[Downtown Victoria] The Union | Condos | 5- and 5-storeys | U/C

[MarkoJ]

Originally Posted by Acorn

Anybody know where they are dumping what they truck out of the site? I suppose some has been barged away in the past (Bamboo?) - but to where? What do companies do with contaminated earth, like this lot supposedly has? Filter it? (probably too costly, if even possible) or just bury it again somewhere else?

Do you have proof that it is contaminated? If not I think your comment is defamatory of this project.

[UrbanRail]

I dont see how this would be contaminated. Didnt this use to be the old Buckerfields site? Besides if it werent safe, I doubt the developer would start construction, so I am pretty sure its fine. I did see the website, and the floorplans look pretty generous. Anyone know how much these condos are going for? I couldnt find a price.

[G-Man]

Yes I think it is incumbent on the poster to provide some facts on this.

[Acorn]

Also, I heard a while back that the Fisgard Bldg. was actually hit by an airplane in the very early days of flight - anybody know if there is truth to that? It is great that they are maintaining the facade of that building...

[sdwright.vic]

^ So random.

[aastra]

I'm pretty sure the airplane crash is mentioned in "Victoria: Secrets of the City".

BC Archives:
http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-1...42/g_05364.txt

August 6, 1913 - The first fatal airplane accident in Canada occurred when John M. Bryant, husband of Alys (Tiny) Bryant, was killed in the crash of his plane at Victoria.

http://earlyaviators.com/ebryjohn.htm

[Mike K.]

Here's a photo. Certainly looks like a roof of a downtown building.

[Kyjen]

I find it hard to believe that any site that has been active for over 100 years and used as a parking lot wouldn't have some sort of contamination.
Rather that contamination is a lot or minimum is another question.
I also seem to remember "rumors" (I know rumors are never a good thing) about contamination. Unfortunately though most newspaper and magazine archives I checked don't seem to go back more than 5 years.
However I did find this one bit from the Times Colonist referring to this site.

GREEN LIGHT ON FOR NEW HOTEL IN CHINATOWN by Cindy E. Harnett. Times - Colonist Victoria, B.C.:Sep 17, 2001. p. C1
"The permit was recommend for approval in accordance with four requirements which includes a permit from the province to begin excavation -- which will include remedial work to remove soil contamination on the site."

If there was contamination - perhaps it was already removed when excavation was originally started for the Bambu.

[G-Man]

The lot has been bare and fallow for many many years. I am finding it highly unlikely.

[Kyjen]

Well I guess we now know.

From the City Feb 2011

Scroll down to 4.4
https://victoria.civicweb.net/FileSt...Staff%20Re.pdf

From the BC Gov April 2011

https://victoria.civicweb.net/FileSt...MOE%20Appr.pdf

[Sparky]

Welcome to vibrant Victoria Kyjen. Can you help me out as to why you have an interest in the possible contamination?

Soil contamination topics remind me of soil that was removed to make way for Sangster School. Tests showed that there were minute traces of copper in the soil, so the engineers specified in the tender documents that it be trucked to the state of Washington to a location that specialized in this type of work.

One million dollars later it was determined that the copper was a natural componant of the soil.

[Kyjen]

Thanks for the welcome Sparky. Actually I have absolutely no care in the world about contamination on this site. I live in the area and I’m extremely thrilled that this site is finally getting developed.
I’ve been a lurker on this site for years and Love this site. I generally avoid signing up for chat sites as it prevents me from doing spontaneous response’s that after some thought may not be the best response. I’m one of those personalities that if you say up I’ll say down or you say black I’ll say white. However as I gracefully age I try to stick to the quote “everyone is allowed an opinion ….. however is it an informed opinion”.
Now true the original poster should have perhaps worded his comments about this site being contaminated better. But what got me going were the responses “Do you have proof that it is contaminated? If not I think your comment is defamatory of this project.” and “Yes I think it is incumbent on the poster to provide some facts on this.” So I did my first response since I too seem to remembered talk about the site in years past regarding contamination. I thought I responded in a way that was neither saying it was or wasn’t contaminated. Then came the response “The lot has been bare and fallow for many many years. I am finding it highly unlikely.” So my next post was simply to provide “an informed opinion” based on recent information.
I really hope I’m not getting off on the wrong foot with anybody … as I said earlier I really like this site and the many personalities/opinions found here. Cheers : )

[Sparky]

Thank you Kyjen, no worries. Well said.

[LJ]

removed

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by LJ

removed

Help me out LJ, what does that mean to the thread?

[G-Man]

I think it means he changed his mind.

[Sparky]

Thanks G-Man

By the way, you enlightened me with the story of the airplane crash into the building that may have been in the vicinity of the Union.

I had not heard that story before and I jumped to conclusions as to how that was possible so soon after the birth of flight so far away.

I was wrong. I owe you a beer the next time we meet.

[G-Man]

I will not argue with that. Though I will admit to being 4 years off in our discussion.

[gumgum]

Originally Posted by MarkoJ

Do you have proof that it is contaminated? If not I think your comment is defamatory of this project.

Just thought I'd offer my humble opinion regqrding this comment.

I interpret it as as bullying.

I read the statement regarding the soil as more of a question that is coming from someone that is not very knowledgeable about construction practices.

Can we please set aside the suggestion of lawsuits until we are absolutely certain someone is being defamatory? And I'm talking last resort.

We don't want people to feel intimidated to speak their minds, or to simply ask questions.

[MarkoJ]

Currently there are 6 downtown projects competing for pre-sales.....a lot of potential purchasers are making their way onto Vibrant Victoria for guidance. What prevents someone (a competitor) from setting up an account and calling into question the feasibility of a project?

[MarkoJ]

Originally Posted by gumgum

Just thought I'd offer my humble opinion regqrding this comment.

I interpret it as as bullying.

I read the statement regarding the soil as more of a question that is coming from someone that is not very knowledgeable about construction practices.

Can we please set aside the suggestion of lawsuits until we are absolutely certain someone is being defamatory? And I'm talking last resort.

We don't want people to feel intimidated to speak their minds, or to simply ask questions.

PS. I do agree that the use of the word defamatory was probably a stretch on my part.

[LJ]

Originally Posted by G-Man

I think it means he changed his mind.

Exactly, I didn't realize that my question had been answered in a later post and there is no way I could delete the post.

[aastra]

More about the plane crash, from "Victoria: Secrets of the City" by Kevin Barefoot and the editors of Monday Magazine:

In 1913, two of the best-known stunt pilots (or "barnstormers") around were Alys McKey and John Bryant, a wife-and-husband team from California. In August that year they travelled to Victoria to exhibit their skills at a festival of waterfront events...

...her husband attached a float to the plane's undercarriage... and managed to pilot the plane over downtown -- becoming the first person to fly over a Canadian city -- and landed in the inner harbour, to the cheers of thousands.

A few hours later, Bryant took off from the harbour, and circled back over downtown... the aircraft went into a steep dive over City Hall -- and, to the crowd's horror, crashed onto the roof of a building on Pandora Street, a few doors up from what is now the Swans Hotel.

Bryant was killed instantly. Tragically, he'd set another record: he was the first person to die in a plane crash in Canada.

It's a really good book, just in case you've never checked it out:
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Secre.../dp/1551520850

[MarkoJ]

June 10th, 2012.

[jonny]

So they have dug down now what appears to be one level, and it looks like construction has begun as rebar and concrete are being put in place. One thing is for sure, this site is much larger than I appreciated when it was all fenced off and closed in.

It's odd seeing such a shallow excavation at a downtown construction site, but these buildings will have a large footprint and only be five floors tall so maybe only one level of parking is required. Anybody know?