652 replies to this topic

[aastra]

 

I am a bit puzzled by the sudden stop of the walkway myself.

 

What exactly are we puzzled about? Over the past ten years every trick in the book has been employed to delay the rescue of the ancient NJ buildings and otherwise frustrate the success of this project. When do we clue in to the pattern? Never?

 

I'm not one bit surprised to learn about the shenanigans that may be pending re: the transformer situation. We literally have seen it all with this one. Now that the saga has boiled down to a truly unique vision -- a legitimate showcase of innovation re: heritage preservation & revitalization -- I expect the big guns of anti-development absurdity to start firing.

 

"Those decrepit ~160-year-old warehouses are super precious, which is why we should hold off on saving them for another few years at least. You know, because what's the rush? Let them rot a bit more. What's the worst that could happen?" (cue twisted & misleading news item re: the developers who've been fighting to save the old buildings are somehow responsible for their demise)

 

 

1. The walkway  ends at the North edge of the building, rather than connecting to the path that goes under the Johnson St Bridge - is that because it's city land? It still seems like there should be the option to connect the walkways in the future?
2. It looks like that silly little parking lot to the North East is still there - is that city-owned as well?

 

The mission to preserve that useless bit of city-owned property has been an offensive farce from day one.

 

I just hope the CoV isn't waiting until the very end of this manufactured drama so they can deliberately ruin everything by building something absurd on that site.

 

[Nparker]

...The mission to preserve that useless bit of city-owned property has been an offensive farce from day one...

This! 

[aastra]

It's interesting to consider the projects that get fast-tracked in Victoria (Centennial Square, Johnson Street Bridge, Dallas Road railing) as versus the projects that get stalled for many years (Northern Junk).

 

When viewed through the lens of heritage preservation, can we discern any patterns? Methinks it would lead a reasonable person to wonder if the authorities have ever really cared one bit about Victoria's heritage. (If I happen to meet a reasonable person I'll be sure to ask him about it.)

 

Anyway, things sure happen quickly when the authorities want them to happen quickly.

 

 

Daily Colonist
December 14, 1962

CIVIC SQUARE DRAWS BIG "YES"

Victoria last night surged into its second century of municipal government with a smashing four-to-one endorsement by ratepayers of the Centennial Square civic plaza project.

"The city is on the move," said a jubilant Mayor R. H. Wilson. "This magnificent endorsement of the scheme is a clear indication that the people of Victoria want immediate action, which city council will provide,"

QUICK ACTION

"This is the first indication of solid progress towards a more beautiful and economically healthy Victoria,"

Ald. Arthur Dowell said... yesterday's vote ensure the Centennial Square project will "proceed with all haste."

 

--

 

 

Times Colonist
April 2, 2009

 

BLUE BRIDGE NEEDS TO BE FIXED OR REPLACED

Victoria council takes a hard look today at landmark link

 

The multi-million dollar question of whether to replace or repair the landmark Johnson Street Bridge will be before Victoria councillors today. And Mayor Dean Fortin says there's no time to delay.

"It's fundamentally our number-one infrastructure priority. There's just no doubt about it," Fortin said.

[aastra]

Check out this comment somebody posted back in July, 2008:

 

 

The Northern Junk site is rather small and an odd shape, but odd sites can produce some of the most interesting buildings, right? This is a rare creative opportunity. And whatever happens, we've got to make some progress on the walkway!

[Mike K.]

Maybe they’ll add their design to it once it’s approved, not wanting to put effort towards a project council might not approve? Or is there a plan quietly percolating for the City land, which will have a connection to the walkway?

In any event, if Reliance runs the pathway along its frontage only to have it remain gapped spitting distance from the bridge, that would be quite the missed opportunity among missed opportunities.

[Nparker]

... if Reliance runs the pathway along its frontage only to have it remain gapped spitting distance from the bridge, that would be quite the missed opportunity among missed opportunities.

If I were Reliance, I would make the CoV wait at least 10 years before I'd even consider joining up with their walkway.

[aastra]

 

...it now has the look of a landmark building and not just another condo project. Going by 'would I take lots of pics of this building' evaluation scale.. hell yes!

 

I'd say it passes the "Would anyone bother to take a picture?" test, and it also passes the "Would anyone care if it survives the earthquake?" test.

 

Methinks that's exactly what you want when you're talking about new construction in the old town.

[Jackerbie]

Reading the attachments to the council agenda, I predict another round of Kafka-esque negotiations with respect to the Pad Mounted Transformer (big electrical box).  BC Hydro says it needs to be accessible from public ROW. Heritage advocates say it can't be in front of any old walls. Staff says it can't be in Bridgehead Green (the park like space on Wharf) because it will mess with tree roots and the naturalistic ambiance.  I'm trying to imagine exactly where it could go that meets all thee requirements?

 

If I were Reliance I'd be wondering if I could donate the site and take a huge tax writeoff.

 

In my experience, BC Hydro gets their way.

[Kapten Kapsell]

How did this go at CotW?

[jstovell]

It passed 5/2 for referral to Public Hearing.

 

For:

Alto

Helps

Loveday

Potts

Thornton Joe

 

Against:

 

Isitt

Young

[jstovell]

From the TC this morning:

 

https://www.timescol...ncil-1.24204552

[GaryOak]

So is it getting built? I just don't want to get too excited yet.

[jstovell]

Still have to get through a Public Hearing.

[G-Man]

Amazing! Finally!

[DavidSchell]

So is it getting built? I just don't want to get too excited yet.

 

I will believe it when I see it. 

[Casual Kev]

From the TC this morning:

 

https://www.timescol...ncil-1.24204552

 

So good ol' Pam still wants the site to remain one step removed from being rubble. 

[Nparker]

...Pam Madoff ...says the heritage buildings are “completely lost” in the new structure...“What they’re proposing is not a rooftop addition,” said Madoff,...“It’s basically putting a new building on top of a heritage building.”

Steve Barber, the city’s former senior heritage planner, agreed and says the developer’s refinements fail to fix the main problem with the project. “It’s the size of the addition,” he said. “It just overwhelms the existing modest scale of the two buildings and really, I think, irrevocably damages their heritage character.”...

https://www.timescol...ncil-1.24204552

Well it's not as if the developer didn't try for nearly a decade to maintain the original character of the heritage structures, but was shot down at every turn, by the city, the DRA and so-called heritage advocates. Is the current proposal the ideal way to "honour" the NJ buildings? Perhaps not, but that ship has sailed and if something isn't done soon there won't be anything left to save.

[Mike K.]

They’ve had a decade to whittle it down and have their fun. Enough with the complaining about that which they essentially forced to happen.

[aastra]

 

...the heritage buildings are “completely lost” in the new structure, contrary to the design guidelines for Victoria’s Old Town district.

 

This is such a great point. Why didn't the developer try to set apart the old buildings? It would be easy to do. I can think of a bunch of different possibilities off the top of my head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aastra]

 

They’ve had a decade to whittle it down and have their fun. Enough with the complaining about that which they essentially forced to happen.

 

Seriously, considering how small the site is, this NJ saga must have set some kind of world record for producing such a wide range of high-quality proposals, all of which were flatly rejected. And now the latest couple of versions are taking things in a completely different direction yet again... and meeting the same blunt negativity.

 

The irony is, it's all been boiled down to something very unique and innovative and 100% context-specific. And a little bit oddball, too. Just like the old buildings themselves.

 

Nobody cared about these buildings when they were languishing, but everybody cares about these buildings when they might be rescued. The buildings can rot and decay any which way, we have no predilections about that. But the buildings must be rescued in precisely the proper manner. And, unfortunately, the proper manner is impossible to describe using written/spoken language or via visual examples. More than a decade later and we're still no closer to understanding what an acceptable redevelopment would look like.