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Dollar Tree - 1420 Douglas St.


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#1 lushka

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Posted 06 September 2007 - 06:26 PM

Please, please, someone, for the love of God, do something about that paint job. That HAS to be against some city code or bylaw. Seriously. It's foul.
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#2 Rob Randall

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Posted 06 September 2007 - 07:59 PM

I believe there are bylaws that deal with the form and character of a building, but I think a lawyer would have to determine if it can also be applied to paint colour. This could interfere with an owner's right to do with his property as he wishes within reason.

I appreciate Dylan's view that it creates a vibrant, unpredictable environment, but in this case, it is next to a heritage building and in my opinion, the garish colour distracts and clashes with the subtle colour and decoration of the Rialto Hotel. This building would not bother me as much if it was further up Douglas in an area that could use some vibrancy and colour.

I am told that the dollar store has signed a long-term lease so we may just have to get used to it.

#3 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 06 September 2007 - 08:02 PM

It opens on the 12th. And let me tell ya, I like what I see going in there stock-wise. This may even be better than Fields. :lol
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#4 G-Man

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 06:51 AM

I am thinking the city could use the sign bylaw. By painting the entire buiding in the company colours and now putting their name on top of the colours they have in effect created an entire facade that is a sign. Now this would not fit the current sign bylaw that says that they cannot be above a certain height and must be of a much smaller size.

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#5 aastra

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 04:55 PM

Do you really want our city officials to waste their valuable time dealing with gigantic, garish eyesores on historic blocks when they could be attending to much more serious matters?

For example, did you know there ISN'T a useless & dangerous mid-block passageway beside this new dollar store? The city should be putting the screws to them about that!

#6 Baro

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 04:59 PM

It hurts my eyes in the sun, it makes me feel a little sick, but it also makes me smile. It's ugly, but in a way that's gotten people talking. Great marketing strategy really, although I doubt they planned it quite as such. There's so many worse things to be complaining about downtown to complain about a NEW STORE that isn't painted to our liking. I'd take 10 more of these over empty and abandoned storefronts. I'd personally like to see less regulation downtown on stuff like this. For every ugly yellow dollar store, you get 5 interesting creative buildings. It's the cost of organic vibrancy sometimes. I'd rather take the good with the ugly than have no good and no ugly. Hell, I'd rather have shockingly ugly than bland. I rather have this than that bland Disney world crap across the bridge. I rather have this than yet another faux arts and crafts old folks condo. I'd rather have this than another river-rock themed town house. Maybe I'm just crazy, but I honestly prefer ugly over bland and neutral. Maybe I'll change my tune after a few months of seeing this paint job, but at the moment I'm actually sneaking a smile every time I see it.
"beats greezy have baked donut-dough"

#7 Galvanized

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 06:40 PM

It hurts my eyes in the sun


If the sun is hitting it then hopefully it will fade a bit.
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#8 lushka

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 07:05 PM

Maybe I'm just crazy, but I honestly prefer ugly over bland and neutral.


You're right, you're crazy. It's horrific.

I am a lawyer but not a municipal type, but I'll look at the bylaw and see what I think anyway. I like G-Man's idea of the sign bylaw - I'll start there.

I am seriously considering complaining to the city. It's appalling.

#9 aastra

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 07:21 PM

Is there no way the city could provide some sort of incentive to owners of buildings like this one to get them to remove the ugly "modern" facades outright?

#10 G-Man

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 08:01 PM

They could give them the 10 year tax holiday they use for new residential.

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#11 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 09:00 PM

99 cent shampoo! I'm all for it!
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#12 Holden West

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 09:30 PM

Is there no way the city could provide some sort of incentive to owners of buildings like this one to get them to remove the ugly "modern" facades outright?


You don't know the guy that owns that building. You'd have a better chance of selling Ted Nugent a veggie burger.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
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#13 Baro

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Posted 07 September 2007 - 11:29 PM

I'd love to see that huge empty wall of a facade replaced with.. something. Build a couple floors of office above it up to the height of the ex-douglas hotel. Something glassy and modern. Or see if there's anything behind that wall worth restoring and saving. Just do.. something!

Does anyone have a picture of what it looks like now? I only really saw it once driving through downtown on my way home from the airport. Maybe I need to get a better look at it to see why some people want to take legal action against someone's paint choices.
"beats greezy have baked donut-dough"

#14 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 08 September 2007 - 11:43 AM

Does anyone have a picture of what it looks like now?




<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#15 Baro

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Posted 08 September 2007 - 01:55 PM

The yellow wouldn't even be so bad if the wall had some windows and details on it. It's just.. so uninterrupted.

Why does so much of douglas street suck so much? It's our main street but it's really not so vibrant or properly used. How is this building's upper floors not office or condos with some front facing windows? How are there still parking lots and 1 story buildings in the core of the city along the main street? What the hell is wrong with this city sometimes??

Although really guys what's the big deal? There's a similarly yellow building across from the Canada Post building and I love it. Maybe it's my slighr colour-blindness but it doesn't really bother me. Those ugly 60's 1 story shops on douglas make me cringe more than a simple yellow wall.
"beats greezy have baked donut-dough"

#16 Caramia

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Posted 08 September 2007 - 02:18 PM

It hurts my eyes in the sun, it makes me feel a little sick, but it also makes me smile. It's ugly, but in a way that's gotten people talking. Great marketing strategy really, although I doubt they planned it quite as such. There's so many worse things to be complaining about downtown to complain about a NEW STORE that isn't painted to our liking. I'd take 10 more of these over empty and abandoned storefronts. I'd personally like to see less regulation downtown on stuff like this. For every ugly yellow dollar store, you get 5 interesting creative buildings. It's the cost of organic vibrancy sometimes. I'd rather take the good with the ugly than have no good and no ugly. Hell, I'd rather have shockingly ugly than bland. I rather have this than that bland Disney world crap across the bridge. I rather have this than yet another faux arts and crafts old folks condo. I'd rather have this than another river-rock themed town house. Maybe I'm just crazy, but I honestly prefer ugly over bland and neutral. Maybe I'll change my tune after a few months of seeing this paint job, but at the moment I'm actually sneaking a smile every time I see it.


THIS made me smile.
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#17 osmich

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Posted 08 September 2007 - 03:57 PM

Great, more made in China crap stores! Would the people who like these stores please consider where, how and who these products are made by. No, it is not all about China but consider the cheap and extremely disposable items you will purchase at this God awful store.

Pay a bit more and try to buy local. They make shampoos here in Victoria! They make lot's of stuff here.

Watch out for all the recalls on Chinese made TOYS, SHAMPOO, TOOTHPASTE, COTTON CLOTHING, PENCILS, and the list goes on and on and on and on.

#18 Holden West

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Posted 08 September 2007 - 04:47 PM

There's now a backlit sign on the facade. I went to take a picture of it but my camera barfed.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#19 aastra

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Posted 10 September 2007 - 01:43 PM

If you stripped the awful modern facade away and painted the original facade this same bright colour but with a decent complementary trim colour, it would probably be very nice.

Same thing for Yates/Douglas and also the Ritz Hotel on Fort.

#20 gumgum

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Posted 10 September 2007 - 05:26 PM

It's two buildings behind that facade. One's a few meters taller than the other.
Here's a pic I took of the back a few months ago. Both the closest and the shorter one next to that one, comprise the dollar store.


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