A 12-story proposal pitched for the empty space where the Plaza Hotel once stood needs a revamp, according to the bulk of Victoria council.
Height and massing, in context with adjacent buildings and the historic nature of the neighbourhood, were just too far outside policy for staff to support, and council agreed during its committee meeting on May 8.
Council put the proposal back in the hands of city staff to work with the applicant in a number of areas. These include adjustments to the height and density of the project, as well as refinements to the architectural design to ensure it responds more appropriately to the Core Historic Area, particularly in alignment with the Old Town Design Guidelines. Staff and the applicant have also been asked to explore enhanced mobility options, reduce parking, ensure the proposal’s operational functionality with respect to drop-off and loading zones, and meet requirements related to tree retention and stormwater management.
“I struggled mightily with this application as I think others have,” said Coun. Jeremy Caradonna, who put the motion on the table. He noted the balance of competing interests, including the need for downtown hotel space.
“On the other hand, we need to be mindful of the fact that, as the municipal government of the city, we are the stewards of Old Town. And Old Town is rare and precious. We need to be extraordinarily cautious on how we treat redevelopment in that historical conservation area,” he added. “There’s simply too much that stands outside of the OCP of design guidelines, of height, of density; it breaks most of the rules that we have related to Old Town.”
That the neighbourhood holds important cultural and historical value wasn’t a debate, but the balance of what to do with a proposal so far from policy was.
Caradonna noted he didn’t want to see the area atrophy or remain unbuilt, but noted if that high of density is required to keep Old Town viable, then policy needs to be addressed.
“So Old Town doesn’t become stuck in time and becomes decreed, and becomes unmanageable, and undevelopable. I don’t think anyone wants that,” he added. “I would like to see a hotel built there eventually … it cannot come at the expense of the integrity of Old Town.”
In the short term, staff could go back, work with the applicant and come up with something potentially more supportable.
The proposed hotel use is consistent with the OCP proposed uses for the neighbourhood, but the proposed height and density exceed the envisioned built form – generally limited to three storeys higher than adjacent facades – by seven storeys. It includes amending the density from 3.0:1 floor space ratio (FSR) to 6.87:1 FSR and increasing the maximum allowable building heights from five to 12 storeys. The primary intent of the OCP is to concentrate higher density along the Douglas and Blanshard streets to relieve development pressure and preserve the historic character of the Old Town area.
New buildings are expected to be a good fit design-wise, reinforcing existing character and maintaining cohesiveness and authenticity with the heritage. Much of council, and the heritage advisory panel before them, found the design lacking.
While council approved sending it back for further work with the applicant, Couns. Matt Dell and Dave Thompson opposed.
Dell said he overwhelmingly heard ‘approve it’ from voices on social media to organizations that often provide expertise to the city, such as the Downtown Victoria Business Association and Destination Greater Victoria.
“I personally don’t have major concerns with the height or the density. I do think some architectural work could be done on this to improve it to get more people on side,” he said, agreeing it could use some refinement and maybe come down a storey.
“If this doesn’t come back until five or 10 years down the road, it’ll be a major, major loss to the city,” he added, encouraging staff to be flexible working with the applicant.
“Victoria absolutely needs this project. If this is the end of the road, it would be a catastrophic day for the city."
