26 replies to this topic

[Light-Keeper]

The Downtown Victoria Business Association will be leaving it's office space at #20 Centennial Square and relocating to #200 764 Yates Street at the end of October. 

 

The City of Victoria wants the space for Bylaw Enforcement offices. More blanked out windows along the Centennial Square Arcade. Row after row. Uninviting and repellant.

 

How will this help the revitalization of Centennial Square?  The 2018 Centennial Square Action Plan urges the City to return the arcade spaces below the parking lot to commercial use. The City is in the process of expending a further $750,000 for the revitalization design and planning process but won't take the advice they previously paid for.

 

Back when the retail sale of cannabis was first approved, the City would not allow retailers to blank out their storefronts. They had to show something of interest to the passerby. But the City seems to do this with impunity!.  

[Mike K.]

Welcome to VV, LK. That's quite historic. The DVBA has been there since its inception in the 1990s, I believe.

[spanky123]

^ Perhaps Jeff has been a little too outspoken about crime and filth impacting his members.

 

Smells a lot like retaliation. Like the CoV doesn't have room for a few additional bylaw officers?

Edited by spanky123, 24 October 2023 - 12:24 PM.

[aastra]

 

The 2018 Centennial Square Action Plan urges the City to return the arcade spaces below the parking lot to commercial use. The City is in the process of expending a further $750,000 for the revitalization design and planning process but won't take the advice they previously paid for.

...the City would not allow retailers to blank out their storefronts. They had to show something of interest to the passerby. But the City seems to do this with impunity!

 

The CoV has been engaging in wasteful expenditures, pursuing initiatives that contradict one another, and otherwise putting out hypocritical messaging? I suppose there's a first time for everything.

[Nparker]

...Back when the retail sale of cannabis was first approved, the City would not allow retailers to blank out their storefronts. They had to show something of interest to the passerby. But the City seems to do this with impunity!.  

Generally speaking, I am not in favour of ground level office space in the downtown core, but is there a bylaw or even an obligation that street level widows must present something interesting to passersby? 

And let's face it, Centennial Square's problems are significantly worse than covered-over street front windows.

[lanforod]

Generally speaking, I am not in favour of ground level office space in the downtown core, but is there a bylaw or even an obligation that street level widows must present something interesting to passersby? 

And let's face it, Centennial Square's problems are significantly worse than covered-over street front windows.

 

Sounds like you're against red light districts.

[Nparker]

I have no opinion on red-light districts since, to the best of my knowledge, I have never encountered one.

[Mike K.]

DVBA has confirmed they are indeed moving to a new space at Millie's Lane.

[Mike K.]

Oh, and the DVBA situated there in 2005.

[aastra]

 

Sounds like you're against red light districts.

 

Ideally the red lights would be covered over so no one can see them.

[LJ]

In Las Vegas there are strip malls that have all their storefronts covered in wraps, advertising, art whatever. You go by, you have no idea what the store is selling or even if it is open. You can spend some time looking for a doorway, open it and look inside and see if it's the store you want.

[LJ]

Bonus post - the Sphere in Las Vegas...

 

 

[Mike K.]

Improvement?

I’m not sure. It just looks like it’s being forced. The rendering does not create a desire to go there, and makes it looks like a breezeway or space to quickly move through.

[max.bravo]

Someone should photoshop that. It needs some people laying down possibly OD’d, people carrying stolen bicycle parts, used needles on the ledges, tents, and signs of human defecation.

[mbjj]

That base around the monoliths is sure ugly. What a waste of money. 

[Sparky]

The way it is now is just fine. Sorry about the tilt.

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[Blair M.]

We all know that a renovation (any renovation) won't change a single thing in Centennial Square.

 

Similarly, we also know that the issue most definitely isn't the physical layout and design of the Square, it's the City of Victoria's fundamental and apparently crippling inability to enforce simple civic by-laws in conjunction with provincial laws that overlap the city's jurisdiction. 

 

Note that the above isn't at all a reflection on actual By-Law Officers, as they are hard working frontline workers who are obliged to do what their managers and political masters tell them to do. 

[Mike K.]

A group called The Good City Project (Aryze Developments) has approached the City to gift an electronic sign as part of Victoria’s Centennial Square revitalization project. More from a City report regarding the Good City proposal:

We envision this installation positioned prominently within the finalized Centennial Square design—potentially at a gateway or focal point identified through the City’s design process—to complement planned upgrades such as enhanced lighting, greenery and gathering spaces. The sign would be:

Artistically illuminated to serve as a landmark by day and an inviting feature by night,
celebrating civic pride and sense of place.

Locally designed and fabricated, using durable, sustainable materials that showcase
Victoria’s creativity and craftsmanship.
Publicly accessible and photo-friendly, drawing visitors and residents alike to experience

Centennial Square as a welcoming civic hub and destination for community gathering.
Partnership and Conditions

Our offer is contingent on Council advancing the Centennial Square Master Plan to implementation. Should that plan proceed, we’d be eager to collaborate with City staff to:

Determine the precise location best suited for the sign,

Integrate the sign’s design and placement into the approved plan,

Ensure all technical and safety standards are met, and

Formalize an ownership and maintenance agreement that works for both parties.

We see this contribution as an opportunity to celebrate Victoria’s identity and help bring the City’s vision to life—a more vibrant, inclusive and engaging downtown. Thank you for considering this proposal. We would
welcome the opportunity to present concept renderings and discuss next steps at your convenience.

The above is undersigned by Melanie Ransome.

[max.bravo]

Too colonial. The sign should say Lək̓ʷəŋən

[Mike K.]

It just might end up that way.