260 replies to this topic

[aastra]

Maybe it was me?

[gumgum]

Parkside's got a spiffy new mesh-like banner around the entire perimeter of the property.

[Nparker]

Maybe the banner is there to remind people that someday something may actually rise out of the ground on this location. Honestly, why is this projec taking so long? The Aria was started well after this, and is 1/3 finished already. Parkside is still working to reach ground level. Hope it's worth the wait.

[Holden West]

That's the banner that was so controversial. (too much advertising).

[aastra]

Too colourful, too. And much too close to the sidewalk. Should have been set back 15 feet.

[Holden West]

Much ado about nothing:

----

SIGN DEVELOPMENT VARIANCE PERMIT PUBLIC HEARING

1.Sign Development Variance Permit Application No. SI #06-03 for Property Known as 838 Humboldt Street

1.The Council of the City of Victoria will consider issuing a Development Variance Permit for the land known as 838 Humboldt Street for the purpose of varying the requirements of the Sign Bylaw to permit a sign with a display area exceeding 4.5 square meters, to permit the erecting of a mesh fabric mural and to permit advertising signs on three sides of the land.

Steve Roper (Applicant): Available to answer questions.

Ben Isitt (1147 Caledonia Avenue): Does the content have to do with development or is there any third party advertising?

Mayor Lowe said that there is no third party advertising. There is information regarding Victoria and the project.

Larry Wartel (1035 Pendergast): The report says that the applicant had reducing the commercial promotional space by 75% does that mean the remaining 25% is commercial promotional space?

Councillor Young responded that the space is difficult to define as commercial or promotional as it discusses the building and its features, the preservation of artefacts and the green building features. It could be promotional, but it is also instructional and informational. It is a grey area which is hard to define.

Larry Wartel: As long as there is not any third party advertising.

Mayor Lowe closed the public hearing at 7:35 p.m.

Councillor Thornton-Joe asked who would be responsible for removing any graffiti on the hoarding.

Mayor Lowe said that it would be dealt with same as any other graffiti in the City.

2.Motion – Approve Sign Development Variance Permit
It was moved by Councillor Hughes, seconded by Councillor Young, that Council authorize the issuance of a Sign Development Variance Permit in accordance with:

1. Plans dated August 30, 2006 and January 03, 2007 stamped Sign Development
Variance SI # 06-03

2. Development meeting all bylaw requirements with the following variance: Sign Bylaw 11.2(2)(a). A fascia sign in the Old Town and Downtown Buffer Sign Zones shall not
have a display area exceeding 4.5 square meters.

Be relaxed to permit the erecting of the mesh fabric mural and advertising fascia signage
on the three sides of the site.

3. Final plans to be accordance with the plans identified above.

Councillor Chandler said that she finds this amount of signage insulting and offensive. It is not at all what she thinks of in Victoria and the downtown community and she will not support the application.

Carried

Councillors Chandler and Fortin voted against this motion

[Caramia]

/bonk aastra

[Nparker]

According to the T-C the temporary sign (already in place) has now been approved - and in only 7 months! One wonders if it might have been possible to delay approval long enough for this project to be finished before the sign went up?

I just hope grafitti artists are paying attention to this process and make sure they follow the same rigourous guidelines before adding their mark to the urban landscape.

It is just this type of thorough analysis by my city council, that makes my yearly increase in property taxes feel so justified. Well done Ms. Madoff et al! Now can you do something about that Bell blimp that has a tendency to fly overhead, brazenly displaying advertising across the city's sky?

[G-Man]

^ excellent point. They could work on approval of the flight plans as it makes its way across the municipality.

[Mike K.]

Air space bylaw officers?

...oh brother.

[Holden West]

Municipal airspace area would be larger because of the curvature of the earth.

[Mike K.]

This just in:

North Saanich air space bylaw officers raise concerns over inability to issue tickets to offending aircraft. Councillors stumped for a solution and looking to Victoria's air space bylaw regulations for suggestions.

[Mike K.]

Parkside is finally at street level:

[Nparker]

Funny I am too distracted by that hideous signage that any construction, nay ANYTHING else is obliterated. I am SO pleased that my city council so fought so hard on this issue for me!

ps: yet the grafitti-like wall of cutsie messages on Yates Street (the former Mozart site) gets high praise and media attention.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Oh, so the Mozart is the site for that! I saw the notice in the paper and couldn't place it... For those who missed it:

Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down[/url:ffb42]
Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, April 29, 2007

Thumbs Up: To Reynolds Secondary students, for bringing poetry to the fence around a long vacant lot on Yates Street. It's a fine way to brighten the block and downtown.

Thumbs Up: To the 611,391 British Columbians, 15 per cent of us, who have signed up to be organ donors, giving hope to the hundreds of people on waiting lists. Visit [url="http://www.transplant.bc.ca"]http://www.transplant.bc.ca to find out how to add your name to the list of the compassionate.

Thumbs Down: To B.C. Ferries, for a disconcertingly casual reaction to the need to take the MV Northern Adventure out of service for a refit after less than a month on the Prince Rupert run. Problems should have been addressed before the used ship was accepted by the corporation.

Thumbs Down [WTF??]: To the more than 10,000 participants hitting the streets today in the Times Colonist 10K run, celebrating fitness and fun. (And to the volunteers, police and co-operative neighbourhoods that make the event such a success.)

That last bit is pure editorial gravy: a big mistake, presumably...

[aastra]

It's a fine way to brighten the block and downtown.

Is it just me or is there a tinge of hopelessness in this sentiment? I have nothing against dressing up an abandoned site in graffiti; I think it's a good thing to do if nothing else is going to happen there. But the question is, why is nothing else going to happen there? And why do we assume nothing else is going to happen there?

My point is, if distracting graffiti is seen as a big plus for downtown then downtown has some pretty serious problems.

[G-Man]

No one else is going to build there because they are charging too much money for a site and proposal. I feel that it will be vacant for a long while.

[Icebergalley]

I am SO pleased that my city council so fought so hard on this issue for me!

.

My take on this is:

Why did any Council time be allocated to evaluate such a proposal...?

Are there not more important issues... ?

But then again, the sign people were the ones who took down the old tree to put up the (by regulation) oversized "The Vogue" sign, (at what is now called the MEC Building...

PS: does it look any better or worse than the black landscape cloth that was there last fall when there was concern about dust control...?

They sure have "juice" in this town...

[Icebergalley]

May 24, 2997(sic)
2007
The base for a second crane is on site today and the concrete base to insert all those "buttonhooks" is being prepared..

Doubling the crane time will surely speed up the completion of this project..

[Galvanized]

May 24, 2997

Thanks for the update. They definitely need to catch up.

I didn't know that the forum upgrade included being able to post from the future? That's pretty cool.:wink: