19 replies to this topic

[urban360]

Tillicum Village seems to be changing quickly and rising in retail status. There is a new bulding being constructed near the mall entrance on Burnside, and I have heard it is a new TD Bank?

It was really busy when I dropped by today - I guess as it has a lot of "anchor stores" (London Drugs, Zellers, Winners, Linen n Things, Old Navy).

The areas has generally be gaining more investment, there also seems to be some streetscape beautification initiatives (banners, new flower beds, etc)...

....and, I guess proimity to the Galloping Goose, might have something to with it too?

[G-Man]

I am happy that the TD Bank is taking back a little asphalt but there is still a sea of parking there. I hope that we see some more density out that way with projects in the 6 to 8 storey range.

[renthefinn]

There's another single storey building planned between the parkade and Montana's closer to Montana's, probably another restaurant of some sort.

[bcradio]

I hear there will be a Tim Horton's somewhere on the back lot. Perhaps that's it? Yes, the new building on the Burnside Rd part of the mall will be a TD Bank.

There's another single storey building planned between the parkade and Montana's closer to Montana's, probably another restaurant of some sort.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Tillicum needs towers

[Scaper]

Tillicum Mall was originally suppose to be the largest mall in victoria. It was to be over three times it's current size but Saanich Council of the day chopped it back by more than 2/3 rds.

[aastra]

Thank God it's not big. It's the worst mall in the city by far. The secret to its recent revival is, it abandoned the mall concept in favour of an inter-connected big box model.

When it first opened the headline in the TC read, "Tillicum Maul", because it was crowded.

[urban360]

To balance the retail, has anyone heard if there are more public/cultural centres going in the area? I think there was talk a of a new library....

[G-Man]

It is already under construction. At the back next to the arena.

[Oxford Sutherland]

Tillicum should look more like this

[urban360]

And with the Galloping Goose connection to downtown and western communities it would be well served...I think it might have the locational potential to really develop well...but some streetscape beautification is an order - as well as making the mall (maul!) more accessible and pedestrian friendly....

[G-Man]

There is a theorhetical LRT station proposed for Tillicum and Hwy 1. Perhaps if that ever gets built having it at HWY 1 and Burnside would be more beneficial. From there it is only a short walk to the mall and the Burnside and Tillicum intersection.

[Holden West]

Times Colonist / Work is proceeding on the Saanich Centennial Library next to the George R. Pearkes Community Centre.
Photograph by : Ray Smith

Saanich library construction prompts call for more funds

Kim Westad, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, November 05, 2006

The Greater Victoria Library Board is asking for 6.6 per cent more from municipalities in the 2007 budget, in part to pay for the new Centennial library branch under construction in Saanich.

The provisional budget has gone to the library board, and will go out to councils this month for their input. Municipalities that participate in the Greater Victoria Library Board -- Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, Highlands, Central Saanich and View Royal -- fund 86 per cent of the board's budget.

The proposed budget for 2007 is $12,081,051 in 2007, up from $11,451,493 in 2006.

Municipalities individually decide if they are willing to fund their portion of the budget, and can make suggestions on items to be cut to reduce the overall budget. The budget isn't finalized until the spring.

"Everyone would prefer a lower figure, but we just can't justify cutting services elsewhere to expand in a new location," said board chairman Chris Graham.

All participating municipalities are invited to an information meeting on the proposed budget on Nov. 21. The library board will also go to municipal meetings to explain the budget.

The amount each municipality pays varies, depending on the tax base and population. For example, this year Saanich paid the most, at 35.45 per cent of the municipal portion. Highlands paid 0.68 per cent. Municipalities that are growing, such as those in the West Shore, saw their portion increase in the 2006 budget.

The majority of the board's budget is set by salaries and benefits for employees, which take up 68 per cent.

Some 3.6 per cent of the proposed 6.6 per cent increase is for the board's portion of the Centennial branch, now being built behind the Tillicum Mall.

Another 2.5 per cent is inflation, and the remainder is for a few initiatives taken from the board's long-term strategic plan.

Those include a librarian for teens to increase readership among young people, as well as an "e-branch" that would expand what users can do online, such as pay fines.

Board member Lynda Hundleby, an Esquimalt councillor, wants more information on how the priorities were set. "It's not the money, it's the process," Hundleby said.

The priorities came from the library's long-term strategic plan, chief executive officer Barry Holmes said.

Additional information about the e-branch and the proposed librarian for teens will be provided when the board meets with councils.

mailto:kwestad@tc.canwest.com
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006

[Urbalist]

There is a new bulding being constructed near the mall entrance on Burnside, and I have heard it is a new TD Bank?

I seem to recall talking to someone who mentioned Lefevre has some involvement with that one. Could be mistaken for another site, though.

[concorde]

yes, that building by the entrance off Burnside is a TD Bank and is scheduled to open in March 2007. There is also another building proposed in the underground parking underneath Linens N Things/Old Navy.

RioCan bought the property not long ago from Cadillac Fairview and are working on future expansion plans. The only problem is that there are huge geotechnical issues in the area that make construction expensive.

[gumgum]

There's underground parking under Linens and Old Navy? And there's a proposed building underneath that? I don't get it.

[FunkyMunky]

There's underground parking under Linens and Old Navy? And there's a proposed building underneath that? I don't get it.

No, there are only two levels; the front of the building is one level above the back of the building. The area beneath Linens 'n Things and Old Navy, which could be used for parking (I don't think it has ever been used for that purpose), will be walled in and turned into retail space. You'd have to stand with your back to the new library and look across the lane at the back of the Old Navy wing to see it.

[aastra]

Are you talking about the sunken Eaton's parking lot on the south side?

[concorde]

Sorry, I guess I should have said covered parking. Old Navy and Linens N Things are built on a suspended slab. The majority of this parking area underneath will be rebuilt into more stores.

[G-Man]

Library set for fall opening



Illustration contributed by CEI Neilson
The new Saanich Centennial library branch, near the Pearkes Recreation Centre, will include a learning centre featuring dozens of public-use computers.


By Thomas Winterhoff
Victoria News
Jan 12 2007


The Greater Victoria Public Library’s new Saanich Centennial branch is on track for an opening this fall, after coping with a few nagging construction delays in recent months.

The 14,000-square foot, one-storey project, budgeted at $6.5 million, is the newest addition to the GVPL system. About $5.3 million of that is directly attributable to construction costs, while the remaining money will be used to pay for furnishings, Internet-enabled computers and a large collection of books, CDs, DVDs and other lending materials. About half of the branch’s construction costs are being covered by government and corporate grants.

The new building has the capacity to hold almost double the material initially being brought in to stock the shelves. GVPL community relations manager Susan Henderson says the branch will be ready to expand as public demand grows.

“We had originally planned to open the branch with about 70,000 (items), but we’re putting in shelving for a maximum collection of about 130,000,” she said.

The Centennial branch – next to the Pearkes Recreation Centre – was originally supposed to open in April, but the booming construction industry created a few hiccups as contractors struggled to obtain some key building materials (e.g. steel).

“The construction industry is busy,” conceded Saanich Parks and Recreation director Ken Kreiger, but he added that construction is now moving along “pretty much as projected.” GVPL and municipal officials now anticipate that the grand opening of the new branch will take place this autumn, although the building itself should be finished by late spring or early summer.

“There’s a lot of outfitting and so forth to be completed, so we anticipate full operation in the fall,” Kreiger said.

Although the Centennial facility won’t be the biggest branch in the GVPL system, that it will be more modern that most, especially when it comes to the number of computer terminals that will be available for the public to use, Henderson said.

“Every time you build a new branch, you get to put in more computers (because) you can design it right from the very beginning,” she said. “Unfortunately for most of our other branches, we’ve had to add computer technology after the fact.”

The Centennial branch will have about 70 Internet-ready computers on site and all but 12 of them will be available for public use. Most will be in the facility’s Learning Centre, an area that will focus on information technology and computer training.

“That’s going to be a very nice feature of the branch,” said Henderson.

Other planned amenities include: digital reference and “homework help” stations; support for family literary and lifelong learning projects; a Teen Zone (with study area); the Living Room (a reading area for adults); and a family-oriented reading and activity area.

Once construction is complete, library staff will need several weeks to organize and catalogue the collection, file the new material on the shelves and get everything else up and running.

“The collections are being ordered now, so everything is moving ahead,” said Henderson, adding that the prospect of having a brand-new collection is very exciting for the librarians who will be assigned to the Centennial branch.

“It’s the very best. There’s nothing better...” she says with a laugh. “A new branch should smell new. It’s like (getting) a new car.”

Building a sense of community


As the new Centennial library branch continues to take shape behind the Tillicum Centre shopping mall, there seems to be a growing sense that the surrounding area is developing into a distinct community within Saanich.

The recent renovation of the G.R. Pearkes Recreation Centre is another project that’s part of a growing list of public amenities that have enhanced the neighbourhood over the past decade, including the SilverCity movie theatres, a couple of restaurants and a new mix of stores in the nearby mall.

Tracy Yerrell, marketing specialist with Saanich Parks and Recreation, says the gradual transformation has been beneficial for the entire Tillicum neighbourhood, home to a significant number of families with children. Residents want to live in an area where they can also shop, eat, play and learn, Yerrell says. The new library branch (expected to open this fall) is an important step in that process, she adds.

“It’s continuing that whole (idea of) meeting the community’s needs,” she says, adding that she lives in the neighbourhood herself and has watched it evolve over the past decade. “There really is much more of a sense of community going on there.”

For more information about the new Saanich Centennial Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, go to the website at http://www.gvpl.ca and click on the “Branches and Hours” link on the left side of the page.