[Vic West] The Roundhouse condos & mixed-use | 23-, 18-, 16- & 12-storeys | Approved

[Mike K.]

Bayview Properties has recently submitted an application for rezoning on their roundhouse property in Vic West, dubbed The Roundhouse, which is joined to the [url=http://www.bayviewvictoria.com:6d1fb]Bayview Victoria[/url:6d1fb] development in Vic West. The project's website is available at http://www.roundhousevictoria.com

The following image is a screenshot from the PDF available on the website and shows one of the potential scenarios. The tallest tower is 24-storeys and the others are stepped down towards Lime Bay.

[G-Man]

That is very cool!!!

[Mike K.]

There are three other massing studies submitted with the application but the one pictured above includes the tallest buildings.

Btw, the rendering shows the east face of the buildings, and Lime Bay/Spinnakers is on the top right.

[Holden West]

I wonder who the architect is. The website doesn't say.

EDIT: It's Norm Hotson for Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden in Vancouver

http://www.hotsonbakker.com/home.html

Ah, they did the Railyards and Roar_One, and they were the original architects of Granville Island. Interesting.

[Baro]

Holy ****!! That's awesome! What's the mix of space going to be? All condo? I'd be shocked to see this go through at 16 let alone 20+

[G-Man]

Some of the "street scenes" on the site are really cool. I may have to read this from end to end.

[Icebergalley]

Don't salivate too much people...

Lots of local content eh?

http://www.roundhousevictoria.com/pdf/A ... ndix_A.pdf

[hungryryno]

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!

One thing does concern me, however, hopefully the city and province have some sort of idea / plan for a rail station somewhere....because one day there will be regular passenger rail service. Whether it be commuter, LRT or both, it will need a major station somewhere.

[G-Man]

I think that if you have a need for a bigger station it could be built in Langford with the tracks to downtown used solely for Inter Urban use.

[Mike K.]

Here's another rendering that also shows the buildout of the neighbouring Bayview Victoria property:

[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/734/roundhousemi8.gif[/img]

[Nparker]

Cool rendering. Let's hope these projects can breathe some life into the Songhees.

[Icebergalley]

What kind of life is one looking for over at Songhees?

[Baro]

A single shop

[Mike K.]

This project will be the redeeming part of the Songhees. Most wouldn't realize it but lots of residents from the Songhees walk to West Side Village to shop so there is a desire for amenities within walking distance.

[Icebergalley]

I hope so.. The buildings though are so "fortified" up there on "The Rock"..

Walking along the Tyee Road entrance makes me think of suburban highway designs.... I guess there will be a stair to get down to walkway level... The project is buffered from Esquimalt Road, accessed from the end of a cul de sac... situated on the other side of the tracks... Check out their site plan and concept rendering - that covers the windows at their presentation centre on Wharf St.

[Mike K.]

Originally Posted by Icebergalley

I hope so.. The buildings though are so "fortified" up there on "The Rock"..

That would be Bayview, which is being developed by the same group but the two projects are vastly different from each other. You can see in the renderings that the Roundhouse will have Yaletown-like architecture as opposed to hulking suburban/auto-oriented architecture that is Bayview. Roundhouse also has a good dozen access points from Esquimalt, Catherine and Kimta streets which are necessary to support the retail component and make Roundhouse into a destination and not a bedroom community.

[hungryryno]

Looks like the railway will go under the project judging by the second rendering; there appears to be a tunnel.

[Caramia]

Where is the tunnel! I don't see it!

[Mike K.]

Oh, I see what you mean. The roads are elevated in this rendering as is the train track which makes it appear as though the tracks are going into a tunnel.

[gumgum]

This is what the site looks like today:

[UrbanRail]

Originally Posted by G-Man

I think that if you have a need for a bigger station it could be built in Langford with the tracks to downtown used solely for Inter Urban use.

Actually there should be two major stations, one in Langford and one downtown.

[Mike K.]

The TC noted today that the proposal facing planners includes 16-, 18- and 20-storey towers.

[LJ]

Would a station work at the roundhouse site, and then have a major bus loop and transfer station there as well, to take people to the various sections of town.

[UrbanRail]

Originally Posted by LJ

Would a station work at the roundhouse site, and then have a major bus loop and transfer station there as well, to take people to the various sections of town.

Well yes and no.

There was a reason why they moved it back across the bridge in 1985 to the current location, it would be closer to the downtown core. A station at the roundhouse site would only work if many of the routes along douglas st were redirected across the bridge, which would not make sense. Only 4 routes serve Vic West; 6 Quadra/Esquimalt, 14 UVic/VGH, 24 Munro and 25 Colville. Douglas St is the busiest transit corridor in the region, so it would make sense to have the station located closer to this corridor. At the same time, couldnt the PCL/Greyhound/Greyline terminal be relocted to Cormorant St, beside my proposed terminal (similar to what is in Vancouver)? Refer to my drawing.

Apparently Geoff Young at city hall said he had something similar to the drawing I sent him.

[Nparker]

I wish I had known about this public meeting as it might have been interesting to attend. Instead I was at home watching "Bride of Chucky"...though it was probably less scary than what this project will devolve into.