799 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

...Please, no more bland, square, "Gulag-style" or fake Victorian buildings downtown, let's rise up with style and creativity and be proud of the new heritage we're creating for our city.

This should be the point from which every new proposal in the city starts. 

[G-Man]

Why do we still not know what the winning proponent's design looks like? I mean I don't get why it needs to be a secret. I suppose I can put in an FOI request...

[Nparker]

Why do we still not know what the winning proponent's design looks like? I mean I don't get why it needs to be a secret. I suppose I can put in an FOI request...

And 6 months after the project is completed you'll get your redacted response...

[Citified.ca]

The winning bid for the City of Victoria's design competition for a City-owned parcel along Douglas Street at Humboldt Street – known as the 'Apex Site' or the 'Budget lot' – is reportedly a partnership between communications giant Telus and Victoria-based Jawl Properties.

 

Telecom giant TELUS, Jawl Properties to partner on upcoming Douglas Street tower

https://victoria.cit...s-street-tower/

[shoeflack]

Jawl and TELUS...oooohh...from everything I've heard through the grapevine, this could be the skyline defining project that Nparker has been looking for!

 

Let's home the City keeps the creative spirit killing to a minimum.

[Nparker]

Exciting! Now we just need to see an awesome design -  landmark quality.

[Nparker]

...this could be the skyline defining project that Nparker has been looking for...

I am sure it won't be allowed to be taller than the Empress. 

[shoeflack]

I am sure it won't be allowed to be taller than the Empress. 

 

If there's one thing TELUS is very good at, it's pouring lots of money into City initiatives in order to get their way. I was working for a small town in the Okanagan where they wanted to install fibre. They essentially bankrolled a major infrastructure project to as part of their municipal approval process. They have absolutely no problem with paying off municipalities in a very open and transparent way. It's essentially part of their mandate, for fibre installation anyways.

 

I've said it here before. Some top level TELUS people have said they want this to be something that stands out when you fly in on a sea plane. Good location for that, so long as it emerges above the Empress.

 

The resources and design ability of TELUS and Jawl together will make for a heck of a front against Council. I have to imagine there will be a residential component to this.

[Nparker]

If there's one thing TELUS is very good at, it's pouring lots of money into City initiatives in order to get their way...

They should be able to since Telus gets a chunk of its revenue from me every month.

[johnk]

They should be able to since Telus gets a chunk of its revenue from me every month.

Keep the cash flowing Nparker, this shareholder approves!

[RFS]

I should remind everyone that nothing tall or exciting ever gets built and we will all be disappointed by renderings

[Nparker]

...we will all be disappointed by renderings

Or excited by the first renderings only to see them rejected multiple times by Council until something truly unremarkable emerges.

[jonny]

I should remind everyone that nothing tall or exciting ever gets built and we will all be disappointed by renderings

Wrong.

[aastra]

 

I am sure it won't be allowed to be taller than the Empress.

 

If so, that would be about the same height as the taller part of the Falls (equivalent to ~18 residential stories, or ~13 office stories). So about the same height as the new office building on Pandora? The sheer height in this case doesn't really matter to me. I just want it to be a distinctive building that takes advantage of the lot shape and brings more life and energy to that intersection.

 

 

pic from TripAdvisor.com...

[Nparker]

... I just want it to be a distinctive building that takes advantage of the lot shape and brings more life and energy to that intersection.

I have abandoned all hope that the CoV will permit anything to truly have an impact on the downtown skyline in my lifetime (I still have my doubts about Hudson Place). All I can hope for at this point is that the city doesn't blandify any design for the Apex site to the point of utter banality in the name of "Victorian suitability".

[zoomer]

It’ll be hard to be beat the rejected design on page 1 - elegant glass Flatiron with understated west coast vibe.

After Jawl’s debacle at Capital Park I hold out little hope for prime location as well. Can only hope it’s closer to the Pandouglas project.

[aastra]

Do we not have a conference centre thread? Anyway, I sure don't like the changes to the entrance as envisioned here...

[grantpalin]

It’ll be hard to be beat the rejected design on page 1 - elegant glass Flatiron with understated west coast vibe.

After Jawl’s debacle at Capital Park I hold out little hope for prime location as well. Can only hope it’s closer to the Pandouglas project.

Agree, a Flatiron-esque building would make the best use of that corner. The proposed design on the first page would be awesome there. Unfortunately, as with others, I fear that the result will be less than awesome after the city has had its way with it.

[Jackerbie]

^ It's an election year coming up, so maybe there will be some fresh blood on Council by the time some of these big developments make their way through the process

[jonny]

So if this is a city owned parcel of land, which it is, and the City of Victoria has chosen a winning proponent and design via a rather grueling RFEI process, which they did, shouldn't any zoning and/or permitting issues be mere formalities? Would they seriously put the winning proponent through the wringer in the RFEI process, and make them go through the bureaucratic nightmare that is getting a development permit in this city?