107 replies to this topic

[laconic]

They're just finishing up with blasting and rock removal. Just a bit of drilling and blasting to finish off a few high spots.

 

Surveyors were out this week marking out plan grid lines.

 

Crane bits are arriving this morning. The site isn't anywhere near ready for a crane so I'm assuming the pieces are just being stored on site for a while. It does seem to be moving along faster than the press release that referred to a summer start.

[laconic]

Blasting is complete. All the heavy equipment is gone. The blasting company is removing their trailer this morning.

 

The city appears to be bringing the utilities across from the BMW side.

[jpmandy]

Any idea when construction will start?

[Kungsberg]

A view of the site from Shutters.

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[laconic]

In the last couple of weeks there was a small crew doing slope stabilization. Today they brought back an excavator and a drilling machine, presumably to do a few blasting touch-ups.

[laconic]

Slope stabilization continues. Crews have been there every day.  Most of the work has been on the rightmost side of the picture above in the area just above the blue man lifter. The blasted rock face is fine but on either side there is looser material.

 

In a presentation a few weeks ago Mariash mentioned that they had been responsible for the blasting and excavation as a condition of the land sale.

[laconic]

Slope stabilization

 

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[Kapten Kapsell]

T- C article on this development: https://www.timescol...lace-1.23909037

[AllseeingEye]

Its an interesting concept the merits of which are readily apparent to me as the son of a parent in her 13th year of dementia. Sadly but inevitably Canada will need more and more of these facilities as the Boomer Wave continues its full march into retirement and aging out.....

[Kungsberg]

From: http://aquara.elemen...eretirement.com

 

 

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[Kungsberg]

Unique $88 million retirement housing project launched in Victoria

Harbourside community downtown being developed by Vancouver-based Element Lifestyle Retirement

Western Investor

September 5, 2019

 

https://www.westerni...oria-1.23924466

 

 

The first B.C. retirement housing project to combine rentals and condominiums with an intergenerational concept has started construction in Victoria. 

 

Aquara by Element is an $88 million, harbourside community downtown being developed by Vancouver-based Element Lifestyle Retirement. It is part of the Bayview master plan community in the Songhees area of Victoria West. 

…..

 

At full build-out, Aquara by Element will have 157 suites with 47 homes, 75 rental suites, and 35 suites providing licensed care. More than 120 of the homes will be independent and supportive-living suites. 

 

Aquara sold or received rental reservations on 20 per cent of available condos and rentals at a pre-launch event in early August.

 

……

Element recently won an international award for its intergenerational vision for Oasis by Element, a $200 million retirement village in Langley, currently in the approval stage.

 

The 153,500-square-foot Aquara will include approximately 30,000 square feet of indoor and additional outdoor terrace, patios and rooftop garden for residents. The project will be completed late 2021. 

…..

 

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[aastra]

Quite a few different versions of the exterior in those pics? If the model represents the final version then it would seem to be a fair bit plainer than the earlier concepts.

[G-Man]

Is the patio cafe and bistro public?

[laconic]

My recollection from some of the earlier presentations is that they intend to bring/welcome the community into the facility. This is an attempt to normalize the building life rather than making it an institutional setting.

 

They're still working on the last of the rock removal and slope stabilization. A few months ago a neighborhood circular stated that they didn't expect to start actual construction until early into 2020.

[Jackerbie]

Is the patio cafe and bistro public?

 

Hard to say without a formal announcement by the Element folks. The property zoning allows a maximum 2,045 SF of commercial space on the ground floor only, and the various dining areas are fairly open concept and significantly in excess of that maximum. If they were able to limit the public to only the bistro then they wouldn't run in to bylaw compliance issues, as the bistro area is only 1,600 SF

 

What I imagine is most likely is that residents are able to bring guests.

 

The DP drawing set is still online, here: https://pub-victoria...ocumentId=28951

[laconic]

Aqua-rah!

 

The trailer has been repainted. There have been one or two people there most days. In this picture you can see one person strengthening the fence that had gone wonky during the last windstorm.

 

Apologies for the upside down picture... an Android bug on the Pixel. Killing exif data is painful.

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[SimonH]

Postponed. Source: a buyer.

[Victoria Watcher]

Deposits have been returned to prospective buyers and renters now that the Aquara seniors complex at Bayview Place in Songhees has been paused.

 

A decision will be made before year’s end on when the project will be relaunched, Ernie Hee, executive vice-president of Element Lifestyle ­Retirement of Vancouver, said Friday. The developer is committed to ­building Aquara, Hee said.

 

 

https://www.timescol...cing-1.24201981

[Casual Kev]

 

Deposits have been returned to prospective buyers and renters now that the Aquara seniors complex at Bayview Place in Songhees has been paused.

 

 

A decision will be made before year’s end on when the project will be relaunched, Ernie Hee, executive vice-president of Element Lifestyle ­Retirement of Vancouver, said Friday. The developer is committed to ­building Aquara, Hee said.

 

 

https://www.timescol...cing-1.24201981

 

 

I'm surprised actually. The near-zero interest rates and the senior demographic made me think this was going to stay on track. 

[zoomer]

No clue why the King of Promontory wanted these pics.  Unless.. it was to send me to an obscure location that no one would ever want a photo so I wouldn't be scooped by Mike K again as he zoomers around in his CitifiedMobile.  Very kind. 

 

Or maybe he planned to push me down that giant well on the edge of the property.  Not as kind. 

 

Aquara Pit by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

 

Aquara Today by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

 

Bayview One by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

 

Bayview One - Too by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr