830 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

...The height of the Telus Ocean building will be very much affected by the relationship with the Empress....

Should not the DoubleTree Hotel (aka Executive House) and The Falls have some bearing on the height of this project?

[Hotel Mike]

Yes, Nparker that's exactly who will be affected. Views will be somewhat compromised for Chateau Victoria and Aria as well. I am investing much hope that this will be an important move for downtown Victoria. An architecturally significant building with lots of glass I hope, can bring much new life and activity to a neglected corner. It brings hundreds of workers to the south end of downtown, and shows some confidence.

[spanky123]

Depends how far they want to stray from the Downtown Core Area Plan, which has the tallest buildings on Blanshard between Herald and View (see the Hudson District) with building height sloping to the water and the legislature. The height of the Telus Ocean building will be very much affected by the relationship with the Empress. I expect to see a lot of perspective drawings from the inner harbour and Songhees for this project.

 

Would the nature of the soil have an impact as well (ie isn't it all infill)?

 

I suspect that they will be lots of interest in the project from neighbours. 

[Nparker]

Should not the DoubleTree Hotel (aka Executive House) and The Falls have some bearing on the height of this project

Yes, Nparker that's exactly who will be affected. 

I wasn't thinking about affected views so much as established building heights in the immediate area.

[Mike K.]

20, 16, 18x2, and 17 residential storeys in the immediate area.

[spanky123]

Yes, Nparker that's exactly who will be affected. Views will be somewhat compromised for Chateau Victoria and Aria as well. I am investing much hope that this will be an important move for downtown Victoria. An architecturally significant building with lots of glass I hope, can bring much new life and activity to a neglected corner. It brings hundreds of workers to the south end of downtown, and shows some confidence.

 

It would move workers from the north end of downtown to the south end :-)

 

I am hearing from my sources that the Mayor's interest in an "Ocean Tech Cluster" is being driven by Government money and an "Ocean Tech" funding competition which of course is always the best way to decide how to diversify your economy. Remember how Victoria was going to become a "Smart City" and we were going to leverage industry (u-bike) and community (SIPP) to make that happen? After we lost out on the funding has the Mayor even mentioned the words "Smart City" since then? SIPP is back to producing nice powerpoints and u-bike?!

 

I am sure that Telus doesn't care one way or another, only a question of how much the City is paying for its share of the partnership to try and make this happen.

[PPPdev]

Existing zone: 45m (+/- 10 storeys)

OCP: 15 storeys 

 

Along with context, those are the guiding principles shaping the height of the project

[spanky123]

Existing zone: 45m (+/- 10 storeys)

OCP: 15 storeys 

 

Along with context, those are the guiding principles shaping the height of the project

 

Wouldn't that be something if the City sold the land based on zoning of 10 stories and then re-zoned it to 15 stories for them.

[PPPdev]

Purchase price is tied to density:

 

"TELUS has agreed to purchase the property from the City of Victoria for a price of $8.1 million, plus up to an additional $1.1 million purchase price adjustment depending on the final proposal submitted and approved as part of the rezoning process."

[Spy Black]

Depends how far they want to stray from the Downtown Core Area Plan, which has the tallest buildings on Blanshard between Herald and View (see the Hudson District) with building height sloping to the water and the legislature. The height of the Telus Ocean building will be very much affected by the relationship with the Empress. I expect to see a lot of perspective drawings from the inner harbour and Songhees for this project.

It is at the west end of the Humboldt Valley though, a downtown geographic feature that repeated iterations of decades of COV Councils have always approved the other tallest buildings in downtown Victoria.

[spanky123]

Purchase price is tied to density:

 

"TELUS has agreed to purchase the property from the City of Victoria for a price of $8.1 million, plus up to an additional $1.1 million purchase price adjustment depending on the final proposal submitted and approved as part of the rezoning process."

 

It is tied to buildable square feet is it not and that is a function of building height. 

[PPPdev]

It is tied to buildable square feet is it not and that is a function of building height. 

 

"Wouldn't that be something if the City sold the land based on zoning of 10 stories and then re-zoned it to 15 stories for them."

 

If you are disconnecting height/density then this statement doesn't make sense? Land is not priced based on height but floor area....

[spanky123]

"Wouldn't that be something if the City sold the land based on zoning of 10 stories and then re-zoned it to 15 stories for them."

 

If you are disconnecting height/density then this statement doesn't make sense? Land is not priced based on height but floor area....

 

But if you go from 10 to 15 stories you are increasing the floor area right?

[Nparker]

But if you go from 10 to 15 stories you are increasing the floor area right?

Not if the floorplate is smaller for each of the 15 floors.

[PPPdev]

Spanky: Wouldn't that be something if the City sold the land based on zoning of 10 stories and then re-zoned it to 15 stories for them.

 

me: Purchase price is tied to density

 

Spanky: It is tied to buildable square feet is it not and that is a function of building height. 

 

me: If you are disconnecting height/density then this statement doesn't make sense? Land is not priced based on height but floor area....

 

Spanky: But if you go from 10 to 15 stories you are increasing the floor area right?

 

​me: am I getting punk'd?

[Mike K.]

10 floors may equal 150,000 square feet, but so can 15 floors, is what PPP is saying.

[PPPdev]

A 150,000sf 10 storey building will carry the same land value as a 15 storey 150,000sf building site. 

[Mike K.]

Yes. The fees paid to the City for uplifts relate to the density, do they not?

[spanky123]

10 floors may equal 150,000 square feet, but so can 15 floors, is what PPP is saying.

 

I am assuming that the purpose of adding floors is to get additional square feet and that a building with 50% more floors could have 50% more square feet. If that is an incorrect assumption then obviously my comments don't make sense.

Edited by spanky123, 09 June 2020 - 03:30 PM.

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

Yes. The fees paid to the City for uplifts relate to the density, do they not?

 

Permit fees & DCCs run on construction costs/density.