2514 replies to this topic

[Barrrister]

There are some well done condos in Victoria and lots that really fall short. I hope that you are not suggesting that this blog is just a promo for the condo industry. I have noticed that some people seem to love everything about every building which makes one wonder.

[lanforod]

There are some well done condos in Victoria and lots that really fall short. I hope that you are not suggesting that this blog is just a promo for the condo industry. I have noticed that some people seem to love everything about every building which makes one wonder.

 

Lol! If that's the impression you're getting, you certainly aren't reading the threads much.

[sebberry]

There are some well done condos in Victoria and lots that really fall short. I hope that you are not suggesting that this blog is just a promo for the condo industry. I have noticed that some people seem to love everything about every building which makes one wonder.

 

Condo development in Victoria has traditionally replaced a lot of seriously aging, unsightly and under-utilized infrastructure.  You'll see a lot of support for the positive transformation these new buildings bring to a neighborhood.  

 

We don't all gush over condo living, I sure have my fair share of criticisms.

[johnk2]

Drove by The Wade yesterday and it looks very nice to me. I like the black against the brick.

[Nparker]

...I have noticed that some people seem to love everything about every building which makes one wonder.

Lol! If that's the impression you're getting, you certainly aren't reading the threads much.

Exactly, because apparently I hate everything. 

[aastra]

 

Lol! If that's the impression you're getting, you certainly aren't reading the threads much.

 

Come on, the crowd here is as soft as can be. Notoriously complimentary.

 

I challenge you to find a thousand negative comments about new condo buildings.

 

Posted in the past 12 months.

 

I bet you can't do it.

 

In less than an hour.

[Mike K.]

There are some well done condos in Victoria and lots that really fall short. I hope that you are not suggesting that this blog is just a promo for the condo industry. I have noticed that some people seem to love everything about every building which makes one wonder.

Im suggesting that your only contribution to this forum, so far, is to ridicule condo projects. Why even bother? This is a pro-development forum and cliche complaints don’t fly here.

[Barrrister]

So you are saying only opinions that agree with you are welcome. Perhaps you should put that in bold on the actual forum so that people dont believe that this forum represents a range of opinions. 

 

By the way i support development in Victoria but I dont necessarily share your opinion as to what constitutes good architecture in this city. But clearly this blog is intended as merely as a sales ad for this building. Good luck with that.

[aastra]

I'm loving the spandrel on this one. But then again, I always love the spandrel on new buildings.

 

It's just like the song: spandrel and plain grey panels, these are a few of my favourite things.

[aastra]

Barrister, if you appreciate criticism then check out the threads for Yates on Yates, Encore, Tapestry, Hudson Place 2, Telus Ocean, the Wellburn's project, IronWorks, Montrose Wintergarden, the firehall project...

 

We complained about the spandrel on Encore so many times, people started complaining about the complaints.

 

Edit: maybe we haven't been so critical about IronWorks on VV but I've seen and heard plenty of complaints elsewhere. Black and White is another one that people like to complain about. Parkside got plenty of complaints back in the day.

Edited by aastra, 17 August 2020 - 08:54 AM.

[lanforod]

Come on, the crowd here is as soft as can be. Notoriously complimentary.

 

I challenge you to find a thousand negative comments about new condo buildings.

 

Posted in the past 12 months.

 

I bet you can't do it.

 

In less than an hour.

 

Search condo threads. User aastra. Results > 1000. Done. 

 

You owe me a beer.

 

PS. - your posts have a lot of criticisms (and positive feedback). Easily 1000 in the last year. Personally don't always agree, but you specifically probably provide more feedback than anyone here.

[Jackerbie]

What are the plans to finish off the "moat" at the ground level of this facade?

 

 

re. the moat, add water and alligators. Would be ideal to also be able to raise the bridge.

 

Looks like the bottom panels are vision glass, so the moat will be kind of like the dive tank at Commonwealth Pool (but, like, more shallow)

[aastra]

If you're the sort of person who likes to muse about how a crappy parking lot could be improved, this site has probably been on your mind for decades. The Wade sure isn't what I was expecting. I was expecting something much bigger and much different.

 

But I'm liking it all the same. That's part of the reason why I'm liking it. It surprises me. They renovated the old building rather than knock it down. The very short but very urban new construction has the potential to extend some of the Cook St. "city neighbourhood" feel that otherwise gets interrupted between View and Pandora.

[aastra]

 

Search condo threads. User aastra. Results > 1000. Done.

 

I knew I should have said 10,000.

[Promontory Kingpin]

Here’s the latest update from the streets

Attached Images

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Edited by Promontory Kingpin, 17 August 2020 - 03:46 PM.

[LJ]

 

 

ps: I actually love the "pockmarked" balcony fronts.

What are the balcony fronts made out of?

[Nparker]

What are the balcony fronts made out of?

That's a good question. 

Any of the purchasers want to chime in?

[Mike K.]

I thought they were metal.

[sebberry]

What are the balcony fronts made out of?

 

Clearly they're just slices of Swiss cheese.

[CitoyenduMonde]

A little history of the timeline of the Wade.

 

In the first amendment to the disclosure statement of November 2, 2016, Amadon-Westwater Projects on November 30, 2016 suggested a start to construction would take place sometime between March 15, 2017 and June 15, 2017 with construction lasting less than 2 years in the worst case scenario: completion of construction between December 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. The first breach of these promised dates was the start of construction. They broke ground on August 19, 2017 (hence a little more than two months later than the foreseen worst case scenario). It is my understanding that AW did however collect more than 10% of the purchase price from many purchasers before breaking ground, which I believe breaches provincial law. Once they recognized that they might be in breach, they then issued a new disclosure statement in January 2018 which included an acknowledgement to be signed by the purchasers stating that the purchasers acknowledged that money was not really collected by AW but were instead being held by Cook Roberts LLP in trust at the direction of the purchaser, without conditions. This new disclosure statement moved the occupancy date to some time between May 1, 2019 and July 31, 2019 which continued the fiction of an overall construction time of less than two years from breaking ground to occupancy, thereby making one believe that any delay was solely attributable to the late start. In mid-March 2019, the completion date was delayed until the period between July 1st and September 31st, 2019. In late May 2019, the occupancy date was shifted to between November 1st 2019 and January 31st, 2020 but with the solemn vow that any date later than the end of fall was simply to avoid needing to once again need to send out a letter stating a new delay. In November 2019, AW sent out a fourth amendment stating a March 2020 occupancy date. In mid-April 2020, the 5th amendment to the disclosure statement stated that the completion date would now be done in two staggered phases, with the North building being ready for occupancy between May 1st and July 31st 2020 and the South building between July 1st, 2020 and September 30th, 2020. I honestly do not understand how AW could unilaterally decide to favour one group of purchasers, thereby discriminating against others, given that there was never even the slightest hint of a potential situation where such a case could occur. In late June 2020, AW stated that the North building would be ready for occupancy on or about July 31, 2020 and the South building being 90-120 days later (i.e. end of October - end of November) Well we are now in the latter part of August 2020 and they are now seeing a completion date of late September 2020 for the North building and no estimate whatsoever for the South building. So for a building that should never have required more than 2 years to build from start to occupancy, there will be a cumulative DELAY of at least 18 months. Now compare this to any other even remotely similar steel and concrete project in the city that started or was scheduled to be completed around the same time. Hudson One was supposed to be completed much later and is already complete. 979 was supposed to be completed after the Wade and already has occupancy.