[Colwood + Langford + Metchosin] Olympic View Golf | 900 homes | Proposed

[Mike K.]

Olympic View Golf Club, located in Colwood and Metchosin, is currently in the proposal stage for a $1 billion project that will include over 1,800 residential units, a hotel, commercial node and a new golf course. The current proposal includes a 33-storey condo tower.

[aastra]

Article in the Goldstream Gazette:

http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/portal ... 656&more=0

[G-Man]

Isn't this just a contiuation of the Royal Bay or whatever it is called?

[aastra]

I don't know where Royal Bay is. But then I don't know where Olympic View Golf Course is, either.

[Holden West]

I didn't know either until I looked it up on [url=http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=olympic+view+golf+course&near=Victoria,+BC&fb= 1&ll=48.424872,-123.499374&spn=0.071424,0.16428&t=h&z=13&om=1:5a18 b]Google maps[/url:5a18b]. Say goodbye to all those trees.

[LJ]

Can't see the "Olympic View" with all those trees in the way!!

I am willing to bet that there were trees and forests all over downtown Victoria until they built all those pesky buildings and streets.

[Mike K.]

Originally Posted by G-Man

Isn't this just a contiuation of the Royal Bay or whatever it is called?

No, these would be two separate projects.

[aastra]

Originally Posted by LJ

I am willing to bet that there were trees and forests all over downtown Victoria until they built all those pesky buildings and streets.

It was my understanding that the site they chose was attractive partly because the landscape of Garry Oak meadow was easier to deal with than an area that was 100% forested. That said, I'm sure there were still a lot of trees. They didn't build the wall of the fort out of cucumbers:







Fairfield looks like quite the forest in the following pic:





If our goal is to save the forest in the west comms then very tall highrises might just be the best way to go after all. Anybody above the 10th floor or so should have an unimpeded view in almost every direction. In the case of this Olympic View tower, that would be 23 stories of outstanding views!

[aastra]

How ironic that reaping views of downtown's skyscraper-free skyline is one of the prime motivations for building skyscrapers in the west comms.

[zoomer]

/\ maybe then we'll build skyscrapers downtown so we can have views of the skyscrapers in the forest? The two solitudes can then peer at one another from a safe distance.

[Galvanized]

Wow, there was talk of this way back when the Parkway was built, I wonder if Langford/Colwood will get their wish by getting it extended to Metchosin Rd.

[Mike K.]

Catch this month's Douglas magazine for Norman Gidney's report on this development that also includes a hokey rendering of six planned residential towers (up to 33-storeys).

The major points of the article are:
- six residential towers are planned at heights of up to 33-storeys
- the towers are phase IV of the project and construction of the first is not anticipated for half a decade
- a rezoning is in the works to double the current density of 900 homes
- no buildings will be built on the Metchosin portion of the property, even though more than half of Olympic View is in that municipality

[aastra]

Did you know there are 1,000 golf holes in the Sarasota area of Florida alone?

And there 168 golf courses in the Orlando area.

[Coreyburger]

Originally Posted by aastra

It was my understanding that the site they chose was attractive partly because the landscape of Garry Oak meadow was easier to deal with than an area that was 100% forested. That said, I'm sure there were still a lot of trees. They didn't build the wall of the fort out of cucumbers:







Fairfield looks like quite the forest in the following pic:





If our goal is to save the forest in the west comms then very tall highrises might just be the best way to go after all. Anybody above the 10th floor or so should have an unimpeded view in almost every direction. In the case of this Olympic View tower, that would be 23 stories of outstanding views!

The Garry Oak meadow around Victoria was artificially created, by the Songhees. They used to farm Camas lilies and every fall would burn the ground to keep the vegetation down. And yes, this is why Victoria was chosen. It reminded Douglas of England.

[aastra]

Not all of it was the product of man's hand, of course:

http://www.crd.bc.ca/watersheds/ecos...oakmeadows.htm

[Lover Fighter]

Olympic View plan doubles density
Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist
Published: Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A proposal to double the density of the Olympic View development in Langford, complete with three condo towers reaching as high as 33 storeys, appears headed to public hearing.

Under the rezoning proposal, endorsed by Langford's planning and zoning committee last night, GolfBC Holding Inc. would build 930 residential units, an increase from the original 461 units approved in 2003. If Langford council agrees, it will be sent to public hearing.

Although the Olympic View Golf Course is in Metchosin, the housing, hotel and commercial portions of the development are in Colwood and Langford on about 54 hectares in each municipality.

In this latest plan, the developer wants to build 135 units of single family housing, 220 townhouse units, three condo towers providing 365 units, 200 multi-family units, 100 hotel rooms and 2,250 square metres of commercial space on its Langford property.

"Virtually all the additional density we're asking for is in the form of towers," said Tony Baur, of Bullock Baur Associates, on behalf of the developer.

Baur said the committee should view the request as a land-use decision. "There's no plans to build these towers immediately. They're several years off ... We've already embarked on the first phase on the Colwood side and felt it was important that anybody buying lots or units knew what might happen in these particular areas in the future."

A staff report to Langford council notes the towers would have a smaller building footprint than the original lower-density townhouses, allowing for more preservation of greenspace.

Baur called the condos "pencil towers" or tall thin towers of maybe four or six units per floor designed to preserve the viewscape.

The company already has approval to build more than 450 residential units in Colwood but soon will be making an application there with a call for another three highrises and similar density increases, said Tom Weisbeck vice-president of development CRC Developments -- the development arm of GolfBC. The proposal will be coming to its planning and zoning committee in early April.

If ultimately approved by Langford, the development will pump almost $9 million in Langford amenity funds for the likes of parks, Agricultural Land Reserve acquisition, affordable housing and the South Langford fire hall.

The additional units alone would have generated $4.3 million in amenity contributions. But the committee is recommending Langford apply the amenity fees to the entire 930 units.

The development would also pay for an estimated $5.5 million in development cost charges for roads, storm drainage, water lines and school site acquisition.

bcleverley@tc.canwest.com


© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008