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House 'too big' for Uplands


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#41 Caramia

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Posted 26 October 2009 - 09:25 PM

That sounds unnecessarily rigid. Personally, I can name about 6 people who I would happily live with in a monster house as long as we each got our own bedrooms and bathrooms and kitchens. If I was disgustingly wealthy, I might well build us that house. In a close family, I can see the same principle applying. If one day the family changes or the house is sold and someone wants to run a B&B they can get the zoning then. The law shouldn't make up arbitrary rules about who has to share a kitchen if they want to live together just in case people don't abide by the rules already existing.
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#42 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 26 October 2009 - 09:44 PM

That sounds unnecessarily rigid. Personally, I can name about 6 people who I would happily live with in a monster house as long as we each got our own bedrooms and bathrooms and kitchens. If I was disgustingly wealthy, I might well build us that house. In a close family, I can see the same principle applying. If one day the family changes or the house is sold and someone wants to run a B&B they can get the zoning then. The law shouldn't make up arbitrary rules about who has to share a kitchen if they want to live together just in case people don't abide by the rules already existing.


There used to be a home on Rockland or maybe Richardson, not all that far in off Cook that was a communal-living type of thing. The building is still there, not sure if it still works that way. I'll look it up.

#43 rjag

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Posted 27 October 2009 - 05:53 AM

There are a few large houses with dual kitchens due to the fact the owners ate Kosher food

#44 G-Man

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Posted 27 October 2009 - 06:48 AM

I would be surprised if there are any B&Bs in Uplands and if they would be allowed under the restrictive covenant.

#45 yodsaker

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Posted 27 October 2009 - 07:04 AM

I would be surprised if there are any B&Bs in Uplands and if they would be allowed under the restrictive covenant.


Pretty sure you are right about the covenant. Even without the covenant I suspect it would never get through, influential residents would bin it quickly.
There's only one B&B in OB, its on Newport and is an existing use situation.

#46 Bernard

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Posted 27 October 2009 - 07:33 AM

There have been several 10000+ sq foot houses built in the Uplands in the last few years on the 'small' lots in the neighbourhood. This house is in keeping with the neighbourhood.

In my opinion the bigger problem with these new big houses is the huge amount of waste they produce with respect to the houses they replace. There is a lot of waste produced when you tear down a big house to build something even bigger.

One example I remember is a 7000 sq ft house with an indoor pool that was torn down to build a house of over 10000 sq ft. The old house was just over 30 years old. This is a huge amount of waste being sent to the landfill.

On per capita basis, the Uplands is the most environmentally damaging neighbourhood in all of greater Victoria.

#47 CharlieFoxtrot

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Posted 28 October 2009 - 04:52 PM

In my opinion the bigger problem with these new big houses is the huge amount of waste they produce with respect to the houses they replace. There is a lot of waste produced when you tear down a big house to build something even bigger.


Exactly.

This is one of the reasons why when I read that Coun. Jensen "...asked if any thought had gone to green features, such as solar heating," I actually laughed out loud.

Further more, when you're talking about building a 12,000 square foot single family dwelling, throwing up some solar panels for heating doesn't even begin to make a dent in the "green" aspect of such a project. If being "green" is a concern, Jensen's question should have been more along the lines of wondering if any thought had gone to green features, such as not building a 12,000 square foot single family dwelling?!.

I mean really......There is nothing sustainable about a 12k sq/ft house.

To think otherwise is some serious cranial/rectal inversion.

#48 Bernard

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Posted 28 October 2009 - 04:59 PM

Maybe there should be a municipal fee for taking down a house in the first 50 years. How about a fee equal to the assessment of the property, discounted 2% per year of home age? In the case of a fire etc, you have to rebuild the same floor plan or you pay the fine.

One of the realities of our society is that a house that is more than 30 years old is considered a tear down by the folks in the real estate world. Very few strip malls last more than a generation. We spent a lot of energy and money on building things to only end up tearing them down long before they should come down.

#49 sebberry

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Posted 28 October 2009 - 05:16 PM

I mean really......There is nothing sustainable about a 12k sq/ft house.


If you think about it, a single family in a 12k sq/ft house probably uses little more energy than that same family in a 2k sq/ft house. With the exception of heeting and cooling, the electrical, water and gas needs of a 5 person family doesn't change simply because the house is bigger.

Let's say a 5 person family moves from a small house to a large one:

The same amount of food gets cooked
The same amount of water gets used for bathing and cleaning
If you don't use lights unnecessarily, the same amount of hydro gets used to light the rooms.
TV and computer habits will prpbably remain mostly unchanged
etc...

Now if the house is insulated properly, it may not use much more energy to heat than a smaller house with poor insulation/drafts (there's lots of older houses in Victoria that waste energy like this)


To think otherwise is some serious cranial/rectal inversion.


To make a statement like that without knowing the specifics of how the house will be constructed, heated, cooled, etc... is also some serious.. well, you know ;)

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#50 sebberry

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Posted 28 October 2009 - 05:19 PM

Very few strip malls last more than a generation. We spent a lot of energy and money on building things to only end up tearing them down long before they should come down.


Many of which make terribly inefficient use of land. Most of the strip malls around are a single story. Tearing down 30 year old strip malls to build multi-story condos with ground level retail makes much more sense than leaving them as-is.

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#51 Bernard

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Posted 29 October 2009 - 05:57 AM

Why allow the strip malls in the first place? Or why not require standards for them that will make them last 200+ years?

#52 rjag

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Posted 29 October 2009 - 06:13 AM

Why allow the strip malls in the first place? Or why not require standards for them that will make them last 200+ years?


Because at the time of construction they were using best methods of the day. Land was dirt cheap and gas was nearly free.

Most buildings on the coast have a lifespan of 50-100 years. Why a lot dont survive that long is trends change, safety and standards improve. A lot of municipalities have bylaws that force a landlord to upgrade to new code if a tenant changes. Out in Keating there are a few buildings sitting empty due to the cost of upgrading outweighs any benefit from renting. So instead of trying to work with owners the municipality hinders them

#53 Phil McAvity

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Posted 29 October 2009 - 01:18 PM

^How DARE you suggest municipal governments are anything but finely oiled machines!!! ;)
In chains by Keynes

#54 Bingo

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Posted 29 October 2009 - 08:48 PM

How many grow-ops have been discovered in the Uplands?

#55 rjag

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Posted 30 October 2009 - 06:18 AM

Some of my sources tell me that several houses in the Uplands are coined by the Police as 'Surrey by the Sea'.
One particular waterfront house was purchased recently where the individual was living in a trailer up island a few years back. Somehow I dont think he got rich by selling his Nortel shares....

#56 yodsaker

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Posted 30 October 2009 - 10:32 AM

Some of my sources tell me that several houses in the Uplands are coined by the Police as 'Surrey by the Sea'.
One particular waterfront house was purchased recently where the individual was living in a trailer up island a few years back. Somehow I dont think he got rich by selling his Nortel shares....


Hearsay and racist police bilge.
Here's fact: CCCFs (Convicted Caucasian Corporate Fraudsters) have been living up Land's End way. No names, think newspapers.

#57 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 08:08 AM

The report covers potential infill across the community, including places that drew attention such as Uplands.

Residents from that neighbourhood spoke at the meeting, indicating a new Uplands Neighbourhood Association developed as a result of residents there feeling blindsided by the information.

Marilyn Palmer, speaking as president of the new association told council many residents of her neighbourhood were not aware of the consultation efforts and don’t feel the conclusions are reliable.

“We are not feeling at all confident the information that’s being brought forward is truly representative of the people in our neighbourhood,” she said.


https://www.vicnews....od-association/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 October 2022 - 08:08 AM.


#58 todd

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Posted 05 October 2022 - 01:13 PM

Like poking a beehive

#59 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 08 October 2022 - 02:30 AM

screenshot-twitter.com-2022.10.08-06_29_25.png

 

https://twitter.com/HomesForLiving_



 



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