[Fairfield] Essencia Verde condo (formerly Castana) | 4- & 3-storeys | Completed in 2010

[m0nkyman]

The destruction happens quite early in a projects life cycle so that no one gets the bright idea of stopping the development because they suddenly 'discover' that one of the buildings is of such historical importance that it would destroy civilization as we know it if it were to be torn down....despite the person discovering this fact having written to city hall demanding that the building in question be condemned as unfit for human habitation two months before the development got announced.....


*this is completely fictional. Nothing exactly like this has ever happened in Victoria to my knowledge.... but it's plausible enough for me to want to put in this disclaimer.... especially in and around either James Bay or Fairfield... In Oak Bay it's presumed that any change would destroy civilization, so this wouldn't happen there.

[Oxford Sutherland]

I used to have pictures of the Castana lot before it all got torn down, but can't find them anymore.

Anybody got any?

[Caramia]

Originally Posted by gumgum

I was until the naive impression that they moved those houses. I guess The idea of destroying such nice old homes disturbed me so much that I must have invented the idea.
That's so sad.

No, you didn't invent it entirely. The previous owners were able to find a new home for the house on 1035 Sutlej, which is now located near Willows School. They were not able to find a home for my house which was 1039. Max's house next door was not in good enough shape to move, and I don't think he was really looking hard for somewhere to put it. The 1035 house being saved was really great, as it was in the best condition of the two, and the family that lived there had put a lot of work into restoring it.

[gumgum]

Here's some pics of the demolition in progress Ox. http://castana.ca/construction.html
That's a little bit of good news anyway Caramia. I seem to remember one or two of them filled with asbestos.

[Caramia]

After we were evicted, scavengers descended on the houses like vultures, picking off every ornamental feature they could find. In order to preserve 1035 for the move, and 1039 for Max's reclaimation crew the caretaker came up with the idea of writing WARNING ASBESTOS all over the buildings. It worked like a charm. The Asbestos was purely fictional.

[gumgum]

NO WAY!
That is hillarious!
(Not the part about the scavengers.)

[Number Six]

Cue the violins ... it's nostalgia night in Cook St.... :roll:

[img]http://www.steveclifford.com/Castana/IMG_6748.jpg[/img]

[Number Six]

This one's for Caramia:

[img]http://www.steveclifford.com/Castana/IMG_7164.jpg[/img]

[Number Six]

and three more to finish off the show:

[img]http://www.steveclifford.com/Castana/IMG_6636.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.steveclifford.com/Castana/IMG_7156.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.steveclifford.com/Castana/IMG_7203.jpg[/img]

[gumgum]

Can't say as I'm sad to see that Cook St building go.

[Holden West]

[img]http://cookstreetvillage.ca/photos/photo9.jpg[/img]

[img]http://cookstreetvillage.ca/photos/photo4.jpg[/img]

http://www.hallmarksociety.ca/Endangere ... moved.html

14. Cook Street Village core

Significance: These buildings sit at the heart of the village. They are pedestrian-friendly, low-scale, and house interesting merchants.

Problem: A multi-storey development is proposed for this site and the adjacent parcel on Sutlej Street. The residents oppose the building of large blocks in an area where two to two-and-a-half storeys are the norm.

Update: The Fairfield Community Association and the architects are meeting to try to resolve the issues.

2005 Update: City Council has approved the removal of the existing buildings and the construction of residential/commercial four-storey buildings.

[Oxford Sutherland]

two to two-and-a-half storeys are the norm

Which is why Food Country should be two to two-and-a-half storeys.

[Number Six]

BTW, Amadon did have a development permit in late 2004 so they had everything in place to begin construction in the spring of 2005.

The original timeline was demolition beginning in April and construction beginning in the early summer (this is 2005 not 2006). Of course the speed of demolition can be best described as glacial. I know they had a lead contractor in place by mid-summer 2005.

The real problems began when Amadon decided the townhouse section on Sutlej could no longer be built profitably. The changes that they proposed required a *new* development permit which resulted in a lengthy delay. So here we are in late October and in the exact same situation we were 12 months ago. :?

[gumgum]

Yeah, this is why I have a problem with people blaming all of the delays on the FCA.

[FunkyMunky]

Originally Posted by Caramia

The previous owners were able to find a new home for the house on 1035 Sutlej, which is now located near Willows School.

Of course the irony here is that they got rid of a smaller cottage on the Oak Bay lot to make a empty lot for the Sutlej house (I don't know if the cottage was whacked or simply moved somewhere else). They only used the middle floor of the Sutlej house and built a new roof once is was on the Oak Bay lot.

[Holden West]

I'd love to see a picture of that house now.

[Caramia]

Thanks for the photos. I loved those houses. I actually liked the development in concept in its original format, with subsidised units intermingled with the wealthier ones. I found it quite ironic that after negotiations with the neighbourhood, the "less than market" portion was gone. Power to the people... and all that. I was always of two minds about it all. In principle, densification and infill in urban village nodes is the best practice alternative to mindless suburban sprawl. And thats what this development was/is supposed to be. Of course, then there is the emotional impact of having one's home destroyed. I pretty much stayed out of the politics because I never knew if I would open my mouth and find that my heart or my principles would come out.

[Number Six]

I agree Caramia. This resistence to a relatively small increase in density has always puzzled me. I can understand opposition to towers or anything that would have a seriously negative impact on life in the village but I don't see how the original development (called "The Bohemia" I believe) threatened that.

I've always felt it isn't soley building height or setbacks that create the village ambiance and vibrancy but rather:

1. the diversity of people who live here (young, old, rich, poor, single, married, straight, gay, etc.).

2. the right mix of retail that serves the local community.

3. how the buildings interact with the street. They are for the most part pedistrian oriented and generate foot traffic (and people who like to watch the foot traffic).

4. the Horse Chestnut trees which tie all the eclectic architecture together and soften all the rough edges.

My concern is that if we don't provide reasonably priced places for people to live in and around the village we may eventually lose #1. This won't happen while all the 50's & 60's apartments remain in the rental pool but it can only be a matter of time before those $700/month apartments get redeveloped into $400-$500K condos (or $1250/month rentals).

[Holden West]

My theory is that those cheap four storey 60s apartments were once considered fancy replacements for the 30s apartment houses which were once considered fancy replacements for the rooming houses of the 1890s etc. In other words, The supply of affordable housing is constantly being recycled--albiet very slowly. Looking at downtown towers like the Chelsea and the Metropolitan I estimate it takes at least 30 years. But this is a topic for another thread!

I agree, the construction of Castana will skew the demographic of the Village.

[gumgum]

Another "ask the cashier" update on Food Country...

Me:"Is this place going to be renovated? I heard a rumour."
Cashier: "Well they're still trying figure out...There's lots of frickin' rumours."

Figure out what?
Damn. I got the feeling like she was trying to hide something from me. She possessed an authority the other cashiers didn't have. She'd been there a while - you could tell. She was high up enough that if there was something to know, she would know it.
Had I not just bought 1 can of dog food, I might have had enough time to get the some real info.

Every time you fellow forumers go to FC, ask a cashier. Hopefully, someone will enlighten us as to what's really going on.

[Number Six]

The speculation is over ... I just returned from Food Country and there are signs up that they are closing. The date I was given was December 1. Apparantly they are not moving to another location in the city but instead closing permanently (which is very unfortunate).

The information that I have is that construction of Castana will not begin until early January and so I would expect the renovation of the FC building to begin at the same time.

[Nparker]

Not sure I understand... they are renovating FC even though it is closing?

[Number Six]

The grocery store is moving out and the building is being renovated into half a dozen smaller retail shops.

[Nparker]

ahhh...OK now I understand. Might blend in well with Castana if it ever gets built..

[G-Man]

Well that answers that weird how the latest plans still referred to Food Country. Too bad really because I like it better than Oxford Foods.