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[Saanich] UVic Ian Stewart Complex lands | Apartments and commercial


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#1 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 06:46 AM

UVic proposes 9-acre mixed-use university district

 

The proposed development, which is still in early stages, would replace the Ian Stewart sports complex

 

https://www.capitald...ersity-district

 

 

 

 

The move to reorganise the Ian Stewart complex lands under a different governance structure will likely sidestep one of the key hurdles that UVic faces in developing more housing on university-owned lands. The provincial restriction on the debt capacity of post-secondary institutions limits how much UViccan borrow to finance capital projects. UVic’s student union has argued that this restriction is contributing to the student housing crisis in Victoria.

 
The lands that have been identified for the mixed-use university district come up to just under nine acres, which include the largely decommissioned sports complex and a former rugby clubhouse across the street currently used only for storage.
 
Wilson says that any housing units on the site will likely be aimed more for the broader community instead of students, but that the university is not ruling out dedicated housing opportunities for faculty and staff. Last year, UVic put out a request for consultants to prepare a report studying the possibility of university-provided employee housing. 
 
 
 
 
screenshot-www.google.com-2023.01.26-09_48_38.png

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2023 - 06:49 AM.


#2 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 12:54 PM

No comments?


I have a lot to say here.

#3 aastra

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 12:55 PM

 

Wilson says that any housing units on the site will likely be aimed more for the broader community instead of students

 

Methinks it doesn't matter how staunch the politics might be at UVic. When they see the $$$ bonanza being reaped at UBC or SFU they just can't resist.


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#4 aastra

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 01:27 PM

 

I have a lot to say here.

 

Speak up! It bugs me how you always choose to hold your tongue and not say anything. You shouldn't be so concerned about possibly offending somebody. If it ever happens, just understand it was bound to happen eventually. No streak can last forever.


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#5 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 02:09 PM

UVic's Ian Stewart Complex to be replaced with housing

 

Facility includes an ice rink still used for skating and hockey, and an outdoor swimming pool that closed in 2015
 


#6 lanforod

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 08:01 PM

I had no idea this was in the works. Shouldn't be surprised, i suppose. 



#7 BikeLaneLover

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 10:49 PM

It’s a weird location - just outside the campus and just far enough away from University Heights to make it annoying to walk to. It’ll be good to have some more vibrancy there, but it’s going to be a bit of an island if you’re trying to build another urban village. Hopefully they’ll focus on making housing for a both staff and students - everybody’s hurting when it comes to finding housing these days.

#8 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 26 January 2023 - 11:12 PM

It's at least 3x the size of University Park Terrace.

 

Which is a pretty big apartment building (condo).  90 units.

 

 

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Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2023 - 11:14 PM.


#9 Mike K.

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Posted 27 January 2023 - 06:52 AM

It’s a weird location - just outside the campus and just far enough away from University Heights to make it annoying to walk to. It’ll be good to have some more vibrancy there, but it’s going to be a bit of an island if you’re trying to build another urban village. Hopefully they’ll focus on making housing for a both staff and students - everybody’s hurting when it comes to finding housing these days.

Don’t worry, suburban drivers will help fund more transit gas tax revenues so you’ll get more frequent 26 runs from UVic 🤗

It’s a short walk though, c’mon. 15 minutes tops? I thought the urban people loved grid patterned streets and sidewalks and frequent transit along the main drag, but this distance is too far?

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#10 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 27 January 2023 - 07:05 AM

The article says that students (presumably in residence) have to go far for groceries.  But most of the housing is closer to the Village (Peppers Foods) anyway.

 

I don't know how much has changed, but back in the day a lot of students had cars.

 

screenshot-www.google.com-2023.01.27-10_02_11.png

 

Don't residence students have meal plans anyway?  So they don't need as much groceries as your average person.

 

 

 

We currently have two meal plan options: the Standard Meal Plan which is mandatory for all students living in a dormitory residence, and the Tax Exempt Meal Plan which is optional for students living off-campus or in other on-campus arrangements (Cluster, Family, Apartment Housing).

 

https://www.uvic.ca/...plans/index.php


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 January 2023 - 07:08 AM.


#11 Mike K.

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Posted 27 January 2023 - 07:07 AM

It’s too bad that all those buses operating at UVic only drop off suburbanites, and don’t start stopping until they enter the West Shore and Saanich Peninsula.

Otherwise those students could catch buses to nearby grocery stores.
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#12 TallGuy

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Posted 27 January 2023 - 11:30 AM

The article says that students (presumably in residence) have to go far for groceries.  But most of the housing is closer to the Village (Peppers Foods) anyway.

 

I don't know how much has changed, but back in the day a lot of students had cars.

 

Don't residence students have meal plans anyway?  So they don't need as much groceries as your average person.

 

 

To your points:

1. Peppers is not affordable on a student budget.

2. If you read the locals news, those students that have cars are often living in them. I would expect car ownership numbers among students has dropped quite a bit given the gradually increasing education costs and rapidly increasing housing and food costs, but I don't have any data to back that up.

3. Meal plans are exorbitantly expensive and are a form of extortion towards students who live on campus. Shopping at the grocery store and cooking your own food is miles cheaper.

 

I think that this would be a good place for the Fairway at Shelbourne and Cedar Hill to relocate to. They'd have less direct competition from Save-On and Thrifty's and position themselves in a relatively dense living and working population. Their existing location is begging to be redeveloped.


Edited by TallGuy, 27 January 2023 - 11:31 AM.

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#13 Mike K.

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Posted 27 January 2023 - 01:35 PM

2. If you read the locals news, those students that have cars are often living in them. I would expect car ownership numbers among students has dropped quite a bit given the gradually increasing education costs and rapidly increasing housing and food costs, but I don't have any data to back that up.
3. Meal plans are exorbitantly expensive and are a form of extortion towards students who live on campus. Shopping at the grocery store and cooking your own food is miles cheaper.

You’re saying that the army of cars that students drive to UVic every day are their homes, for the most part?

Students use the cafeteria because they don’t have kitchens in their dorms, and that’s probably a good thing from multiple perspectives. Also, you have to pay for the labour of someone cooking for you, so the meal plan will cost more. Just like students pay 3x the price of beer at the liquor store to be served by someone at Felicitas, they know what’s up. Nobody is being “extorted,” unless we think university students are easily impressionable and gullible. Which, hmmm, which might actually be an interesting thought exercise…

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#14 Fairbanks

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Posted 28 January 2023 - 11:41 AM

I'm sure they can fit some 30 storey towers where the stadium is too.



#15 BikeLaneLover

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Posted 28 January 2023 - 06:22 PM

Don’t worry, suburban drivers will help fund more transit gas tax revenues so you’ll get more frequent 26 runs from UVic 🤗

It’s a short walk though, c’mon. 15 minutes tops? I thought the urban people loved grid patterned streets and sidewalks and frequent transit along the main drag, but this distance is too far?

 

Just a heads up, according to a UBCM report on the gas tax from 2018, only 4% of funds went towards public transit.

 

There's a lot of research out there on what constitutes walkability (and there's a good study on how it can be measured here), and WalkScore has done a lot of research too. For a specific location to get top marks, it should have all necessities (grocery store, bank, clinics, pharmacy) and some areas of interest (restaurants, shops, etc) within 400m. After that distance, the likelihood someone will walk to their destination decreases substantially (roughly logarithmic). The distance between University Heights and the Ian Stewart Complex is about 1km, so it's not at all what would be considered walkable. In fact, I was quite shocked at how low its rating was on WalkScore (66/100).

 

Getting walkability is a bit of a science (like a creating a secret sauce), and while short distances are important, there's a lot more to it. Part of it is a sense of safety, how enjoyable the walk is (McKenzie is not), and the quality of the destination. While University Heights is definitely on an upwards trajectory, that corridor in general is pretty miserable to walk along in either direction from Shelbourne (I've done it quite a few times). Adding protected bike lanes is a good step in the right direction, but Saanich has a long way to go before that corridor could be considered an enjoyable place to walk and bike along. Activating McKenzie and Gordon Head with higher density and commercial units is a great start, but it still ain't got that secret sauce down pat.

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#16 Mike K.

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Posted 28 January 2023 - 07:38 PM

You’re missing the 5.5 cent fuel transit tax, that goes 100% to BC Transit. They also tax every residence whether or not it has adequate transit via a line item on property taxes.

So every time a small Honda fills up, they pay nearly $3 in transit tax, then on top of that there are the other gas taxes.

Annually direct taxation in Greater Victoria for BC Transit’s Victoria operations generates 1/3 of its budget coming up on $400 million, then the province kicks in another 1/3. Fares are less than 1/3, about 30% or less.

So suburbanites subsidize your buses the most per-capita. Via gas taxes, via property taxes, and via fares, even though they have the least amount of routes, service and ability to use the system (least demand on the system per-capita), but they still pay. People in remote communities and elsewhere in BC also subsidize your bus.

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