52 replies to this topic

[G-Man]

CRD lists the pop as 348 000 when factoring in the undercount if you include the entire CRD it is 365 000.

[Ms. B. Havin]

In the new January 08 issue of Focus Magazine, Gene Miller writes about running for mayor. (see "Aim Low, vote Miller," p.52) Boy, he makes a lot of sense!

Re. "Building Height," he writes:

First off, I don't buy the argument that taller buildings "will make us look like every other city." You might as well tell me "shorter buildings will make us look just like Paris or Prague," or that "sidewalks will make us look like every other city."

I favour 17-18 storeys as-of-right with a merit bonus to the low mid-20s for certain kinds of development performance. [emphasis added] But, that kind of height in Old Town, Chinatown, generally west of Government Street and in a few other key spots? Fuggedaboutit!

There's tons of other good stuff in there -- read his comments on "Downtown Boundaries," "Cultural Matters" (VCM supporters, take note!), "Communities" (read: neighbourhoods); "Downtown Plan" (news flash: planners' ears are burning, heh); "New Office and Commercial Developments" (hello, CCC?, read this, maybe you'll learn something); and "Drugs and the Needle Exchange" ("...addicts are predators and a public menace": bingo!). Those are just some of my personal faves, other readers will choose others.

Unfortunately, despite his well-argued platform, he assures us he is not running for mayor, but maybe we could start a "draft Gene Miller" campaign?

Seriously, this nonsense about height limits has to stop -- if anything, there should be a minimum height requirement! As for a height limit of 9 storeys, as per CCC? You have to be kidding, right? One size fits all? I don't think so! Resign yourself to the fringe vote if that's your sole "brilliant" insight into (and policy platform for) the build fabric of a city.

[davek]

The sky's the limit!

So long as developers face the full costs of their projects, let them supply what the market demands.

[amor de cosmos]

The sky's the limit!

So long as developers face the full costs of their projects, let them supply what the market demands.

Shouldn't 'market' be capitalized, like God, or Christ?

[aastra]

That makes for a pleasing skyline and not a ragged zig-zig skyline.

Variation is the key. A complicated jumble of up and down, just like in the good old days.

A century ago, Victorians arrived at an upper limit that equates to about 20 modern residential stories (as demonstrated by the first picture below). Great things were accomplished in this height range and I think great things can still be accomplished for decades to come:

[Concerned Citizens]

CCC

I must confess that in a fit of foolish enthusiasm for local democracy, I actually already encouraged Mr. Miller to run for Council (but not for the CCC!). I found him sitting alone at a table outside the Mac's Milk store in the Fairfield Village around 6:30 a.m. one summer morning.

He was sitting alone, hunched over with a pained expression on his face while he perused the latest issue of the execrable rag that he once helped found, while sucking on a tobacco cigarette and drinking his morning coffee.

I knew that he had run once before for Council, but I had been out town for that election, so didn't know how he had fared in that contest.

Having been on opposite sides of a well-publicized dispute over the Open Space Gallery in the early nineties, he was civil to me on this particular occasion, but obviously somewhat bothered by being pestered by my early morning nonsense.

"Been there, done that..." was all he said.

I left him to his miserable reading material after I was satisfied that he had been thoroughly discouraged by the good voters of Victoria.

G. P. M. Hartnell

CCC

[Nparker]

CCC = Crazy Crackpot Coalition. A vote for them is a vote for stifling all vibrancy in Victoria for the conceivable future. I can only hope their absurd platform is simply meant to spur others with more rational agendas to run for office in 2008 - as I cannot believe they are serious. Gawd help us if they succeed in getting even one or two members on Victoria City Council next November.

[davek]

Shouldn't 'market' be capitalized, like God, or Christ?

No, it is lower case, like gravity, or thermodynamics.

[G-Man]

Please refrain from posting under party names rather than personal accounts outside of the political forum set up for your party.

Any further posts by party accounts by any person outside that forum will have their post deleted.

[Holden West]

There's a great article by Shelagh Plunkett on height in the Downtown core in the current issue of Boulevard Magazine. Check it out. To sum up: flat = boring.

[aastra]

Variety is the spice of life.

[Nparker]

And Victoria can afford to be a lot spicier than it is currently.

[Nominalis]

My tongue in cheek signature line says, "100 stories now". What I mean by that is we've built so many ugly buildings in Victoria to satisfy those who have an irrational fear of modernism. The architecture in this town is Disney Gothic at best, it looks like a toy village because for many years the overwhelming concern was to keep the buildings short and to put a pointy green roof on them. Currently we're stuck in this "railyard warehouse" nightmare of covering our timidly squat buildings with sheet metal in an attempt to keep-up the "work-live" loft fantasy.

Had Victorians been bold we could have had a world-class skyline rather than making a mockery of our heritage buildings with instant heritage monstrosities like the Eaton/Sears/Bay Center.

The plus side of building tall in Victoria is that we will have something to look up at, relieving our eyes from having to witness yet another "historical doodad" nailed onto a 4 story faux-Victorian chipboard fantasy.