[Quadra/Hillside] 2835 - 2855 Quadra Street - Quadra Villa Redevelopment

[G-Man]

So once again the Hillside Community paper is talking up the new project for Quadra Villa.

Short version is plan to fix up old buildings and build new buildings over the parking lot. Sounds like townhouses off fifth street and two rental buildings on Quadra. Interesting to note that they are called "micro units" where each suite will have room for a bed kitchen and bathroom but no living space. That will be a separate space on each floor.

Here is what I have found online so far:http://www.victoria.ca/contentmanage...111013_bov.pdf

[G-Man]

Nothing on the architects site yet...

http://ericbarkerarchitect.com/

[Holden West]

As long as they keep the cheap, family-friendly units. Being close to shopping, schools and bus routes, they're irreplaceable. Eliminating superfluous parking and building more suites for singles is a bonus.

[amor de cosmos]

I missed the part about building on the parking lot. All I saw was the part about the decks being replaced.

[VicHockeyFan]

Someone has sent letters to the media and the Mayor complaining about a "renoviction" in progress here. Eviction notices have gone out to all residents.

League Assets has responded.

They have tried to adhere to the tenancy act, and...

7 units will be non-market, to allow some existing tenants to move in.

They have made a $28k donation to someone for affordable housing.

They have asked tenants what they need ie. cash, relocation assistance etc. to help.

Ben Isitt is concerned, and wants to pass some type of motion at council asking the developer to allow some type of tenancy continuance through the whole thing, and no displacement of anyone that does not want to move.

[G-Man]

Please the owner is within their rights and anyone can see the place is falling apart.

[Mike K.]

It's not council's job to get involved with motions that prohibit displacement of anyone who doesn't want to move. Pushing this on the landowner would lend itself to yet another costly legal suit against the City for which tax payers would be on the hook.

[VicHockeyFan]

This council is famous for getting involved in things that are outside of municipal mandates. Why would they stop at this?

Isitt says he wants the developer to work with the city to find low-cost solutions. I sense a tug at my wallet to pay for someone else's housing.

[VicHockeyFan]

Look, here's the fact. These units are going to rent for much higher prices when the remediation is complete. So I don't see how staggering evictions is going to help.

http://www.timescolonist.com/busines...121/story.html

This is interesting:

“There’s a historically high vacancy rate and part of our thinking was to time it so we could take advantage of the rental market,” he said.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. puts the vacancy rate in Greater Victoria at 2.1 per cent, but Rob Hunter of Devon Properties, to which tenants are being referred, said he believes the real vacancy rate is between six and seven per cent.

That's quite a gap between the two opinions.

CMHC says we have 23,500 apartment units in dedicated apartments of 3 units or more. That is 1142 structures.

And then there of course is all kinds of basement suites and individual condominium units rented that CMHC does not track.

But even at the 2% vacancy rate, the lowest possible opinion, it means there are 470 units available for these 60 displaced tenants. And at the high end, 7% means there are 1600 units available.

[Nparker]

Bottom line: Victoria city council needs to keep their collective, social-engineering nose out of this sort of business.

[phx]

That'll be hard; that kind of deal is what politicians live for.

[thant pix]

I just found out about this project tonight. Renovictions are largely complete. The representative for the developer, League Assets, said that some extra help was given to those moving out, beyond what the tenancy act requires, especially to the more dire straits/hard to house tenants. It sucks for those losing a cheap place to live, but this way the rental units will stay rental after full renovations to bring all suites up to a basic standard. A few suites will probably be st aside for low income families. -And they can screen tenants, who moves in, or back in(!) City hall has refused to accept the application until some revisions to the plan are made. It would be cool if the city gave the go ahead to the renovations part easily right off the bat and then they could hassle about stuff like zoning for different parts of the new part and parking requirements while the renovations were going on.

[G-Man]

^ Do you know what the city hall has asked to be changed?

This place is currently an eyesore and can only assume that the inner workings of the structures is even worse. It is best for both the city and the residents that this place be fixed though I would have preferred a full tear down.

[thant pix]

I don't know why the plans were rejected for revision. Maybe the city planning staff were not at liberty to say at this point, since the official process hasn't even started yet?

[VicHockeyFan]

Looking at the pic in today's TC, maybe they can make these look like "Malibu-style" walk-ups. At least in the summer. They have kinda a neat roof overhang, and they could do a killer landscaping job, as they start from scratch now between the units.

I wonder what the exterior finishes and balconies are going to be...

[Rob Randall]

They're already installing windows so it looks like the exterior is getting a relatively minor facelift. Don't know if the arched brick decorations G-Man loves will remain

I was amused to see a worker take off his respirator--to have a cigarette.

[G-Man]

Yeah it looks like a pretty minor update to me. Oh well. The buildings don't even look level to me.

[G-Man]

So I walk by this site every day and it has to be the most bizarrely organized project I have ever seen. I would love to see the GANTT chart.

This is the order I have seen things done:

Remove windows
Replace windows
Dig a lot around the whole site
Build weird modern structures around the site some in line with doors others not
build decks
build concrete walkways

What has not been done yet:

Do anything about exterior ornamentation or stucco (including old weird brick archways)
Remove satellite dishes from previous owners
Remove old security lighting
Roofing

The new concrete is already scratched up as work has had to continue around it. I have no idea how they are going to fix up the exterior in anyway besides just paint with the windows in already.

[Dylan Leblanc]

I wonder what the expected life span of these buildings will be now that they are renovated. It would be really nice to see them and the parking lot replaced completely one day.

[Jason-L]

It doesn't fill one with confidence that this wasn't just a renoviction move to up rents.

[victoriacarpenter]

Have been working in the Quadra Village for a bit now. The project is a complete disaster. NOTHING is being done to improve the interior or exterior of any of the units. A complete patchwork to raise the rents from the $800 they were to $1200 when complete. There is basically 8 blocks of 8 2 bedroom units each. One block on the Fifth Street side has separated from the others and sank into the ground. From one end to the other this block is 14 inches out of level. Nothing is being done to repair or replace these units!!

[victoriacarpenter]

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[victoriacarpenter]

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[victoriacarpenter]

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