168 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

The project is officially canceled now.

I am saddened by this (see ). Is this the official word from the city or presumed by VV based on what we have heard from officialdom so far?

[2F2R]

>>>I am saddened by this<<<

Ya, me to ... in fact sickened ... enough is enough already!

Why do developers waste their time getting f’ed over by the heads up their @##’s Victoria council … come out to Langford where they will be welcomed and worked with … seems a no brainer …

[D.L.]

I remember the open house with the DRA for this project. Pam Madoff was there. The developer, Jurgen Weyand, was addressing her on some issues which she and others had brought up regarding the development, but it was as though she refused to even acknowledge him. It was all in her body language. Jurgen was standing to Pam's left, and she was sitting. For the entire time Jurgen was speaking, which was over 10 minutes, Pam was holding her left arm up, with a clenched fist held at eye level in such a way as to block her view of Jurgen, and kept looking straight ahead instead of at him. It seemed very cold, almost as though there was bad blood between them. Nothing Jurgen was saying seemed unreasonable though. He simply gave reasons why he was proposing this development and why it was designed the way it was (we've heard all of the reasons in this thread).

Very unfortunate this project is now cancelled.

[Bernard]

Maybe he needs to wait for the fall and see if there is a new council that would be more receptive of rental housing in the city?

[Mike K.]

I am saddened by this (see ). Is this the official word from the city or presumed by VV based on what we have heard from officialdom so far?

I had a chance to ask Mayor Fortin about this project in person and he confirmed that council was unwilling to go against the PLUSC and send Cosmopolitan to a public hearing.

Maybe he needs to wait for the fall and see if there is a new council that would be more receptive of rental housing in the city?

The Mayor said Mr. Weyland told council he may opt to pave the lot and sell parking space. Certainly this would be a viable option before a build-to-suit opportunity comes up.

[Nparker]

The Mayor said Mr. Weyland told council he may opt to pave the lot and sell parking space. Certainly this would be a viable option before a build-to-suit opportunity comes up.

So Council would prefer to see a parking lot ahead of rental housing? So much for their social agenda. Of course these are the same "brain-trusts" who believe spending $500,000 on paving along the 900 block of Pandora will solve all the ills of the street folk there. Can we PLEASE vote these idiots out of office in November?

[Phil McAvity]

What's PLUSC?

[Mike K.]

Planning and Land Use Committee.

[Phil McAvity]

Thanks.

No wonder I was confused since the acronym should be PLUC.

Why would Fortin reject this proposal based on what PLUC said rather than letting City Council decide what to do with it?

[Jill]

The "S" in PLUSC is for "Standing".

[Nparker]

Hmm...perhaps if Mayor McCheese & his gang of social engineers was really concerned about the city's rental situation they would not have nay-sayed the Cosmopolitan so quickly...

http://www.timescolo...8558/story.html

[Mike K.]

So let me get this straight. Mayor and council reject the Cosmopolitan, but are now rushing to create rental housing incentives?

Something doesn't make sense here.

[jonny]

Logic evades City Hall yet again.

[aastra]

The city has been spouting a very mixed message re: rentals for at least a decade now.

[2F2R]

>>>Something doesn't make sense here<<<

Nope ... sure don't ... but what else would you expect!

[VicHockeyFan]

Anything the city does to create "affordable" housing usually equates to taking a little bit of money from every city taxpayer, and giving it to a select few to reduce their rent. It's wrong.

The way to create affordable housing is to reduce red tape and allow more housing in a wider variety of zoning.

It's all about supply and demand. Create conditions to allow a larger supply and you will reduce costs.

[jonny]

Anything the city does to create "affordable" housing usually equates to taking a little bit of money from every city taxpayer, and giving it to a select few to reduce their rent. It's wrong.

The way to create affordable housing is to reduce red tape and allow more housing in a wider variety of zoning.

It's all about supply and demand. Create conditions to allow a larger supply and you will reduce costs.

I 100% agree VHF. Private rental projects brought forward by independent developers should be applauded and encouraged. There has obviously been a shortage of rental housing which has pushed prices up.

There is no reason the Cosmopolitan project should have been stone walled by the city.

[Nparker]

There is no reason the Cosmopolitan project should have been stone walled by the city.

Truer words were never spoken.

[Mike K.]

We learn that The Cosmopolitan is officially "on hold." The proposal may be revived if the incentives talked about at City Hall come to fruition. But even then, will councillors and various committees acknowledge the new incentives or will they continue objecting to new projects?

Victoria rental project sidelined in light of planned incentives
By Mike Kozakowski, VibrantVictoria.ca
http://vibrantvictor...ned-incentives/

The City of Victoria has announced that it is considering giving builders a variety of incentives to develop more rental housing throughout the City.

The Times Colonist reported on September 1st that City Hall’s incentives could come in the form of tax breaks, parking requirement reductions, density increases and fast-tracked municipal handling of applications.

However, for one developer who had planned to bring rental housing to the downtown core and in essence build what City Hall now says it wants to see built, talk of incentives comes two months too late.

Jurgen Weyland had proposed a five-storey rental and commercial building, dubbed The Cosmopolitan, in the 600-block of Fort Street on the property that once housed Lens & Shutter. Instead of an open armed welcome for proposing to build much needed rental housing when other developers were operating in a condo frame of mind, Weyland was turned away. [Read more]

[Heritagelady]

This current council seems unable to make decisions even when project fall within their guidelines. It strikes me that it is time to turf most of them this fall.