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[Mike K.]

 

Cox Developments readies to build first of four residential towers

By MIKE KOZAKOWSKI, CITIFIED.CA

http://victoria.citi...dential-towers/

 

Cox Developments Ltd. has embarked an an ambitious plan that could see the company build upwards of four downtown Victoria residential towers totalling 380 units by the end of the decade.

 

Currently seeking approvals from the City of Victoria is a two tower, 17- and 15-storey, 205 unit condo development with ground floor commercial space at 989 Johnson Street (on the former McCall Bros. Funeral Home parking lot). Units will range between approximately 500 square feet and 1,800 square feet with 9,000 square feet of commercial space fronting onto Johnson and Cook streets.

 

Cox Developments purchased the McCall Bros. properties on both sides of Johnson Street in 2014. While towers are slated for the parking lot, the Di Castri-designed funeral chapel on the north side of Johnson Street will be transformed into a commercial building (the exterior of the chapel will be preserved). Construction is expected to start next year. [read more]

 

 

Here are the latest 989 Johnson renderings - http://victoria.citi...johnson-street/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[johnk]

Build them! I look forward to the day when the car lots have relocated and we have some good buildings there.

[aastra]

This one is giving off a Radius-esque "too good to be true" vibe for me. By that I mean it looks better than what the market and the neighbourhood should be commanding right now. I'd love to see it happen. I like it a lot (except for the lack of variation in the heights of the towers).

 

edit looking back in 2019: this place looks great and along with Legato really classes up Harris Green.

Edited by aastra, 10 September 2019 - 04:11 PM.

[Kapten Kapsell]

Mike,

 

The citified article mentions Johnson/Cook- didn't you mean Johnson/Vancouver as the location...?

[Mike K.]

Thanks for pointing that out!

Those early explorers get me all confused.

[Nparker]

To better accommodate the Legato I would have suggested a lower podium (3 floors max) and a taller, slimmer tower on the Vancouver/Johnson corner. Would 20 floors here really be a problem?

[jonny]

Would 20 floors here really be a problem?

 

Nope, but we're not there yet. 

 

Really like how this one looks from the corner of Vancouver and Johnson. My main concern is the bunching up of similar sized buildings that are too close to each other here like we have down on View and up the block at Johnson/Cook.

 

They should take 5 floors off the shorter tower and add them to the building at the corner of Vancouver and Johnson. 

[Mr Cook Street]

The commercial and lower floors look excellent. Very excited to see this one go forward. Though it lacks the height, the style is more 'big city' to me. Will help to nurture a more modern feel to downtown along with 1515 Douglas.

[johnk]

Who is/are Cox Developments? Its an unfamiliar name to me. Have they done other projects in our area?

[Mike K.]

It's a father/son team. Here are their projects: http://victoria.citi...velopments-ltd/

[Mixed365]

It's a father/son team. Here are their projects: http://victoria.citi...velopments-ltd/

Are they formally known as CGS?

[Mike K.]

Yes, and that involved other partners who are not a part of Cox Developments, according to Daniel Cox whom I spoke with several days back.

[johnk]

Thanks, Mike.

[Mike K.]

This project passed at this morning's Planning and Land Use Committee.

 

Cox Developments starts excavation for rental tower, receives support for nearby condo towers
http://victoria.citi...y-condo-towers/

 

Cox Developments is celebrating two major milestones with the start of excavation for its 13-storey rental tower and a successful reception at the City of Victoria’s Planning and Land Use Committee for its two-tower 989 Johnson condo proposal.

 

At the corner of Pandora Avenue and Cook Street crews have begun excavating the site of 1075 Pandora, a mixed-use 13-storey rental tower with ground floor commercial space. Rock blasting will continue for several months with construction expected to begin by early next year. [Full article]

[Nparker]

Pot meet kettle:

 

 

Coun. Pam Madoff said her homogenization comments weren’t directed at Cox’s application, but were more of “an observation” about what’s taking place on Yates and Johnson streets and her concerns about the long-term appearance of the landscape when only “one particular building form” is being built. 

http://www.timescolo...ction-1.2044607

I don't suppose she sees the irony in her comment or that she is a part of the reason for the "homogenization".

Look what happens when someone tries to step outside the box, like the "James Bay Pyramid" or more feasibly, the latest plans for Northern Junk. You can't stifle creativity and changes to the built form in one part of the city and then decry about the lack of variety in another.

[zoomer]

Good grief - she has been behind more homogenization in Victoria than Island Farms!  She criticizes anything in old town that is 'out of character' or does not respect the building beside it. I would love to see more bold modern buildings, but not sure with the restrictions on density if that gives developers enough financial room to propose such.  Only now are we seeing Vancouver getting some interesting proposals.  She is also a huge fan of Paris and their 8 storey street walls, quite homogenous (although beautiful) - no?  Which brings me to St. Andrews, isn't that a type of street wall that she speaks of?  Maybe if Bosa increased the height to 8 stories it would get her support...

[Nparker]

Ms. Madoff continues in the article with threats to stop supporting density increases if she doesn't get her way:

 

 

Madoff said she hopes it won’t get to the point where she’ll have to stop supporting higher densities along Blanshard, Johnson and Yates because guidelines are not being followed elsewhere. 

I have to ask again WHY this woman keeps getting re-elected. She is a relic and long overdue for retirement from civic politics.

[Mike K.]

Hmm. This is odd for her to say, for sure.

I don't think she realizes the irony here.

[amor de cosmos]

she was referring to the tower-&-podium thing wasn't she? you've got to admit that's been done a bit, especially on the west coast here.

just check this out

https://vimeo.com/119997088

[Nparker]

I'd be OK with one 25-storey tower and a low podium on this site. You think Ms. Madoff would go for that?