159 replies to this topic

[Citified.ca]

Citified project page: https://victoria.cit...-and-caledonia/

Some additional details are now available as we await the formal application to go before the City, which is expected to happen later today or early next week as far as public access to the plans.

The total unit count will be close 500, not 400 as previously reported elsewhere. Approximately 90 more units will replace the 90 supportive housing units within the City Centre Hotel, and these homes will be situated on a parking lot on Douglas Street across the street from the current hotel.

As part of the plan, Chard will continue the Hudson District carriageway, providing it with an end-cap on the White Spot/hotel property.


An aerial view of the 1600-block of Douglas Street at Caledonia Avenue along the downtown Victoria-Burnside-Gorge border. A paternship between Chard Development and BC Housing has envisioned nearly 500-units of cross-spectrum rental and condominium housing on three properties in the 700-blocks of Caledonia Avenue and Discovery Streets. A full-service grocery store and over 41,000 square feet of office space are also planned.

Former downtown White Spot and City Centre Hotel properties eyed for 500-unit cross market-spectrum rental and condo dev
https://victoria.cit...-and-condo-dev/

[Nparker]

I'd love to see some renderings - even massing studies - for this proposal.

[Citified.ca]

There's a description of what's coming in terms of the vision in the article, but we'll have to wait a little bit for the visuals.

 

The grocery store at 31,000 square feet will be huge. Any idea on who'll lease it? Thrifty's, maybe? Urban Fare?

[Nparker]

T&T? This proposal does sort of border Chinatown.

Edited by Nparker, 21 January 2022 - 12:35 PM.

[yellow_baron]

T&T would be a game changer

[Kapten Kapsell]

This project is heading to Burnside Gorge's CALUC on Feb 7.

 

Here's a rendering of the proposed new supportive-housing building on the *north* side of Discover Street (currently a surface lot):

 

Edited by Kapten Kapsell, 21 January 2022 - 03:52 PM.

[Nparker]

Oh man is that ever ugly.

[Kapten Kapsell]

Additional information from Chard:

 

167 units of market rental

167 units of below-market rental, including supportive housing

167 market condominium units

 

For a unit total of 501 units.

 

The below market rental homes on the south side of Discovery will be operated by BC Housing in a 16-storey building.  The condo building (fronting Caledonia) will be 21 storeys.

Edited by Kapten Kapsell, 21 January 2022 - 03:56 PM.

[Nparker]

Can't say this isn't equitable.

[Kapten Kapsell]

And here's a look at the main block:

 

[Nparker]

It looks fine and should integrate well into the existing neighbourhood. I hope a home for a new White Spot restaurant can be found somewhere in this development.

[AllseeingEye]

I fully recognise that supportive housing proposal is nothing more than an early-days rendering not to mention it is supportive housing after all and not the second coming of the Louvre, but.....WOOF: that makes the old KGB interrogation facility in Moscow look like a shining example of contemporary architecture.....

[Victoria Watcher]

I don’t mind it. I think you have to make the podium that way if you want the best grocery store setup.

Some colour would be nice though. Bring over some elements from Yello.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 January 2022 - 07:44 PM.

[LJ]

I fully recognise that supportive housing proposal is nothing more than an early-days rendering not to mention it is supportive housing after all and not the second coming of the Louvre, but.....WOOF: that makes the old KGB interrogation facility in Moscow look like a shining example of contemporary architecture.....

Hey, I've been to Lubyanka, it wasn't all that bad.

[punk cannonballer]

The supportive housing building would look much better if the top two floors were stepped back a bit.

[G-Man]

Wow this project seem to come out of nowhere. This is exactly what we need in this space. Hopefully we can see a little more of this north of here. 

[A Girl is No one]

There is a unholy alliance between activist government and the developers where massively overpriced public housing is getting built. I suspect that this is just starting to gather steam.

In the US it’s a big thing. Government is now a large customer for developers, where price is no issue. Often “supportive housing” units end up costing several hundred thousand $ each.
It seems that Developers here are getting in this game. Tax payers always lose.

[Victoria Watcher]

In the US it’s a big thing. Government is now a large customer for developers, where price is no issue. Often “supportive housing” units end up costing several hundred thousand $ each.
It seems that Developers here are getting in this game. Tax payers always lose.

 

 

Depending on where you live in the country, your house probably costs less to build than affordable housing will cost in San Francisco.

 

According to the New York Times, San Francisco affordable housing cost around $750,000 to build per unit, for a two-bedroom apartment. The average costs of construction in San Francisco is 13 percent higher than in New York, 60 percent more expensive than Chicago, and 75 percent more than in Houston.

 

The high cost is attributed to of course the land, as well as the construction workers which earn about $90 an hour on average, and about a quarter of the cost go towards government fees, permits, and consulting companies.

 

 

 

https://www.citizens...50000-per-unit/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 January 2022 - 07:32 AM.

[A Girl is No one]

Additional information from Chard:

167 units of market rental
167 units of below-market rental, including supportive housing
167 market condominium units

For a unit total of 501 units.

The below market rental homes on the south side of Discovery will be operated by BC Housing in a 16-storey building. The condo building (fronting Caledonia) will be 21 storeys.

167 units of supportive housing in a single building is a bad idea. It will end up like the DTES buildings.

[Victoria Watcher]

167 units of supportive housing in a single building is a bad idea. It will end up like the DTES buildings.

 

Or 844 Johnson (147 units).