149 replies to this topic

[Rob Randall]

[Rob Randall]

Building one is nearing completion as you can see, building three is being framed up and building two, which would be just to the left is about half way done. 

 

Over at Broadmead Village I like how the Artisan Bistro has activated the space and hope something similar can happen here--a plaza with a very nice cafe or bistro with a big patio and I don't think it would be a negative for the Beach House, either.

[Kilo95]

 

Pictures from this morning. Apparently occupancy in the first building on the corner is expected sometime in November. Wonder if they've secured a grocery store anchor yet for the building at the back?

[Victoria Watcher]

The opportunity to purchase a ground floor retail/office space within a mixed-use 91 unit condominium development in Cordova Bay. With over 35,000 sq. ft. of retail/ office space in 3 separate buildings, The Haro development is well suited to businesses providing a variety of services to time-pressed busy families, and empty nesters alike.

 

https://www.realtor....ich-cordova-bay

 

$1,450,000

[Victoria Watcher]

A business owner in Saanich says a frustrating situation with signs is hurting her imported specialty foods business.

Genna Purcell, who owns Gigi’s Italian and Specialty Foods in Cordova Bay, said business has been down since she was asked by the District of Saanich to stop putting up sandwich boards and flag signs on strata property after a complaint.

Purcell bought those signs, which she takes down each night when she closes the store, because a large sign for the shopping centre in a new strata known as the Haro that lists all the businesses is blocked by trees that were part of the development requirements. The locations of both the trees and the sign were determined by the municipality, she said.

“It’s just a really frustrating situation, and honestly it’s scary. You know, we have huge operating expenses to have a business in Saanich, and we just feel like we are not being supported here,” Purcell said.

https://www.timescol...e-signs-9453881

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 August 2024 - 05:23 AM.

[Mike K.]

They must be new trees. There do not appear to have been trees prior to construction starting.

[Victoria Watcher]

Previous shopping area had a better mix

 

Re: “Cordova Bay businesses struggling with Saanich ban on portable signs,” Aug. 31.

 

Poor signs aren’t the main reason why Gigi’s Italian Specialty store is suffering, it’s the fact that there is no reason for most people to visit that plaza on a regular basis.

She is the sole retailer in the entire complex. When the developer initially pitched the idea for the Haro, he promised the essentials of the “15 minute neighbourhood” with eateries and retail shops anchored by a full-size grocery store.

 

Whatever the shortcomings of the old Cordova Bay Plaza, it housed a supermarket with the best butcher on the Peninsula, a dollar store, a bakery, a cafe, a bank, etc., all destinations that attracted frequent stops.

 

Due to the high cost of purchase or lease, it is no surprise that the new complex is dominated by professional offices, e.g. a lawyer, a wealth adviser, a bank, a dentist and assorted medical offices plus a spa.

 

There are still a few vacant storefronts two years after official opening. We never got the replacement grocery store and the largest premises are occupied by a fitness gym that attracts a younger crowd than the age of most residents of Cordova Bay.

 

Apart from the gym, there is no need to visit any of these facilities on an impromptu or daily basis. I feel particularly sorry for the condo owners who paid dearly to overlook the parking lot with its LED signs that blight the night.

 

Clearly the developer and Saanich council missed a great opportunity to create a vibrant community space in the core village.

All of these problems were anticipated and voiced by the community but fell on deaf ears. For now, Mattick’s Farm gets my business. Gigi’s might consider doing the same.

 

 

Janet Munson

Cordova Bay

 

 

https://www.timescol...attacks-9590200

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 September 2024 - 01:34 AM.

[Wayne]

We love Gigis. Great Italian store with hard to find items.

[Mike K.]

The developer tried to secure a grocery store at the plaza but they can only do so much. The free market weighs and balances opportunities and the winner for that space ended up being a gym.

Grocery stores are ultra low margin operations that need a large catchment of shoppers. They run the numbers and realized the local population wasn’t big enough for a modern retail operation at that location, with Red Barn just down the road, and a Thrifty’s a short drive away. Then across the highway you have Country Grocer, and not that far away on McKenzie you’ve got Root Cellar.

[LJ]

The developer tried to secure a grocery store at the plaza but they can only do so much. The free market weighs and balances opportunities and the winner for that space ended up being a gym.

Grocery stores are ultra low margin operations that need a large catchment of shoppers. They run the numbers and realized the local population wasn’t big enough for a modern retail operation at that location, with Red Barn just down the road, and a Thrifty’s a short drive away. Then across the highway you have Country Grocer, and not that far away on McKenzie you’ve got Root Cellar.

Can't be, Jagmeet says they are ripping us off, and he wants a cap on grocery prices.