29-storey high-rise Colwood condominium would be the tallest building in the Victoria capital region
Most councillors look to diversify tax base
BY BILL CLEVERLEY
Times Colonist staff
May 31, 200629 story condominium in Colwood tallest building in Victoria
It’s onward and upward in Colwood, where council has given the green light to a 29-storey highrise condominium that would be the tallest building in the capital region.
In a 5-2 vote following a public hearing Monday, councillors agreed to amend the Official Community Plan and landuse bylaw to allow the 105-metre tower next to Royal Roads University.
Councillors Jason Nault and Cynthia Day were opposed, arguing that the $90-million tower represented too big a leap from the likes of nurseries, pharmacies or offices envisioned for the site in the OCP.
The site is at 1945 Sooke Rd., adjacent to Colwood Creek and backing onto the Galloping Goose Trail.
“The descriptions from the audience range from ‘visionary’ and ‘in the right place’ to ‘too high’, ‘appalling’ and ‘big and ugly’ — again, split right down the middle,” Nault said.
He noted the OCP is long overdue for revision but said until that is done, the approval represents poor or no planning. “This council is basically saying anything goes. I will not support this project until it is demonstrated that the residents of Colwood support this in their OCP.” Day cited traffic concerns as well as the departure from the OCP as her reasons for voting against the tower.
“I don’t think we should be creating potential accidents,” she said.
Only about a dozen residents spoke at the hearing, their views splitting almost right down the middle, pro and con.
Planning committee chairman Coun. David Saunders said deciding on the project was probably the most difficult decision he’s ever made, but he favours it “110 per cent.”
“I do have a vision for Colwood and that vision is to diversify the tax base,” Saunders said.
Coun. Gordie Logan noted the $90-million project would generate about $600,000 a year in new tax revenue for Colwood which, he said, is equivalent to Costco but with far less traffic.
The 163-unit mixed-use residential condominium-retail building is proposed by developer Lester Milton. It is to have a four-storey granite base and an exterior of mostly glass and exposed concrete on the floors above. Called Royal Roads Place, the building would be seven floors higher than the 22-storey Orchard House in James Bay, Victoria’s tallest building.
Some speakers worried approval would lead to a mass of waterfront highrises in Colwood.
Coun. Ernie Robertson said every highrise application would be considered on its own merits. “I do not support plastering the entire waterfront of Colwood with highrises, but I do support smart growth and that means we must diversify our tax base,” Robertson said.
Coun. Carol Hamilton said the development “offers us options in Colwood” between the single-family home and the long-term care home.
Mayor Jody Twa said the capital region is going to see incredible growth over the next 10 years. Some might suggest 29 storeys is too high, but it has no impact on neighbouring houses, he said.
© Copyright 2006 Times Colonist (Victoria)
Reaching new heights in Colwood
Royal Roads Place Colwood
By Edward Hill
Goldstream News Gazette
June 02, 2006
Tower to be tallest in Greater Victoria
A monolithic 29-storey condominium development on Sooke Road got a tentative green light from Colwood council after an energized but polite public hearing Monday.
Royal Roads Place, a 105-metre, 163-unit glass and concrete tower, is slated for property near Colwood Corners and the entrance to Royal Roads University.
It would be the tallest building in the Capital region by seven storeys.
Council passed third reading, by a 5-2 vote, to change the Official Community Plan to increase the height restriction to 105.3 metres and to allow a greater residential density. Council also gave third reading to rezone the property with new zoning designed for the building.
Council will go to fourth and final reading when the tower’s development plan is approved.
A dozen residents who spoke at the public hearing were split on the merits of allowing a $90-million skyscraper.
Some argued it would be an imposing eyesore that would drive more traffic congestion. Others said it would revitalize the neighbourhood and attract new businesses.
"This is not going to be New York, Tokyo or London and council understands we don’t want that," said Simon Sheppard of Fulton Road, speaking in favour of the tower. "This project will give seniors accommodation that they will enjoy in safety."
Buddy DeVito, a former Colwood councillor, lauded the integrity of the development team and congratulated council for considering the project.
"This tower will turn Colwood in to ’New Victoria’," DeVito claimed. "We ain’t the dogpatch no more."
Peter Fibiger, of the West Shore Economic Development Association, said the small footprint will maximize sorely needed residential property taxes. "I suspect this is the first of some (towers)," Fibiger said. "And this site is perfect."
Several residents questioned the need for such a tall building, calling it out of character for Colwood.
Resident Mark Lynch said the developer, Les Mitton ofLeston Holdings Ltd., has done little to address what will be an increased traffic snarl on Sooke Road.
"It’s not clear how vehicle and pedestrians will access Sooke Road," Lynch said. "Sooke Road is big and busy and this will have a significant impact on vehicle traffic."
Pam Fraser, of Langford, said people move to the West Shore to escape high rises and high density for a slower pace of life.
"A 29-storey tower will just be the beginning of others to crop up," Fraser said. "With density comes crime and pollution."
Couns. Jason Nault and Cynthia Day voted against the project, arguing that changing bylaws to suit the development runs roughshod over the OCP and the public process.
Nault praised the project for its design and doubted it would unduly cause traffic problems, but said radically changing the OCP after one public hearing is bad policy.
"This council is saying Colwood is open for business and anything goes," Nault said.
Other councillors were on board.
Coun. Dave Saunders, who chairs the planning and zoning committee, warned that Colwood needs to diversify its tax base away from single family homes.
"In 10 to 15 years what what we have in place won’t cut it," he said.
Coun. Ernie Robertson was less subtle, calling Colwood a patchwork of aging houses surrounded by poor infrastructure.
"Most of Colwood’s streets don’t have sidewalks. Sooke Road is an ugly mess and we need taxes for upgrading."
Royal Roads Place is expected to generate about $600,000 yearly in property tax revenue.
Mitton, the developer, is contributing $500 per unit to an affordable housing fund, $2,500 per unit to an amenity fund, is paying for improvements on Sooke Road, and will be paying about $15,000 to train Colwood firefighters on high rise firefighting procedures, among other conditions.
Project consulting engineer Bruce Johnson said building up to 29 floors is an optimization of seismic stability, apartment size, avaliable land space and economic return. Most of the apartments are designed between 1,000 and 1,300 square feet, and will be priced on going market rates.
Mitton received council permission last year to pursue a 17-storey tower near on Nob Hill Road, but that project has since stalled. Mitton expects to break ground on Royal Roads Place by late fall.
© Copyright 2006 Goldstream News Gazette
Editorial
Goldstream Gazette
June 07, 2006
At 29 storeys, Royal Roads Place will tower over Colwood and its West Shore neighbours, as well as the rest of Greater Victoria and the Island. By seven storeys, it will be the tallest building in the region. At 105 meters, the building falls well short of the 150-metre standard to be classified a skyscraper, but for Colwood and Victoria, it’s going to cut an imposing figure on the skyline nonetheless. Is it right for Colwood? Is it right for Victoria? Judging by the underwhelming response at the recent public hearing on the tower, few in Colwood are opposed to their council’s efforts to rise above their municipal neighbours. There is opposition, to be sure, just as there was to the 17-storey tower (put forth by the same developer, coincidentally) proposed, and approved by the previous council, in the Nob Hill area last year. It’s quite likely once this new tower goes up - all 300-plus feet of it - and is sticking out alone on the West Shore skyline, the opposition will be more vocal. Of course, this almost certainly won’t be the last tower to go up in Colwood. There are rumblings of a proposal for an even taller building within the city, although that plan has yet to go to Colwood’s planning and zoning committee. And for good or bad, there will likely be more. From a strictly development perspective, going taller makes sense. Towers take up less of a footprint and maximize density, which, for an apartment or condo building, also maximizes property taxes to the City. That fits well with Colwood’s stated desire - both now and from candidates during the last municipal election - to enhance the core around Colwood Corners. The primary argument against tall structures is the impact on the skyline and views for existing residents. And there’s no denying a 300-foot tower will stand out. There’s also the transportation infrastructure concerns, but as Colwood Mayor Jody Twa and planning and zoning committee chair Coun. Dave Saunders note elsewhere in this edition, that issue already exists, with or without Royal Roads Place. Will this tower be the thin edge of the wedge, open the door for a rush of similar sized proposals? Twa says no. This tower is appropriate for this site and there are a few others that might also be suitable for high-rise buildings. But this tower requires a major departure (third reading has been approved, with adoption yet to occur) from the Official Community Plan to accommodate the dizzying height proposed. What’s to stop council from making a similar departure elsewhere in the community. Some, including Couns. Jason Nault and Cynthia Day, are calling for an OCP review for just that reason. It may indeed be time for an OCP review in Colwood, but even if the OCP were revised to reflect the new vision of council and the community (by default, since the current councillors were the voters’ choice as representatives last fall), there is nothing to stop a council from amending that plan, as this council has so recently shown.
The bottom line appears to be that Colwood will have at least one tower, likely more. Get used to it.
© Copyright 2006 Goldstream News Gazette
TOWERING DREAMS
Developer confident he can sell 29 storeys
Malcom Curtis
Times Colonist
June 18, 2006
The developer of what promises to be the tallest condo tower in Greater Victoria has never built anything larger than a five-storey building.
“This is the first [one] of this nature I’ve done,” said Les Mitton, head of a family-owned company behind the 29-storey Royal Roads Place.
Still, he is confident about the future of the $90-million building at 1945 Sooke Rd. Colwood council rezoned the property last month but a lot of design work remains to be done and Mitton has yet to select a contractor.
“We feel really comfortable it will go ahead,” he said. His background includes stints managing large projects for other developers in Alberta.
On the booming West Shore, land is inexpensive compared with other parts of the capital region and building costs in subdivisions remain low. The inevitable march of rising costs has not visibly slowed development.
But more complex projects, such as Mitton’s tower, have only recently emerged in the fast-changing area.
Last year, his proposal to build a 17-storey residential building elsewhere in Colwood foundered over site problems. Mitton was unable to reach an agreement with a neighbouring landowner to do the required blasting work for underground parking.
This time, he feels he has all his ducks in a row.
Mitton heads Leston Holdings (1980) Ltd., which has teamed up with Dane Jansen, of Vancouver-based Davidson Yuen Simpson Architects. Jansen designed a 105-metre tall building with 163 units, just six metres from the Galloping Goose Trail.
The previous zoning on the site, near the grounds of Royal Roads University, allowed a building up to three storeys. The community plan called for four storeys.
Mitton persuaded a majority of council to boost the permitted height almost tenfold, though council has yet to approve a development permit for the project.
The developer said one of the strengths of the proposal is that the tower’s footprint is only 8,000 square feet — on a 67,000-square-foot lot. That translates to six suites per floor and an intimate atmosphere where residents will find it easy to get to know their neighbours, he said.
The simplicity of the design of his tower project, he said, allows for a construction team as small as 10 to build the tower inexpensively at the rate of one storey a week.
As a result, he is “not even a little bit” concerned about high costs that have sidelined other projects with bigger floorplates that require more workers.
Construction will not start until 40 per cent of the units are pre-sold, he said.
But he said the location — and the views — should appeal to a market “a little different from people who want to live in downtown Victoria.”
All but three of the Capital Regional District’s 30 parks are within a 10-minute drive, he said. Six golf courses are similarly close, including the Royal Colwood club across the street, as is the Victoria General Hospital. Mitton also touts the proximity of shopping and services at the nearby Colwood Corners precinct and the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.
The tower’s design has underground parking for 216 vehicles. The main floor would have a substantial storage area for scooters, used by disabled people, off the entrance lobby. This would allow residents to access community facilities and “age in place,” he said.
The developer promises an amenity package to the community worth $1.3 million to $1.5 million. That’s in addition to providing a new landscaped streetscape, with curbs, gutter and lighting along Sooke Road from the Royal Roads entrance to Colwood Crescent.
© Copyright 2006 Times Colonist (Victoria)
