127 replies to this topic

[Urbalist]

There are no bad colours.

Just bad colour combinations, and colour applications.

[FunkyMunky]

Well, now that's it's barely open, let's starting complaining...

Noisy neighbours a concern

By Erin Kelley-Gedischk
Nov 01 2006

Residents living near Windsor Park Pavilion speak out about noise generated at sporting event

A Windsor Park neighbour is crying foul over noise associated with the recently unveiled pavilion.

Oak Bay centennial committee hosted the grand opening of the multi-purpose facility Saturday. The week prior, close to 700 people turned out for a rugby match between rivals Castaway Wanders and James Bay.

George McLauchlin, who lives two and half blocks from Windsor Park, said cheers from enthusiastic fans were disruptive.

McLauchlin attributes the increase in noise to the pavilion's balconies.

"There were between 25 and 40 people caterwauling with manic intensity. The likes of which I have never heard before in my two and half years living here," McLauchlin said, adding that side streets around the park were clogged from all the extra cars.

McLauchlin accuses the municipality of dismissing his concerns during the design phase of the new pavilion.

McLauchlin stressed that Oak Bay needs to balance the concerns of residents with the interests of sports groups.

"The whole thing disrupted the tenor between recreationalists being able to do what they want and residents being able to live with a park that is so close," McLauchlin said.

Oak Bay's Director of Parks and Recreation, Anes Szilos, said Windsor Park neighbours have not formally complained to the municipality about recent noise in the park. Neighbours also did not express concern about noise associated with the balconies at a neighbourhood feedback session held before the pavilion was built, Szilos added.

However, most residents are reluctant to express their concern for fear they will trample on an Oak Bay jewel, McLauchlin said, adding that he praises the pavilion design and supports organized sporting events.

The pavilion's balconies are a design favourite of Mayor Christopher Causton.

"The balconies are an integral part of the building and they really make it a spectator sport," Causton said. "It doesn't matter if it is a soccer, cricket, field hockey or a rugby game, it gives you a better way of viewing it."

Causton said the well-attended crowd at the rugby match on Oct. 21 was likely the cause of extra noise - not the balconies.

"These are spectator sports and the balconies will help view the games," he said.

Oak Bay staff are still drafting a policy for the pavilion, which will detail the type of events permitted and the hours of operation. Current policy permits user groups to rent and license the balconies and a multi-purpose room joining the balcony.

"This is all about sport, enjoying one's self and getting involved in healthy activities," he said. "So of course, I hope the result of this is more people coming."

Another Windsor Park neighbour, Elizabeth Silvester, ran as a council candidate in the last municipal election based on her concerns about the pavilion.

Her concerns included noise generated from public events at the park.

"I got the feeling that (council) thought we were just a bunch of people fighting something that was coming in their backyard and I don't think we got taken seriously," she said.

While Silvester contends noise associated with the rugby match was significant, she is currently taking a "wait-and-see" approach to noise issues before she addresses council again.

What exactly are seniors doing between 2:30 and 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon that would be interrupted by cheering fans? Napping, I suppose. Perhaps I'd have some sympathy for them if it was 10 at night but how can you move to a neighbourhood with a large park and several playing fields and then be upset that people use it?

Odd, how I've never heard anyone complain about the noise of the Medivac helicopter that visits the Royal Jubilee Hospital, usually at 2 AM. But then seniors use hospitals, don't they, and not sport fields.

This just shows that seniors are all about preserving the status quo and work against making a vibrant community.

[Oxford Sutherland]

What exactly are seniors doing between 2:30 and 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon that would be interrupted by cheering fans? Napping, I suppose. Perhaps I'd have some sympathy for them if it was 10 at night but how can you move to a neighbourhood with a large park and several playing fields and then be upset that people use it?

Odd, how I've never heard anyone complain about the noise of the Medivac helicopter that visits the Royal Jubilee Hospital, usually at 2 AM. But then seniors use hospitals, don't they, and not sport fields.

This just shows that seniors are all about preserving the status quo and work against making a vibrant community.

How do you know they're seniors?

[aastra]

Let's not tar everybody with the same brush. There are plenty of sharp seniors out there who don't play the grumbling part society seems to expect them to play on these sorts of matters.

I'd like to know how many people there really were at the pavilion that day. The guy's estimate of 25-40 seems far too low to have been a legitimate disruption.

...side streets around the park were clogged from all the extra cars.

Aren't most of Oak Bay's streets always semi-clogged with parked cars anyway?

How this sort of stuff makes the news is anybody's guess.

Did anybody check out Oak Bay Avenue's car show day this summer? The village was jammed with people, there was a band playing...

[Oxford Sutherland]

double post

[FunkyMunky]

Let's not tar everybody with the same brush. There are plenty of sharp seniors out there who don't play the grumbling part society seems to expect them to play on these sorts of matters.

Okay, we'll go with your optimistic view but as a resident on this end of town, I've seen plenty of evidence in this community to the contrary.

I'd like to know how many people there really were at the pavilion that day. The guy's estimate of 25-40 seems far too low to have been a legitimate disruption.

I was not at this game but I've been at a number of rugby games at Windsor Park and other venues around town. Generally, rugby crowds are rather subdued as compared to other sports like baseball or football because spectators are mostly former players or current players and watch the game with an analytical eye. There are a couple of loud people I've seen about that might be guilty of the cheering but it would be less than ten. I have heard estimates that there were up to 700 spectators at the game in question but that is an unscientific number and, if true, would be very unusual but possible for a special game. As a ratio of loud people to the total audience, that's not a big number.

Aren't most of Oak Bay's streets always semi-clogged with parked cars anyway?

Not necessarily. There are other parts of the CRD that are worse but Oak Bay residence aren't famous for walking when they have car keys. When there's a popular event over at the Monterey Centre you can see the seniors looping the neighbourhood looking for parking but they complain if anyone wants to park in their neighbourhood.

[Holden West]

All I know about all this is that I'm starting a band and calling it "Caterwauling With Manic Intensity."

[Scaper]

There an article in todays paper, on the Oakbay beach hotel redevelopment...it's a large article....

Can anyone post it on here????

[gumgum]

Jesus H Christ.
If Oak Bay was to be overrun with flesh-eating zombies, they'd complain about the manic, intense grunting and groaning by the listless crowd, and that the residences streets were now semi-clogged with annoyingly hazardous torsos and sculls.

[FunkyMunky]

Jesus H Christ.
If Oak Bay was to be overrun with flesh-eating zombies, they'd complain about the manic, intense grunting and groaning by the listless crowd, and that the residences streets were now semi-clogged with annoyingly hazardous torsos and sculls.

[url=http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/trailers/hotfuzz_teaser2_xlarge.htm:4cd9e][/url:4cd9e]

[gumgum]

^Yo ho zombies. Do be quiet!

[Number Six]

and they're British Zombies too ... nice touch!

[FunkyMunky]

There's nothing sadder than listening to the well-off complain about how hard they have it.

Oak Bay News[/url:7c567]]Yacht club neighbours dispute expansion

By Erin Kelley-Gedischk
Nov 03 2006

A group of 38 Oak Bay residents petitioned council to block a $1.5 million expansion to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

Residents requested council make changes to the Official Community Plan in order to thwart plans by the RVYC to add additional berths and expand its breakwater.

The OCP is a 25-year-old municipal document that outlines the community's vision and values.

Council voted to address the petition when the RVYC applied for a rezoning and development permit.

Council moved the RVYC's preliminary application for expansion forward to committee-of-the-whole last June.

RVYC plans to add an additional 60 berths to accommodate 35-foot to 50-foot boats and to extend the breakwater by approximately 150 feet to protect those berths.

The proposal also calls for a 15,000 square-foot increase of the club's foreshore lease.

Boat owners who want to moor at RVYC currently have to wait two to seven years depending on the size of their boat.

Oak Bay is the first of three government levels the RVYC has to apply to for input on the lease expansion.

RVYC's Moorage Expansion Special Committee president Don Thain had hoped the municipal process would have finished Oct. 1 in order to facilitate the anticipated construction in the summer of 2007. The expansion plans received a 97 per cent approval rating among RCVC members last spring.

However, neighbours and residents are concerned about the impact on their views, increased boat traffic and insufficient street parking - as well as a change in the character of Cadboro Bay waterfront and a drop in property values.

In a letter to council, Beach Drive resident Philip White said the OCP's marina and boating section only restricts significant expansion of moorage facilities at Oak Bay Marina.

"We consider the omission of the RVYC an anomaly due to an error in drafting, but if it is held to be deliberate decision, the OCP requires an amendment in which the reasons for the exclusion are clearly stated," he said.

Three days after the RVYC's initial application to council, Mayor Christopher Causton resigned his honourary membership to avoid a conflict of interest.

© Copyright 2006 Oak Bay News

[aastra]

I'm never sure what to make of these marina disputes. I guess I find it funny that people would be concerned about things like "boat traffic". Isn't that one of the reasons you live near the ocean, because you like seeing boats? Or do you only like seeing them in the distance? Maybe boats that are nearby are an eyesore?

A $1.5 million addition sounds like chump change in this day and age. How significant could that be? In that neighbourhood that'd hardly pay for an addition on the back of the house.

[G-Man]

This is ridiculous. Let them build it. It is also good for tourism right?

Also if Oak Bay had played nice with some of the other communities and had actually supported the RGS than theey have a new community plan which could have included limitations on the yacht club. Too bad they walk away and said they wanted to do it on their own.

[FunkyMunky]

Oak Bay News[/url:6bf01]]BIA looks to free up Village

By Erin Kelley-Gedischk
Dec 06 2006

The Oak Bay Business Improvement Association is taking steps to reduce the impact of closing Village streets on businesses.

Oak Bay Avenue property owner Jim Kirk wrote a letter to council expressing his concern that some civic events had a negative impact on businesses located on Hampshire Road and Monterey Avenue.

The BIA hosted numerous fundraising events in September to raise funds for the Tour de Rock cycling team. Kirk was specifically upset by one bike race that closed Village streets.

Council recently voted to forward Kirk’s letter to the BIA.

“We are making measures to ensure we can cope with problems the best we possibly can,” said the president of the BIA Geoff Beattie.

The BIA is drafting a letter in response to council and Kirk’s concern that notes the BIA is responsible for three events that require road closures on Oak Bay Avenue and some surrounding streets: the Tour de Rock cycling event, Centennial Summer Swing and the Christmas Light-Up.

All other road closures for community events are not related to the BIA.

“Most of the difficulties surrounded the Tour de Rock cycling event,” Beattie said.

“This was the second year of the event and we addressed a lot the issues that occurred the first year.”

Despite the BIA’s efforts, the fundraiser negatively affected some businesses location on Hampshire Road.

The owner of Amazing Balloons, Cassie Kangas, wrote a letter to council prior to the bike race stating she was not able to conduct business during the bike race the previous year. Council voted to request the BIA provide crossing guards marshals.

That didn’t mitigate the problem for Kangas.

“While the bike race was going, you are not allowed to cross the road – period. For us that means not being able to make deliveries during the bike race,” she said.

The bike race was held on a Saturday morning – her busiest day of the week.

As a result, Kangas netted zero income that day.

While the Light-Up and the Blethering Place Collector Car Festival has a positive impact on her business, the Royal Victoria Marathon and the Tour de Rock fundraiser bike raise did not.

“We think community events are great, but we think that business should be allowed to do business during those times,” she said.

The BIA plans to host the Tour de Rock event again next year with the hopes of decreasing its impact on merchants.

“It is such a great fundraising opportunity but, if it doesn’t take off, we might not do it again,” Beattie said.

Beattie stressed that many events hosted by the BIA are often solely for a community benefit, not just business.

“It’s a goodwill spirit that we want to encourage and an opportunity for the community to get together,” he said.

Windsor Park?

Kirk suggested Oak Bay use streets around Windsor Park for the Royal Victoria Marathon instead of the Village. That way event organizer’s could take advantage of the new Windsor Park Pavilion, and at the same time not affect access to Village businesses.

© Copyright 2006 Oak Bay News

[G-Man]

Was at an appointment today at Fort and Foul Bay Road and saw the finishing of the new buildings on the Oak Bay side. Well The eight storey building that went in is one of the ugliest building to grace our city recently. Does Oak Bay not have a design panel? I mean would have been so easy to fix it. The four storey fake heritage is actually much better looking mostly because it actually acknowledges the pedestrians along the street.Oh well another one for the trash can...

[aastra]

That's a bummer. The building on the northwest corner there (with the mini Shoppers Drug Mart and the Greek restaurant in it) sets the right tone, in my opinion. I would have liked to see more stuff like that along there (for example, over top of the Safeway parking lot right near the intersection).

Another missed opportunity?

[FunkyMunky]

The building on the northwest corner there (with the mini Shoppers Drug Mart and the Greek restaurant in it) sets the right tone, in my opinion. I would have liked to see more stuff like that along there. Another missed opportunity?

1990 Fort Street is the professional building by De Hoog D’Ambrosio Architects (1999). Unfortunately, you've forgotten that the Tweed Curtain runs down the centre of Foul Bay Road so, while you may get a similar building in the Safeway parking lot, it ain't gonna happen on Oak Bay's side of the line. We do ersatz Tudor Revival for new construction. You've only to look at the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel design, Carleton House on the corner of Oak Bay Avenue and Elgin Street or the new Baptist retirement home being discussed here.

You and your new fangled modern ideas. Geesh!

[G-Man]

But couldn't they have done something to the bottom of that 8 storey building I mean it does look like tudor revival to me...