31 replies to this topic

[D.L.]

A 4 storey condo building going up somewhere in the Burnside area. I found a usit listed on the MLS for $200,000 - the cheapest new unit I have seen in the city for a while. I like what I am seeing with some of the new smaller condo developments in town, the ground floor units have an accessable entrance on their patio, not just a sliding glass door that leads to a sunken patio. I think that's what I am seeing here. Plus there is a roof top patio.

http://www.mls.ca/Pr...pertyID=6436583

[amor de cosmos]

whats the address/intersection?

[Galvanized]

Estimated completion in June 2008 - a collection of 23 stylish homes designed with contemporary living and affordability in mind. Situated just a stroll away from the dynamic Selkirk Waterfront with nearby access to the Galloping Goose Trail and just a few minutes from Downtown Victoria by car or bus.

http://www.jonescomp...tails.php?id=29

[aastra]

It does look pretty good. Much better than that new one on Hillside near the mall (for example).

[amor de cosmos]

yeah it looks good. that part of burnside is one big fixer-upper I think.

[Nparker]

Where is this one in relation to the Selkirk Waterfront development?

[gumgum]

Yeah! Where the hell is this one located?

[amor de cosmos]

A 4 storey condo building going up somewhere in the Burnside area.

I have just been told 356 Gorge Rd, across from the Selkirk neighbourhood:

[gumgum]

Good to know!
Thanks amor!

[Mike K.]

Ah, that's where it is.

That immediate stretch of Gorge Rd. is getting a nice facelift. Several motels are being converted to condos and/or receiving decent exterior improvements. About time that area picked up and started feeding off of Selkirk's momentum.

[Holden West]

Via Google:

MINUTES – VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2007, AT 7:30 P.M.
PLACE OF MEETING:
Council Chambers, City Hall
PRESENT:
Mayor Lowe in the Chair and Councillors Chandler, Coleman, Fortin, Holland,
Hughes, Madoff, Thornton-Joe, and Young

REZONING PUBLIC HEARINGS

1.Rezoning Application No. 00107 for property known as 356 Gorge Road East
1.Official Community Plan Bylaw, 1995, Amendment Bylaw (No. 75) - No. 07-19
To amend the Official Community Plan to include 356 Gorge Road East in a new Development Permit Area 37, Gorge Road.

2.Official Community Plan Bylaw, 1995, Amendment Bylaw (No. 74) - No. 07-16
To amend the Official Community Plan to designate 356 Gorge Road East as Apartment
Residential (Established).
3.Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Amendment Bylaw (No. 802) – No. 07-17
To rezone land known as 356 Gorge Road East from the M-2 Zone, Light Industrial District, to the R3-AM-2 Zone, Mid-Rise Multiple Dwelling District, to permit multiple dwelling use.
New Zone: R3-AM-2 Zone, Mid-rise Multiple Dwelling District
Legal Description:Lot 1, Section 4, Victoria District, Plan 28413
Existing Zone: M-2 Zone, Light Industrial District
4.Development Permit Application

The Council of the City of Victoria will also consider issuing a development permit for the land known as 356 Gorge Road East, in Development Permit Area 37, for the purpose of approving the exterior building design and finishes as well as landscaping, and varying the requirements of the Zoning Regulation Bylaw for building height, setbacks, open site space and parking. Mayor Lowe opened the public hearing at 7:36 p.m.

Applicant was available to answer questions:

Councillor Fortin asked about the size of the balconies.

Martin Golder (Architect, Keay & Associates Architecture Ltd.): The balconies have been reviewed and the majority of them have been increased in size.

Mayor Lowe closed the public hearing at 7:37 p.m.

[...]
Final plans to be in accordance with the plans identified above to the satisfaction of the
Director of Planning & Development.

Carried

[G-Man]

Interesting this is not actually a new building bit rather a building that is being rebuilt I believe anyways... Anyways that is right across from the Selkirk Project. Good to see Selkirk busting its borders, finally.

[Nparker]

This is precisely the sort of impact good developments like the Selkirk Waterfront should be having -- the revitalizing of an entire neighbourhood. It will be nice to see this one completed.

[gumgum]

Too bad it's only 4 stories.

[G-Man]

The building was originally four storeys so unless they demo'd it and rebuilt I think they were stuck with the height.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Does anyone have any details on what the construction type is? (i.e., wood or concrete?)

I live in a neighbourhood that, like so many in Victoria, is full of 3-storey stick-built apartment buildings from the 60s and 70s, most of which look slightly decrepit now and are nearing the ends of their shelf-life.

I have a real problem with building more buildings exactly like that. If this, too, is another wood-construction job, we need to ask ourselves what it will look like 30 years from now. When those stucco-covered boxes were built in 1970, they probably looked pretty good then, to people then. Now they look very utilitarian. It's good that we have them -- they provide at least a vestige of affordable housing -- but they're not quality buildings anymore.

On the other hand, if we want concrete buildings that actually hold up a bit longer, we're not going to get them at 4 storeys. They'd have to be significantly taller, to meet the builder's financial bottom line. (I'd be pleased if I'm wrong about this one, and it is concrete.)

I'm just throwing this out here, not to dis this particular development as such, but as a reminder to those folks in Victoria who think we can build happily at, oh, say 6 storeys and have everything come out alright. It won't. At 4 storeys, you can still build with sticks (wood), just. And that means that you're building something that might not hold up so well a few decades down the road. By the time you get to 6 storeys, you're looking at concrete, but then you're dealing with materials cost of another order altogether, and suddenly only 6 storeys makes no sense anymore. That's why we have stalled or abandoned projects in places. It's sort of like being penny-wise and pound-foolish. I want to see buildings go up that will hold up over time, which means quality materials and concrete or steel construction.

[G-Man]

This is a rebuild of an old building. It is an original wood frame building.

Personally I don't think that wood frame construction is inherently worse than steel and concrete. It is all in the craftsmanship.

Also wood frame construction especially in areas like Burnside are definitely more plausible as this area is low in the sales price point, so high cost steel and concrete that demands higher priced sales may not yet be possible.

Just some thoughts.

[Mike K.]

Some projects in the westcomms are being built with concrete first floors to allow for four storeys of wood-frame above.

I agree that it's the craftsmanship that makes a big difference, but with a busy construction scene and lots of inexperienced craftsman working out there we're not going to get the sort of longevity as we've seen from turn of the century (20th C.) single family dwellings.

[rayne_k]

This is a rebuild of an old building. It is an original wood frame building.

Personally I don't think that wood frame construction is inherently worse than steel and concrete. It is all in the craftsmanship.

Also wood frame construction especially in areas like Burnside are definitely more plausible as this area is low in the sales price point, so high cost steel and concrete that demands higher priced sales may not yet be possible.

Just some thoughts.

I think that wood frame multi-dwelling buildings are absolutely terrible. I live in an older one, which to be fair, isn't a good example of the new ones... but even the new ones are a shadow of what solid concrete construction can be.

As far as I am concerned, my upstairs neighbours and next door neighbours ought to be able to have a horse prancing on tile floors and I shouldn't be able to hear a sound or feel a single shake AT ALL.

And this isn't impossible -other countries have them- and it would go a **long, long** way to making apartment and condo life that much more appealing to everyone since no one would have to listen to anyone else. At all. Ever (well except for the hallway).

[Baro]

There's no reason not to use those new insulated concrete forms for your buildings, no reason at all. They pay for them selves within about 5-8 years from the energy savings along, and that's vrs wood frame, not other forms of cement. So for only a bit more you get a cement building with ridiculously nice insulation.