1571 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

There is no housing/affordability crisis that trumps my view/convenience/general NIMBY frame of mind.

[tiger11]

That's a very subtle change; virtually imperceptible. 

 

Haha sorry my bad, from Blanchard street to Blanshard Street! 

 

I remember reviewing a old site plan from the early 1900's of that Blanshard building (art deco one) and it refers to the street as Blanchard Street. Was wondering if anyone knew the history behind the change?

[victorian]

(This is not downtown, it's Harris Green neighbourhood.)

I live on Yates very close to Quadra so it will happen almost beside my building. It's overwhelming as you can imagine. I thank this site for the opportunity to express my reaction to this.
I'm not moving so I will have to adapt like all my neighbours who are also staying while being overwhelmed.

I live adjacent to the development as well. Harris Green IS downtown and is becoming more and more so everyday. Rather than being overwhelming, it is exciting to see the city develop and provide the housing and services we so badly need downtown. We don’t need old strip malls anymore. We need density, less (surface) parking, and more housing. This development will help meet the demands of the future. It seems to me that the people most opposed to the development are more concerned with maintaining the past than about our present or future.

[Nparker]

...It seems to me that the people most opposed to the development are more concerned with maintaining the past than about our present or future.

This.

[aastra]

I think we've talked about the Blanshard/Blanchard thing before, and both spellings were used way back. Which led me to ask, how did the dude spell his own name? Did he also use both?

[aastra]

 

We don’t need old strip malls anymore.

 

The thing is, even when it was built it was controversial for its format. It was so out of place. In the years and decades since we've even seen tourists question why it's there (in downtown Victoria).

[Marilyn]

I live adjacent to the development as well. Harris Green IS downtown and is becoming more and more so everyday. Rather than being overwhelming, it is exciting to see the city develop and provide the housing and services we so badly need downtown. We don’t need old strip malls anymore. We need density, less (surface) parking, and more housing. This development will help meet the demands of the future. It seems to me that the people most opposed to the development are more concerned with maintaining the past than about our present or future.

 We moved here because of proximity to Harris Green. Now it's slated to disappear. 

You may find it "exciting" waiting for the dynamiting. Underground parking of 2 - 4 floors? that's a deep hole to dynamite. Then there will be the dump trucks taking away the rubble. That's not my idea of exciting.10 more years of construction on both sides of Yates Street is overkill, it's too much all at once but Toronto developers need their profits.

[victorian]

That's not my idea of exciting.

Don’t be daft. It’s not the construction that’s exciting, it’s the better city that results from it. I assume your self-interest and lack of interest in the future of the city is due to the fact that you don’t expect live long enough to benefit from development. That’s fine. But how about thinking about other people, such as your children and grandchildren. Do you think they’d be happy with the dilapidated city you want to leave them? The city can’t stop because because a few seniors don’t like the sound of construction. I’m sorry that you’ll have to turn down your hearing aids occasionally, but if you want peace and quiet, you shouldn’t be living downtown in the first place.

Edited by victorian, 07 December 2019 - 01:38 PM.

[Nparker]

... if you want peace and quiet, you shouldn’t be living downtown in the first place.

[Mike K.]

Folks, we don’t have to be rude to get a point across.

Everyone’s opinion is valid. Let’s debate the issue and share opinions, but leave personal jabs out of the equation.

Those living at The Hudson District have seen non-stop construction coming up on five years now and with the completion of Hudson Place One, HP2 will begin. It’ll be a solid 8-years for everything to complete, but people love the area nonetheless. Now imagine living in Vancouver or any other large city where projects like Hudson or Harris Green are constantly going up all around you. That’s just how it is.

And consider those living near the McKenzie interchange. Construction will have been going for four years straight, 24 hours a day once all is completed.

[Marilyn]

Don’t be daft. It’s not the construction that’s exciting, it’s the better city that results from it. I assume your self-interest and lack of interest in the future of the city is due to the fact that you don’t expect live long enough to benefit from development. That’s fine. But how about thinking about other people, such as your children and grandchildren. Do you think they’d be happy with the dilapidated city you want to leave them? The city can’t stop because because a few seniors don’t like the sound of construction. I’m sorry that you’ll have to turn down your hearing aids occasionally, but if you want peace and quiet, you shouldn’t be living downtown in the first place.

Why make this personal? Is it because you have not learned how to discuss and debate. You have to attack anyone who may disagree with you. 
This is not a forum for ideas, it's a monolith, "agree with us or we will insult you personally." Go look up how to debate politely it might help you. 

[Marilyn]

The thing is, even when it was built it was controversial for its format. It was so out of place. In the years and decades since we've even seen tourists question why it's there (in downtown Victoria).

Harris Green is a neighbourhood, it is not considered "Downtown."

[Marilyn]

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[SamCB]

is there any greater example of Victoria's smalltown NIMBY attitude than the fact some people implicitly assume "downtown" and "neighbourhood" are mutually exclusive terms?

 

harris green is a downtown neighbourhood. yes, that's a thing, believe it or not... 

[aastra]

 

Harris Green is a neighbourhood, it is not considered "Downtown."

 

Every Victorian considered that part of downtown to be downtown until the effort to re-brand it really got going in earnest in the 1990s. Hence why we referred to all of those car dealerships as downtown car dealerships. Heck, we still do refer to them as such. And yet the London Drugs is not downtown? View Towers is not downtown?

 

Remind me, what slogan was Wellburn's using? "Victoria's original downtown food store since 1914".

 

 

Times-Colonist
November 29, 2019

Wellburn’s Market, a grocery store at Cook and Pandora that's been downtown for more than a century, was forced to close its doors Friday morning after a sewage line problem in the building.

from Times-Colonist.com

 

What did the owner of Pluto's diner say?

 

 

Earlier this month, Pluto’s owner, Brun Dahlquist told Victoria Buzz that the 31-year-old diner is being “renovicted” by Sakura Developments who plan to build a condominium complex in its stead.

"It’s the fate of downtown Victoria in these times," said Dahlquist. "At every corner you can see a new condo building going up."

from www.victoriabuzz.com

 

This has come up so many times over the years. In the 2000s we were told the Crystal Court motel site was not downtown, even though the motel's own advertising had claimed the contrary for decades.

 

We can work hard to impose any designation that we might find preferable, but ultimately it won't change anything. It will still be downtown.

 

 

Daily Colonist
February 21, 1971

There are 10,037 parking spaces in Victoria...
(Unfortunately for you, 60,000 cars are looking for them)

What is known as the "central business district" is an area roughly bounded by Belleville Street on the south, Queens on the north, Cook on the east, and the Inner Harbor shoreline on the west. These boundaries have been contracted and expanded several times over the years.

Inside of this is the "core", which is loosely defined as the built-up commercial area, and inside that the "inner core", which is bounded by Government, Pandora, Blanshard, and Fort.

[aastra]

 

harris green is a downtown neighbourhood. yes, that's a thing, believe it or not...

 

Victoria has a few downtown neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Harris Green, south downtown ("Humboldt Valley"), the Hudson district. Some might also say North Park is downtown. I'd say part of it is.

 

Methinks this isn't something to be alarmed about. It's what makes downtown Victoria unique and interesting. The different parts of downtown have different flavour, which is pretty special for a city Victoria's size.

[Mike K.]

Burnside-Gorge south of Bay, parts of Fairfield, even Vic West is “downtown” in some regards.

[shoeflack]

Harris Green is a neighbourhood, it is not considered "Downtown."

 

I think everyone on this forum understands that Harris Green is technically it's own neighbourhood. What most are pointing out to you is that Harris Green (especially its western blocks) is very much a part of the "downtown Victoria" landscape, similar to how parts of many other Victoria neighbourhoods are as well..

 

There's a reason why residents in Harris Green are represented by the Downtown Victoria Residents Association, and not the Harris Green Residents Association.

[Nparker]

...Some might also say North Park is downtown. I'd say part of it is...

As someone who lives in southwest North Park (LOL), count me among the this group. If people ask me where I live, I tell them downtown Victoria. It's much easier than trying to explain the odd and seemingly arbitrary neighbourhood borders and designations.

[Brantastic]

Same. I’m in 1008 Pandora but I say downtown even though it’s teeeechnically North Park. Most people have no clue where official neighbourhood boundaries are and I’d say downtown outgrew its boundaries long ago.

Edited by Brantastic, 08 December 2019 - 06:12 PM.