819 replies to this topic

[AllseeingEye]

I suspect they do, and they love seeing cities for what they are.

But back home they don’t like change. You also have to remember that the CALUCs are sometimes comprised of individuals who for the first time in their life wield consequential power. To them the experience as part of a CALUC can be quite compelling, and learning how much power they actually wield can create the impression that it is their duty to be a gatekeeper and put up a fight in order to extract as much from the developer as possible. Add media attention into the fray and you create a co-dependence where the media wants your sensationalized comments, and you want to provide them

My point actually being that one doesn't have to travel far in Europe for example, to find cities that have forgotten more about history than Victoria ever knew, and while naturally they have retained and preserved the very best of their historic districts and architecture, at the same time they have no fear of the new, the modern or especially the tall - London, Paris and Barcelona are three excellent examples that come immediately to mind.

 

Even more so in Asia where the major cities such are even older and far more historic than anything in "old" Victoria: seen the Hong Kong, Shanghai or Tokyo skylines lately? Truly world class places have figured out that you can actually blend the Old and the New without running away in the other direction screaming like a frightened child......

[Nparker]

...Truly world class places have figured out that you can actually blend the Old and the New without running away in the other direction screaming like a frightened child......

While Victoria sits in a beautiful part of the world, with a very pleasant climate, any resemblance to a "world class" city exists entirely within the minds of some not especially well-travelled locals.

Edited by Nparker, 27 October 2019 - 04:10 PM.

[aastra]

Some McDonald's stuff:

 

Grand opening of Shelbourne McDonald's around the end of May, 1969

Fast-forward to December, 1970, and "what Victoria needs is a good 5 cent cup of coffee" at either the Shelbourne or Pandora McDonald's (or get a burger and coffee for 30 cents)

 

Check it out:

 

 

Daily Colonist
January 6, 1970

Drive-Ins: They're Here

There are no exact statistics on the subject but Victoria city planners say there are at least 17 drive-ins in the Greater Victoria area and in the next few years there will be many more.

What is the reason for the sudden influx of the drive-in to staid old Victoria?

(aastra says: it's the year 1970, and Victorians have already been gutting their supposedly staid old city for many years, what with the Centennial Square project, the Blanshard-Rose project, etc.)

"I think," said Mr. Webb, "that it all hinges on the fact that the growth potential of this district is enormous and the only people who don't realize it are those who live here."

"These stands are often operated by big franchise companies who are willing to run on a marginal basis for the time being just to obtain a good site and be operational when the boom comes,"

Prime land was being accumulated for highrise apartments which might not be built for years...

(aastra says: 50+ years later and the Shelbourne McDonald's is still a McDonald's; the Pandora McDonald's is still a McDonald's; the Town & Country McDonald's is still a McDonald's; the Douglas Street A&W is still an A&W... so when exactly does this boom happen that they've all been waiting on?)

"It's kind of sad, really... Victoria has changed tremendously in the past few years..."

(aastra says: didn't this article lead off by establishing that Victoria was "staid"? Victorians today continue to be undecided re: whether major change is or is not happening.)

"...if this trend continues, and there is no reason to suppose that it will not, the city we have known and loved will be no more. I suppose it's inevitable..."

(aastra says: 2020 is now around the corner and yet we still say the same thing every day, which leads me to suppose that the inevitable elimination of the city's special character isn't quite so inevitable after all.)

McDonald's had two (drive-ins), one on Cedar Hill Cross Road and another on Pandora and was planning a third on another location in the area.

Edited by aastra, 31 October 2019 - 06:16 PM.

[aastra]

Every day for decades on end, Victoria is at risk again of losing what makes it special:

 

 

Daily Colonist
September 18, 1909

Skyscrapers, elevators, ugly factors of all kinds, should be kept out of the skyline in Victoria at all hazards.

...If the townspeople allow it to become a mere replica of a thousand and one cities in the United States it will cease to be a point of attraction.

...tourist traffic should be an immense source of revenue. This revenue would be lost at once if Victoria were turned into a young Sheffield or Chicago.

 

--

 

 

Daily Colonist
April 17, 1957

Letters to the Editor

Victoria's Madness

Victorians should remember their city is fast becoming just another town on this great continent. No better, no worse, than dozens of others...

 

--
 

 

Daily Colonist
January 6, 1970

"It's kind of sad, really... Victoria has changed tremendously in the past few years..."

"...if this trend continues, and there is no reason to suppose that it will not, the city we have known and loved will be no more. I suppose it's inevitable..."

 

--

 

 

Daily Colonist
September 1, 1971

It's Our City!

Victoria stands at the crossroads. Greatness, in terms of a pleasing, different place to live, or sad stereotype that will make Victoria simply that city over on the island.

 

--

 

 

Daily Colonist
October 29, 1976

Laurel Point modifications OKed

...the building would destroy the beautiful waterfront view.

"We don't want to see another New York City, a city of tall buildings, we want to retain the beauty of our city"...

 

--

 

Old town shops on line

Daily Colonist
May 3, 1980

If Saanich goes ahead with its plans for two major shopping centres, Victoria might as well push a bulldozer through Old Town, because what little economic strength and vitality it has now, will be sapped from it.

 

--

 

 

Times-Colonist
July, 2004
("Building Boom Goes Sky High")

...Madoff said the scale of the building is too big for Victoria. It's time, she said, for the city to put a firm 12-storey cap on all future buildings in the city, even those in the downtown.

"I think it's got to the point where it's become an emergency,"

 

--

 

 

Hallmark Society Quarterly Newsletter ("Preserve")
Spring, 2007

"It may be argued that developers have already ruined the Burdett streetscape with the dense towers currently being constructed at Burdett/Vancouver/McClure. But if we concede defeat every time that happens, then we might as well throw in the towel entirely."

 

--

 

 

Times-Colonist
September 10, 2015

"If they get the go-ahead with this one they might as well write Old Town off,"

"Old Town is the way it is today because 25 years ago they passed a bylaw that stated height restrictions and zoning in Old Town shall be 15 metres high."

 

--

 

 

Times-Colonist
June 11, 2019
("Victoria: Then and Now" comment)

 

Where did our sleepy little town go?

 

We woke up to discover the real world on our doorstep, It is our new world.

 

With limited land options, we can’t grow out so we must grow up and the high prices reflect that.

 

Many are moving in with no memory of how it used to be.

Edited by aastra, 25 December 2020 - 05:59 PM.

[aastra]

Sounds like a nice drive:

 

 

Daily Colonist
August 9, 1931

 

Marine Drive

No visit to Victoria is complete without a drive around the seafront, the famous "Marine Drive," extending from Mount Douglas Park to the Outer Wharf -- many miles of perfect road with the sea and the snow-capped mountains on one side and beautiful homes and gardens on the other. Close to the foot of the breakwater stands "The Wind Mill Barbecue," where the traveler may pause for sandwiches or coffee, ice cream or confectionery of all kinds.

Along the seafront the Marine Drive passes through a beautiful residential district until Gonzales Hill is reached... On the top of Gonzales Hill a cairn is erected to the memory of early English and Spanish explorers who sailed through the Straits...

The drive now runs through the Oak Bay Golf Course, where a beautiful view presents itself. The panarama is constantly on the right hand, giving the ever changing sight of the Gulf of Georgia with the green Gulf Islands dotted about the middle distance and the blue snow-capped ranges in the distance.

From Oak Bay the road winds close by the shore into the famous residential district of the Uplands, where the whole subdivision is laid out in boulevarded streets and avenues. From the top of the hill a glimpse of the white beach of Cadboro Bay is seen.

 

TripAdvisor.com

August 4, 2013

Victoria Scenic Drive
The Victoria waterfront is a scenic drive of unsurpassed beauty. You can start at the Inner Harbour in the heart of downtown Victoria and follow the road right around the water front to the high rent district of Victoria called the Uplands. You will pass the Coho ferry dock in the harbour, the famous Rattenbury designed CPR building, Parliament Buildings, The Empress Hotel, continuing on past Fisherman's Wharf, the Coast Guard station, cruise ship dock, Ogden Point breakwater, then finally Dallas Rd itself, which was not named after the city in Texas, but after the son in law of Sir James Douglas.

Across the water is the Olympic Mt. range in the US, the city of Port Angeles Washington. You pass Beacon Hill Park, and continuing on you happen on the waterfront homes of the upscale district of Oak Bay, and then the mansions of the Uplands.

 

TripAdvisor.com
November 12, 2018
 

Spectacular Ocean Views

The route is one of the most breathtaking drives we've taken. Every time we visit Victoria, it is a priority for us. Time permitting, we'll do it more than once. There are many parking facilities along the route where you can stop and enjoy the views and take pictures.The road is lined with parks where you can walk with the many pedestrians and dog walkers while admiring the Juan de Fuca Strait and its majestic Olympic Mountains. From the harbour drive around James Bay Village to access Dallas Road. It will follow the ocean, go through Oak Bay Village, Uplands and finally Cadboro Bay near the University of Victoria. Enjoy.

 

Edited by aastra, 31 October 2019 - 09:49 PM.

[lanforod]

Whenever we get out of town visitors, this is the one thing I always take them on, a drive from caddy bay to downtown or vice versa.

[Victoria Watcher]

when I was younger a favourite stop was that little parking pullout that looks over the Chinese cemetery streets. from that vantage it looks like a little model community.

[aastra]

Even though the 1960s were a period of extreme* gradual de-industrialization in Victoria, the city was nevertheless transforming into a typical industrial city full of grime, truck noise, etc. (and thus being ruined, of course)

 

 

Daily Colonist
May 30, 1969

Changing Victoria

In June of 1961, I came to Victoria from New York for the same reason that I think most tourists come: to get away from noise, confusion, commercialism, and all the nerve-racking conditions that industrial communities are heir to.

I found what I came for. It was different: a lovely residential city of flowers, where the grime and hideous noises of giant trucks, steel riveting and ear-splitting sounds in the streets and the skies above, did not exist.

What a different in eight years! I wonder if the tourists who come in crowds to see Victoria because it is different, will stop coming if it becomes like other typical industrial cities? I wonder why Victoria cannot be preserved as a residential community and Vancouver and Nanaimo be developed as commercial centres?

(aastra says: In the 2010s many Victorians regard residential development as the major threat to the city's unique character.)

One very happy experiment in renovation and city improvement is Bastion Square, which keeps the original character and charm of Victoria.

Unfortunately, some of the newer architecture is lacking in quality, design, and harmonious placement with its surroundings -- a very important requirement in good over-all city planning.

The Europeans keep their beautiful, historic towns sacrosanct, and expand their commercial developments in other areas. I wish that we would follow their example.

 

*I think I was jumping the gun there a bit... the hardcore de-industrialization happened during the 1970s (no more grain elevators, paint factory, etc.). But the process was already underway by the late 1960s. Over at VictoriaHarbourHistory.com they say the 1950s marked the peak of Victoria's industrial growth.

Edited by aastra, 01 November 2019 - 06:05 PM.

[aastra]

Seriously though, how many times have we seen that exact same sentiment being expressed? I moved to Victoria x number of years ago, and the city has changed so much in such a short time. But meanwhile, we also push the "Victoria never changes" thing just as hard, if not harder. There are so many irreconcilable contradictions in how Victorians regard their own city.

[Rob Randall]

Fill in the two blanks of this perennial news story:

 

Victoria used to have nice _______, now it has nasty _________.

 

1875: orchards; saloons

1912: cottages; noisy trolleys

1973: quaint old shops; parasitic shopping malls

2019: nice single family houses; ugly condos

[Sparky]

If you want to give a visitor a real rush, there is a ramp located on the west side of Clover Point where you can drive right down to the logs on the beach.

They don’t suspect a thing when you are just putskying along on a nice afternoon drive by the ocean....then bam....you make a hard hairpin right turn down the ramp to the beach.

Scares the crap out of them.

[Victoria Watcher]

well you can drive right into the drink at cattle point.

[todd]

well you can drive right into the drink at cattle point.

I have.

[todd]

^ I did pretty good compared to most manage to throw myself back into the driver seat and throw it in drive with minimal injuries only the back half filled up with water. Up in Sidney about last year the vehicle they were about to pull the police boat out with rolled in and the door took out the guy trying to stop it.

[todd]

^Caught on camera: https://youtu.be/1cNBL3OOMRY

[aastra]

More of the same stuff that we've been spinning for decades. Every few years there's a new villain, as we've seen over and over again:

 

B.C. rental crisis goes far beyond impact of short-term rentals, say experts
Times-Colonist
November 10, 2019

Recent data from Airbnb Canada says the short-term rental company collected almost $43 million in provincial, municipal and regional taxes over the past year, which will be provided to the provincial government, regional districts and the City of Vancouver...

"The extra amount of tax the hosts are paying and the Airbnb is collecting and passing along, there's no scenario where that tax makes up for the harmful impact of all the short-term rentals on housing availability and affordability in the province," says Prof. David Wachsmuth at McGill University's school of urban planning.

"Even if every cent of it was immediately placed into building affordable housing for B.C. residents that wouldn't begin to address, wouldn't begin to make up for the harmful impacts on the availability of housing short-term rentals are responsible for in the province."

Brian Clifford, policy manager at the B.C. Non Profit Housing Association, said short-term rentals are just one part of an affordability crisis that escalated after decades of underfunding of housing initiatives.

"I'd say that there is a lot of focus on Airbnb, but it is not the silver bullet causing the affordability crisis. It is a contributing factor. It's not the sole problem that we have.
 

Housing Minister Selina Robinson said B.C. is building its way out of a housing crisis that grew over several decades. She said thousands of affordable housing projects are under construction and people will start seeing new units by next year. "We've been missing purpose-built rentals for decades,"

 

[Mike K.]

We all recall how Victoria council promoted their AirBnB ban as a major measure to combat the housing crisis.

After the sudden clampdown tourism numbers have fallen in the region. I’m not saying there’s a correlation but it certainly is a coincidence. For many travellers AirBnB restrictions or simply a lack of available inventory means no-go to a specific region.

[aastra]

Bicycle stuff:

 

 

Daily Colonist
September 4, 1930

Bicycles on Sidewalks
In the police court yesterday fines were imposed upon five riders of bicycles who made use of the sidewalk on Queens Avenue between Cook and Chambers Streets instead of utilizing the part devoted to vehicular traffic. They were fined $3 each.

*****
 

 

Daily Colonist
November 14, 1931

Bicycle Licenses
The Provincial government, in a resolution passed at yesterday's meeting of the City Police Commission, will be asked to license bicyclists in the same manner as motorists are licensed. The motion... recommended that a fee of one dollar be charged.

 

*****

 

 

Daily Colonist
March 20, 1937

(advertisement)

GET TO WORK ON A BICYCLE
Many are realizing the advantages of cycling. You have no parking problem, no gas to buy, no high license, and only a very low depreciation ratio. It's worth considering. New or rebuilt machines on terms. Robinson's, 1220 Broad St. opp. Colonist

Edited by aastra, 18 November 2019 - 06:01 PM.

[aastra]

Parking stuff:

 

 

Daily Colonist
December 23, 1937

Parking Problem

Parking of automobiles, difficult in the city last week, has now become an acute problem, and many motorists are forced to leave their cars several blocks from intended destinations.

Traffic lights obviate any congestion at the principal intersections, but at others, not regulated by lights, some measure of control by police officers has been found necessary at certain hours.

More than ever before, shoppers are seeking useful gifts this year... There seems to be a general trend away from knick-knacks of doubtful usefulness and towards articles that people really need. However, certain kinds of seasonal luxuries are not being forgotten in the shopping rush, and, of course, toys for the children are in big demand.

[aastra]

Just adding these items here from the affordable housing thread:

 

--

 

 

Vancouver Sun
December 1, 1992

Renters in Vancouver, Victoria least able to buy

Vancouver and Victoria renters are far less likely to afford a home purchase now than renters in any other part of Canada, according to a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. survey.

The survey found that only 21.7 per cent of Vancouver renters can afford to buy a home now while just 11.2 per cent of Victoria renters can buy a house.

The affordability factor is much more serious in Victoria because the average household income for renters in B.C.'s capital city is just $41,600, the sixth lowest of 27 cities surveyed. That income would allow renters to buy a $127,000 townhouse or condominium.

Analysts attribute Victoria's low average income to the city's large number of senior citizens on fixed incomes.

 

*****

 

 

Vancouver Sun
August 10, 1991

Victoria renters last on list to buy 1st home

Quick. Which Canadian city has the lowest percentage of renters who can afford a starter home?

Vancouver and Toronto would be good guesses but you'd be wrong. The correct answer is Victoria, home of the newly-wed and the restfully retired.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. statistics show just nine per cent of Victoria renters can afford to buy a starter house. Toronto has the next lowest figure, at 17.7 per cent, while just 17.9 per cent of Vancouver renters can afford to buy.

 

*****

 

 

The Capital
November 29, 2019

It seems that Victoria is well on its way to becoming a city of renters.

 

 

Times-Colonist
September 19, 2018

Data show home ownership in Victoria remains elusive

Victoria remains a city of renters, and No. 2 on the list of Canadian cities with the fewest homeowners, according to numbers from Statistics Canada.

 

 

Times-Colonist (Comment)
August 20, 2017

Victoria is a city of renters (making up 59 per cent of households), and new rental housing is key to future affordability.

Edited by aastra, 29 November 2019 - 10:55 AM.