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The Songhees Neighbourhood in Vic West


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#1 AllseeingEye

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 05:09 PM

Then it should fit in nicely with the rest of the junk on the Songhees.  Victoria had a great opportunity and absolutely blew it

I agree with you on the older stuff built in the 80's.....those buildings are horrific. They are utter dreck. Full stop. Constructed at a time when the prevailing attitude on city council was, apparently, "well as long as its not tall we don't care how butt ugly it is". But I have to say I do like the newer structures built in the last few years.  I am hoping once the Bayview/Roundhouse development is completely built out, and presumably incorporating some creative landscaping, that will combine to soften and hide the worst aspects of those older condos.


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#2 dasmo

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 06:36 PM

True, Bayview might save it. The Roundhouse especially. The place would have been a total write off if not for Spinnakers...



#3 dasmo

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 03:34 PM

"new urbanism" hadn't hit here yet...



#4 Hotel Mike

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 03:51 PM

Visionless NDP mayor?


Don't be so sure.:cool:

#5 SamCB

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 05:13 PM

Songhees is a condo desert.


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#6 LJ

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 07:24 PM

Did they purposely design Songhees with no retail or is that just the way it unfolded?


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#7 dasmo

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 07:56 PM

Hey, I call it a condo desert too! 

There was retail built at the same time. ​I think it is a classic case of "non locals" developing from a map without even setting foot in the space. From a map perspective it makes sense. The commercial is at the westbay village (save on). You know, residential here, commercial there.... No passion for the place and poor design.

 

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#8 Mike K.

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:14 PM

West Side Village was built almost a decade after the first buildings were going in at Songhees so I don't think they planned the Songhees with an eye for commercial where WSV is. It just happened that WSV was developed as it was/where it was.

 

As for the Songhees, it was actually the City of Victoria that created the guidelines which developers followed, not the other way around. This is a classic case of poor planning by the City. This is the same era that got us the architectural blights that are Streetlink, Salvation Army, 595 Pandora (which will thankfully be renovated) and quite a few more.

 

Quite honestly the only saving grace in Victoria was the heritage buildings that locals loved to raze up until the 1980's. Some solid stuff met the wrecking ball only to be replaced with absolutely horrible, nondescript and mostly disposable architecture.


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#9 G-Man

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:29 PM

When Songhees was built the save on plaza was not even an idea in a developers mind. It was a huge empty lot most notable for having the glacier following the Blizzard of 1996 sit on it as that is where all the snow was put as the City was cleared.

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#10 HB

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:30 PM

I wish the water tower was still at Songhees only the footings remain on teh lookout rock.

 

Instead they moved it to a place where not many people get to see it.

 

It could have been a focal  point put some windows in it and some stairs up to the top. Maybe a revolving restaurant.

 

 

 

 



#11 G-Man

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:32 PM

Too much competition for the other two revolving restaurants at Corazon and Vista 18.
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#12 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:36 PM

Too much competition for the other two revolving restaurants at Corazon and Vista 18.

 

I still haven't been to the Corazon restaurant.  I still think it's a mistake that the only way to reach it is by dirigible.


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#13 G-Man

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 08:59 PM

It is amazing it is still in business after all these years. And to think I thought their biggest mistake was the lack of windows.

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#14 HB

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 09:07 PM

where is it located



#15 Nparker

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 09:08 PM

I still haven't been to the Corazon restaurant.  I still think it's a mistake that the only way to reach it is by dirigible.

 

 

It is amazing it is still in business after all these years. And to think I thought their biggest mistake was the lack of windows.

But it does have windows....just very special one-way glass ones, that appears windowless from the exterior. Not only does it afford the highly exclusive patrons unmatched privacy it makes the restaurant completely free of annoying drone intrusions.


Edited by Nparker, 22 September 2014 - 09:09 PM.


#16 dasmo

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 10:09 PM

I assumed the plans were in the works back then for commercial to be in that spot? Crazy, I thought it was built before the blizzard! 

Blaming it on the design guidelines and council is over simplified and an easy scapegoat IMO. A passionate developer could have worked with constraints or worked to get them modified... It still comes down to a poor vision. 



#17 G-Man

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Posted 23 September 2014 - 06:21 AM

It wasn't the developer that created the design guidelines, and if you look at the original plan put out by the city it is sad.

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#18 aastra

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Posted 23 September 2014 - 07:19 AM

 

​I think it is a classic case of "non locals" developing from a map without even setting foot in the space....

 

Are we talking about the Songhees in general? If so, I strongly disagree with this notion. The Songhees project is all about locals effing things up with their self-conscious determination to build anything-but-more-Victoria (un-Victoria, as I like to call it) in the heart of Victoria. That whole "Sausalito-north" notion was really silly. How about "Victoria west"? Maybe the latter would have been a better fit?



#19 Mike K.

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Posted 23 September 2014 - 07:29 AM

dasmo, you've gotta accept that developers aren't the big bad wolves you're making them out to be. Songhees was/is a perfect example of the City butchering an entire district.

There's no such thing as foreign developers coming in and forcing something on us. It just doesn't happen. Even the marina is going in as part of the Songhees plan, but even though WAM could have built a facility twice as large they opted not to, they made concessions for other marine users, and as a literally life long resident of Vic West I'm all for this and can't wait to see commercial space along the walkway.
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#20 rjag

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Posted 23 September 2014 - 08:02 AM

Was Songhees the love child of Peter Pollens time as Mayor?



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