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The Dalmatian
Uses: rental, civic
Address: 1025 Johnson Street
Municipality: Victoria
Region: Downtown Victoria
Storeys: 11
The Dalmatian is an 11-storey mixed-use affordable rental tower in the 1000-block of Johnson Street in downtow... (view full profile)
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[Harris Green] The Dalmatian | Victoria No. 1 Firehall | Rentals, office space | Completed - Built in 2023


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#161 aastra

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Posted 12 January 2019 - 03:06 PM

And fire trucks. Need those.



#162 spanky123

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Posted 12 January 2019 - 03:10 PM

I think the residential portion directly above the firehall is going to be mixed martket/subsidized housing operated by a non-profit. So I wouldn't expect a high-end exterior, cost minimization will be a priority.

 

According to the agreement Focus attached, anything built over the firehall has to be built to the same seismic standards as the firehall. Cost minimization may be a challenge which is why giving the developer an option of not building it may come back to bite them.



#163 Mike K.

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 08:14 AM

The City likely knows that it could never build a firehall for $35 million if it handled the project in house. Look at the disaster of the bridge, then the boondoggle that was the Crystal Pool. They need this developer to build it regardless of what happens above the hall.

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#164 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 08:16 AM

indeed. when the city let a private developer build them an arena it came in at $30M. as called for.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 January 2019 - 08:16 AM.


#165 spanky123

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 09:30 AM

The City likely knows that it could never build a firehall for $35 million if it handled the project in house. Look at the disaster of the bridge, then the boondoggle that was the Crystal Pool. They need this developer to build it regardless of what happens above the hall.

 

 At $35M that makes the cost about $1,000 a sq ft and that does not include any equipment. The CoV might have challenges but at that price we should be able to get a firehall built in the area that was defined and with a design that makes practical sense. It really seems like in an effort to get something built quickly, we have picked a location first and then are trying to shoehorn a firehall into it.



#166 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 09:34 AM

there is almost no doubt we worked it in that order. the CoV took a developer they like and then asked them to find a site too. lo and behold the developer chose a site he owns/controls.

but I think that’s the way the city set the competition.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 January 2019 - 09:36 AM.


#167 G-Man

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 09:48 AM

And yet it still is a win-win for the city. We get a new firehall. The city has land that they can now sell to offset the cost or build more affordable housing by Central Middle School, we get rid of a large amount of surface car storage and more people live downtown. 

 

I really cannot see a downside here. 


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#168 spanky123

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 11:36 AM

And yet it still is a win-win for the city. We get a new firehall. The city has land that they can now sell to offset the cost or build more affordable housing by Central Middle School, we get rid of a large amount of surface car storage and more people live downtown. 

 

I really cannot see a downside here. 

 

I think that the argument is whether having the Mayor conduct secret negotiations behind closed doors without stakeholder input is the best way to get things built in the City. It may be the fastest way which is what I am sure the Mayor is thinking, but the lack of community consultation just cost us $2M on Crystal Pool and there is a backlash brewing here. 



#169 G-Man

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 03:16 PM

The outcome here is a better city and better economy. If anything the city should be trying to create more developments like this. The crystal pool has much less benefit over what is currently there.

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#170 tjv

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 06:43 PM

lo and behold the developer chose a site he owns/controls.

Jawl Residential didn't own/control the site



#171 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 07:07 PM

Dalmatian is a partnership between Jawl Residential and Nadar Holdings, a company owned by the family of the late Victoria mayor Peter Pollen, who bought Olson Motors at 1060 Yates in the 1960s. (He ran it as a Ford dealership until 1988, when it became Pacific Mazda, but it remains in the Pollen family.)

#172 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 07:08 PM

David Jawl is Peter Pollen’s grandson. His mom, Kathy, is Pollen’s daughter, and his father Michael is related to the esteemed Jawl Properties clan that built Selkirk Water, The Atrium, and other local landmarks. (Jawl Residential is run by Michael, David, and his siblings Elizabeth and Peter.) David says his grandfather, a passionate advocate for a healthy downtown, started family discussions about transitioning the Mazda property 10 years ago, and in 2015, when the City put out a call for interest in building a new fire hall, Pollen gave his blessing to their proposal. “So we have a lot of connection to this land,” David Jawl says. “We feel a lot of responsibility in how it gets developed.”

#173 spanky123

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 07:23 PM

Wasn't the Selkirk and Atrium developments done by Jawl Properties? Jawl Residential is a different family hasn't done any developments of this scale from what I know.



#174 spanky123

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Posted 13 January 2019 - 07:23 PM

Jawl Residential didn't own/control the site

 

What VW is saying is that Peter Pollen's daughter is married to Mike Jawl who owns Jawl residential.



#175 zoomer

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 10:41 AM

Here’s a Calgary proposal - almost like a high end version of the firehall proposal. This would look good either on the Harris or Audi lots. Side note.. Black and White is turning out disappointing - I liked the renderings more than the actual, so the opposite of Jukebox.

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#176 aastra

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:08 AM

This is what I'm saying. Modern design innovations like balconies and windows can be really effective.



#177 tjv

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:14 AM

Thanks for the history lesson, so it sounds like you know the Pollen and Jawl family well.  Please share us with the insights and I'll stay quiet.

 

I started conversations with Peter about the site 15 years ago...



#178 aastra

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:18 AM

 

I started conversations with Peter about the site 15 years ago...

 

I know the feeling. It's like when you make the mistake of asking Mike K. how his day is going...


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#179 zoomer

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:20 AM

We’ll see if city council has anything to say on this. Perhaps they feel that those living in subsidized housing don’t deserve windows that open or balconies to step out on. I wonder if the push to force private developers to provide more subsidized housing will create a wider disparity in quality of housing options than currently exists.

#180 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:27 AM

Thanks for the history lesson, so it sounds like you know the Pollen and Jawl family well. Please share us with the insights and I'll stay quiet.

I started conversations with Peter about the site 15 years ago...

it’s not my info. It’s all from the focus article.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 January 2019 - 11:28 AM.


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