588 replies to this topic

[larrobb]

The land is waiting, just a matter of will, budget and approval.  The Ian Stewart Complex is all but shut down (the non-office section), with the exception of the ice rink. Demolition of the field house, former weight room, outdoor pool etc will leave a huge footprint for development for student housing, right beside an existing apartment building.  Plus, right across the street is the former Velox rugby clubhouse with a huge flat lot that would also provide ample space for development.  All without having to deal with concerns of neighbours in the Queenswood area. 

[jonny]

Are campus dormitories considered a thing of the past? If so, the municipalities should be looking at aggressive rezoning of the areas around Gordon Head's urban villages. Maybe not as dense as the 1962 plan above but it would be great to have a true "U District" like some other cites.

That's a great point, Rob.

[VicHockeyFan]

The land is waiting, just a matter of will, budget and approval.  The Ian Stewart Complex is all but shut down (the non-office section), with the exception of the ice rink. Demolition of the field house, former weight room, outdoor pool etc will leave a huge footprint for development for student housing, right beside an existing apartment building.  Plus, right across the street is the former Velox rugby clubhouse with a huge flat lot that would also provide ample space for development.  All without having to deal with concerns of neighbours in the Queenswood area. 

 

Very good.

 

For reference, anyone.  You can see Centennial Stadium there bottom right.

 

[Coreyburger]

UVic (like other universities) is precluded from borrowing to build dorms. So this means that either the government funds them or the private sector does. I know Camosun has been looking for years for a private sector partner to build dorms, but no takers.

[amor de cosmos]

The University of Victoria has applied for a permit with the District of Oak Bay to build a $20-million heating plant. It would replace three existing heating plants built in 1968, 1974 and 1994.

The new facility would go in parking lot No. 6, just north of the university’s Interfaith Chapel and south of the Fine Art and Visual Arts buildings, off Ring Road.

Mike Wilson, director of campus planning and sustainability, said the plant’s modern boilers would immediately improve UVic’s energy efficiency by at least 10 per cent.

The boilers would run on natural gas, like the old ones, but a different fuel-burning process would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The three old plants are either coming to the end of their operational life or will soon need major repair,” Wilson said.

It’s not known when the building permit would be approved or construction begin. But UVic’s goal is to have the power plant operating by March 2018.

http://www.timescolo...plant-1.9978630

[VicHockeyFan]

$20M eh?  Can't the students just wear a sweater?

[Rob Randall]

Because of the broken link caused by Photobucket's new hosting policy I have re-uploaded that 1962 UVic campus future vision Martlet front page. It is the first post of this thread but I will also put it here for those that haven't seen it before:

 

Edited by Rob Randall, 18 February 2018 - 08:05 AM.

[VicHockeyFan]

That's exactly where I said there should be hi-rise apartments.

[Rob Randall]

The students came, they now live in the area--but not in high-rises; they live in basements of early 1960s Gordon Head houses.

[Mike K.]

Have we covered the news that post-secondary institutions will now be permitted to borrow government funds in order to build student housing?

[Mattjvd]

Have we covered the news that post-secondary institutions will now be permitted to borrow government funds in order to build student housing?

Was that in the new budget?
Thanks for posting, good news IMO.

[Mike K.]

Yes that's right.

[thundergun]

$259M expected to be used in next 3 fiscals. $450M is a 10 yr estimate. No further detail at the moment than this. I would expect Victoria and lower mainland institutions to get the bulk of this. 

 

 

 

Budget 2018 includes a new student housing program that represents a change in capital policy to allow public post-secondary institutions to borrow from government, benefitting from the province's low borrowing rates, to help finance student housing projects. The student housing program is expected to build approximately 5,000 new student housing beds at our public post-secondary institutions, with $450 million in provincial borrowing and/or grants, as well as funding leveraged from post-secondary institutions.

[Mike K.]

Seems like 250-units of student housing could materialize at UVic by ~2021 if they take up the government's offer right away and run with it.

[Jackerbie]

^ Meanwhile, UBC just announced 440 new beds at the Okanagan campus are in the pipeline. UBCO has stated that it plans to double residence capacity over the next twenty years, and they're already at nine buildings (up from two in 2005). Hopefully this new provincial program will help everyone else catch up!

[amor de cosmos]

More students will be able to live on campus at the University of Victoria starting 2022.

According to an update by the University, they are currently in the planning stages of building brand new residences and a new dining hall that will house and feed approximately 600 more students.

The move is a response to student feedback about current housing, specifically on room furnishings, interior common rooms, outdoor landscape design, and meal plan options.

Goodbye to the old

To make room for these new buildings, the university is getting rid of Cadboro Commons – the structure that houses the campus’s main dining hall, plus additional eateries like Village Greens and Caps Bistro.

The new building will include conference, meeting and academic space on the main floor with student residences on the upper floors.

http://victoriabuzz....ence-buildings/

[zoomer]

UVic funding announcement tomorrow on plans referenced earlier this year:

 

 

UVic News

 

CTV VI News

[zoomer]

oh right - housing and food services for 600 more students.  That should help free up some super crappy basement suites.

[aastra]

That rendering would seem to check all of the crucial boxes: massive, grey/brown, repetitive, and bland.

[zoomer]

I like the mid-century vibe of the glass cafeteria box, but the rest - yeesh.