425 replies to this topic

[Mixed365]

I've noticed that the the "Leland" building at Douglas and Bay is for sale. (has Popeye's on the ground floor.

Listed for $ 3.35M

Thanks Linear Thinker. I wonder why the landlord decided to use Form instead of a commercial brokerage firm with offices here. 

[Nparker]

Nice spot for a 25 story tower ;P

The existing facade would make a nice podium for the future tower as well.

[29er Radio]

"I wonder why the landlord decided to use Form instead of a commercial brokerage firm with offices here."

The building has an accepted offer on it and the ownership group is based in Vancouver which is where Form is based as well. With
technology as it is these days, you can be somewhat effective from anywhere when marketing a property and a lot of owners like to
work with people they have a relationship with regardless where the property is.

[Mr Cook Street]

"I wonder why the landlord decided to use Form instead of a commercial brokerage firm with offices here."

The building has an accepted offer on it and the ownership group is based in Vancouver which is where Form is based as well. With
technology as it is these days, you can be somewhat effective from anywhere when marketing a property and a lot of owners like to
work with people they have a relationship with regardless where the property is.

Curious to know what they plan to do with the site....

[29er Radio]

good question. I would think a hold for the future. there were no redeeming characteristics on the interior to speak of and the
exterior needs lots of work. There is not a lot of excess land to do much with or rely on to get much more height. If you had long term money it isn't a great hold, but not a bad one either. Saying that I am wrong as much as right.

[Hotel Mike]

I always thought that building, together with the older building at Hillside and Douglas, could have been the bookends to a sub neighbourhood of uptown Douglas. That few blocks could use a plan to upgrade it.

[aastra]

This building lends a ton of old urban character to that area. I sure hope they aren't planning to toast it. So many old buildings have been lost around Hillside/Douglas. My dream is to see that area get on its feet again, with the remaining character stuff still intact and with the parking lots and underbuilt sites being the targets for development.

[aastra]

Now I'm wondering if Hotel Mike and aastra are the same person. Sometimes I suspect that we only have a handful of people on this whole site and each one of them is using a hundred different aliases.

[VicHockeyFan]

No, Hotel Mike is Howard Markson, remember? Unless aastra is too.

[Mr Cook Street]

How does the city encourage developers to fill in these bland parts of town? Also, is it counterproductive to encourage development at that location on Douglas when there is still so much to do downtown?

 

I like that building too and would like to see it saved, even if it is just the facade with a tall building jutting up.

[Nparker]

...I like that building too and would like to see it saved, even if it is just the facade with a tall building jutting up.

There's an opportunity here for a Vancouver-Woodward's type of redevelopment...of course it's outrageous in this town to suggest that we ever emulate Vancouver, so it will never happen.

[Sparky]

Now I'm wondering if Hotel Mike and aastra are the same person. Sometimes I suspect that we only have a handful of people on this whole site and each one of them is using a hundred different aliases.

Oh Crap. We've been outed. There is actually only three of us counting you.

[lanforod]

This building doesn't look like old urban character to me. It looks like old urban dump. I don't mind keeping it if it gets seriously fixed on the outside. Oh, and popeye's? Eyesore...

[Nparker]

If the Janion can be re-born as something new and exciting, surely this could be basis for a new high rise development.

 

[Mixed365]

How does the city encourage developers to fill in these bland parts of town? Also, is it counterproductive to encourage development at that location on Douglas when there is still so much to do downtown?

 

I like that building too and would like to see it saved, even if it is just the facade with a tall building jutting up.

They don't. 

[Hotel Mike]

Ya, Popeye's is butt ugly, but there is great potential here, just like my alter ego aastra says.

[aastra]

Are we saying there's something especially ugly about this Popeye's store as compared to others? I think I'm missing something here.

[lanforod]

They at all ugly. Could really use a rebranding.

[sdwright.vic]

Thats the only one around isn't it?

[aastra]

I think it's the only one in Victoria but they all look basically the same. My point was: the branding of a franchise that happens to occupy a single storefront on a fairly large building really isn't relevant when we're assessing the esthetics/overall worth of that building. Commercial tenants come and go and corporate branding changes. It's not a big deal. It's not as if the entire building is wrapped in a Popeye's motif. It reminds me of those silly people who claim that the branding on a small Starbucks store or [insert franchise here] somehow ruins an entire building simply because those silly people have issues with the corporation.

 

Suffice it to say, that old building has good storefronts. I just wish there were more of the same on that block.