Colwood, and now proposing them ) plans to build a 12-storey hotel, an 8-storey office building and three residential towers from 16 to 29-storeys at Colwood Corners (HWY 14 and Goldstream).

Five towers eyed for Colwood Corners

By Rick Stiebel
Goldstream News Gazette
Oct 18 2006

Call it the project that could change the face of Colwood forever.

Developer Les Bjola has made an application for a $600-million complex at Colwood Corners with five towers that includes a hotel, and a mix of residential and commercial.

Project details have been forwarded to the City of Colwood.

Bjola estimates it will take 10 to 15 years to complete, based on market absorption.

The concept calls for a 12-storey hotel at the corner of Colwood Crescent and Sooke Road, with an eight-storey office building along Sooke Road.

Three towers of 16, 22 and 29 floors comprised of condominiums are included toward the rear of the seven-acre property.

The project also includes some minor buildings, with commercial on the first floor of all five towers, Bjola said.

Bjola is doing market research to determine the size of the suites before determining prices, although he expects the condos will fall within mid-range prices.

"The two things that determine a project of this nature are parking and structural core of each building," Bjola said. "That will ultimately determine the number of condos and the height of the buildings."

Bjola is waiting for a date to make a presentation to Colwood's planning and zoning committee, which he doesn't anticipate happening before November.

All of the discussions he's been involved in and meetings he's attended since the Official Community Plan came into being in 1985 have indicated that's where the density should be, Bjola said.

"It's taking Colwood into its next chapter," he said.

The architect for the project is Ziedler Carruthers, the worldwide company with offices in Calgary and Langford that designed Bear Mountain Resort.

Colwood another has a proposal on the books for a $90-million 29-storey, 163-unit tower down the road from Colwood Corners called Royal Roads Place. That has passed third reading and is waiting for a development permit.

Developer Russ Ridley has also proposed a $130-million 41-storey tower for land near Colwood Corners, but that has yet to come before council.

mailto:news@goldstreamgazette.com

Wow, thanks for the info Derf!!!

This is truly amazing. As a kid I always visualized towers in Colwood....funny.

It's been a while since I've explored Colwood Corners closely. Isn't it not much more than an intersection? One intersection does not an urban core make, regardless of the density. Shouldn't they be carving out some smaller streets in the area? You can't have sidewalk vibrancy without sidewalks.

There are small streets adjacent to the properties being redeveloped. One is still unfinished pending development but there's potential for a small maze of roads. It could be a neat thing out there. My sense is, however, that the parking lots in that area will soon make way for more residential/commercial/office developments to help fill in the current suburban void.

That one street, I believe it's called Knob Hill rd. is massive. That intersection is larger than any part of Douglas or Blanshard St.

Right at the intersection at Hwy 14 and Knob Hill.

The problem with burbs is even when you create a central area in them peoples houses are still too widely dispersed to really ever change the habits. I suggest Metrotown and Richmond as examples. Both of these places have increased their urbanization but they have not reduced the car-centric focus.

I'm not a big fan of the maze of roads--sounds suburban to me. As long as the store frontages come up to the sidewalk and the parking lots are out of the way. And some nice green space.

Too much to ask?

A maze of small streets sounds like New York's SOHO and the swanky parts of Chicago's downtown areas. Small streets with podiums and setback towers would create a great urban feel within a suburban area. If this project does indeep follow through with retail in the podiums the sidewalk duldrums of Burbaby's and Richmond's highrise areas wouldn't be so much of an issue.

Remind me again where this is? Is this where the London Drugs is?

Also don't forget Colwood asked the developer of Lagoon Estates to provide 2.5 parking spaces for vehicles for the development.

Mulitply 2.5 x 660 units.......

Yup that's right.....1650 !!!

And this is just the start.....

add that to 5000 units in Bear Mountian, 5,000 in West Hills, 4000 units in Royal Bay, and the list goes on and on...... and we complain of sprawl, endless lines of cars on the Trans Canada during Rush hours, smog, etc.

But this is all better than building a 20 story tower on a parking lot downtown. :roll:

Some interesting old articles retrieved from the memory hole:

Skyscraper plans cheered, jeered

Building plans are getting mixed reviews.
By T.K. Demmings
News Gazette correspondent
Mar 02 2005


The West Shore's first skyscraper is Colwood's for the taking, but whether Colwood wants it - or is ready for it - is a multi-million dollar question.

The proposal to construct a 17-storey concrete building with 59 large apartments at the end of Nob Hill Road next door to a light industrial area is already drawing plenty of debate.

While 40-year-resident Anita Bjola described the tower as both an "imposing and monolithic blight on our community," and a "monster in our midst," Wale Road resident Roy Volanger said he thinks the building will be the "jewel of our city," and just the thing needed to get other projects going.

Colwood has had pitches for buildings as tall as 12 stories in the past, but this proposal is far grander than anything seen so far. It stretches the official community plan's vision of low-rise apartment buildings along that section of Nob Hill Road and would require a public hearing to allow rezoning from its designated highway commercial use.

"I suspect that what I am showing you here tonight is not what you are used to seeing in Colwood," architect Peter de Hoog said, in presenting the plans to the city's planning and zoning committee last week.

If approved, it's expected the building would cost $14 million to construct, generate $350,000 annually in property taxes, and about $500,000 in permit fees.

Developer Les Mitton of Millstream Developments is planning to leave about half of the one-acre property in its natural state, complete with a grouping of Garry oak trees. The site coverage of the tower footprint itself would be 15 per cent. Parking would be underground in two levels.

The committee forwarded the proposal to council after hearing more than two hours of comments from concerned residents and business owners, including Edie Foster, who rejected the suggestion that the building will be Colwood's "View Towers," a reference to side-by-side apartment buildings in downtown Victoria which are often derided for their lack of visual appeal.

"This is going to be absolutely first class. I can't imagine the views and I can't imagine the price. I would love to be able to afford to live there," she said.

Some of the apartments would be more than 2,300 square feet and a penthouse suite would dominate the entire 17th floor.

Greg Engel, developer of the new Tim Horton's and Wendy's restaurants on Island Highway, also supported the proposal, even though his plan for a 12-storey high-rise didn't pan out eight years ago. "We need something like this," he said, suggesting that it would look better to have more than one skyscraper in the area.

Dave Saunders, whose family owns Saunders Subaru on the strip, also urged councillors to green light the project.

"This is our golden triangle that everybody has talked about for years," he said.

Bear Mtn. developer opposes skyscraper

By T.K. Demmings
News Gazette correspondent
Mar 02 2005


One of the lead developers of the Bear Mountain golf resort is upset that his house might end up sandwiched between a skyscraper and a refrigerated warehouse.

Les Bjola asked Colwood's planning and zoning committee to "imagine 17 stories towering over your house," and said the city should allow other properties in the area to also be zoned for skyscrapers.

"We're now forced to do something," he said, later noting that his family has always planned to "do something" with four acres they own in the area.

Bjola, his parents and sister all live in houses on Nob Hill Road, all of which will likely be in the tower's shadow.

While Les Bjola said it was pointless to speak against the tower because it's "inevitable," his father, mother, sister and wife all took turns voicing their distaste. Wife Diane said the tower would look like a "sore thumb," and that it made her sick. Sister Sandra said headlights of cars coming down the apartment building's driveway would shine directly into her living room.

Father Leonard, a 40-year resident of the area, commented on the "racket of cars and machines" he will have to listen to during two years of construction.

Les Bjola, who described himself as part of the "development fraternity" criticized proponents of the skyscraper for having an inadequate public consultation process.

The Bjolas have been given a double-whammy, because in addition to the skyscraper proposal, Lekker Foods is hoping to have a 10,000 square-foot warehouse built at 2670 Wilfert Rd. The property is right next to Les Bjola's house.

"It is absolutely aggravating to have the hum of a refrigeration unit across from your bedroom window," Bjola said.

He asked Robert Murphy, the majority owner of the property who presented the plans last week, to construct a concrete fence along their shared property line to buffer the noise. The committee has instead requested extra insulation be used in the building for soundproofing.

Coun. Ernie Robertson, a member of the committee, said if the tower and warehouse are approved, council should have a discussion with the Bjola family and "make sure some good comes out of this for them as we develop the community."

The rendering in Goldstream News looked nice.

What irks me is they never include the renderings for the online version. Sort of silly.

Does anyone have a scanner and could scan the image?

I do but I don't have the Godlstream News. Classic conundrum.

Somebody scan it!

I will pick a copy up and photograph it if you like, I just don't have a scanner!

Here's a photo of the rendering that appeared in the paper.

As you can see it's a very, very preliminary questimate of the scale and scope. It looks like the hotel is at the intersection, connected with the office component, and the three residential towers are in the rear.

If a Vic West Village-type mall shapes up in that development it could take on the form of a very neat shopping and highrise residential area in PoCo that I quite liked.

I like the staggard height!!!

As early concepts go, it looks pretty good. What's the deal with the roof of the hotel?

I was wondering the same thing!!!