Victoria Downtown Residents Association Newsletter

Lacey-Lou Tapas Lounge
Roving Refinery Review

Lacey-Lou logo

Nicholas Harrington Reporting:
Our most recent Roving Refinery took place on June 23rd at Lacey-Lou Tapas Lounge. Our host for the evening was founder and owner Natasha Grau-Ensminger. Natasha was born in Winnipeg but was raised right here on Vancouver Island, on an organic farm, no less! She worked in the hospitality industry during her high school years, and studied Hospitality at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops before returning to Vancouver Island.

Lacey-Lou occupies the ground floor of 1320 Broad Street, a building which is owned by the University of Victoria - part of the legacy left to UVic by Michael Williams. As the space had not been upgraded in over 5 decades, a substantial amount of time, hard work and money was needed to bring the interior space up to code so that it could be operated for food services. Costs associated with all the unexpected work created an immediate need for a capital infusion. The team's solution was to launch their own Indiegogo campaign to help raise the needed funds. In addition to support from friends and family, the campaign caught the eye of a young local investor who eventually became the major shareholder in the enterprise, with the Business Development Bank of Canada, the major lender.

In their own words from their Indiegogo campaign page: "Over a year of planning went into the creation of Lacey-Lou's, but no one could predict the challenges we would encounter when renovating a space that hadn't seen any major improvements in over 50 years...In preparing the lounge for its opening, the team encountered many unforeseen issues in the structure of the space, dealing an expensive blow...Behind old plaster walls and under the floors we found structural issues that would set us behind 4 months on our projected opening date, and double our renovation costs. By the time we discovered this, we had invested too much money into the project to start over elsewhere. Countless volunteers put in thousands of hours to minimize costs, however we could not avoid certain costs that had to be done by professionals in order to comply with building code requirements."

Natasha (L) & Kaela (R)

At our Roving Refinery, the courteous staff of Lacey-Lou served us a wide range of menu items for us to sample. Dishes included Thai Chicken Sliders; Grilled Ham, Cheese and Pineapple Sandwiches; Bacon Wrapped Dates; and Apple, Bacon and Brie Panini. All of which were excellent. Several attendees also placed orders for the Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Prawns, which was deemed delectable by all who tried it.

A good time being had by all

Our generous attendees donated a total of $45 cash, and a can of food for Our Place Society. The lucky winners of the draw this time around were Robert and Janice, each receiving a $25 gift certificate to Lacey-Lou Tapas Lounge.

Delicious, fresh prepared food made of locally sourced ingredients, friendly, attentive service, cold local beer, walls filled with fine art, and live music every night of the week. I ask you, what more could one ask for in a local, new urban public house?

The next Roving Refinery will take place this September. Watch for an announcement in September's newsletter, and until then, have a great summer!

June DRA Board Meeting Highlights
[Thanks to Cathy Brankston for this content - Editor]

Since early June, City notices are now also being sent via email to the DRA Chair. These emails give notification of meetings by such city groups as the Governance and Priorities Committee, the Planning and Land Use Committee, and City Council. This has resulted in a simple and timely distribution method for DRA board and members. Ian, as LUC chair of the DRA Land Use Committee (LUC), will distribute to LUC & board members as necessary.

Councilor's Report: Lisa Helps

The weekly Public Meeting Schedule will now be available on the City’s website the Friday before. This will allow interested parties additional time to notify neighbourhood groups, arrange meetings, etc.
Councillor Shellie Gudgeon has announced that a needle clean-up is planned for July 11th from 7am to 10am in the 700 block Pandora Avenue. This is the parking lot/garden park site between Douglas Street and Blanshard Avenue that borders the new Jawl Development Corp site (See 'Green Space Clean Up' below).
An interim level of policy change is slated for the Boulevards to Gardens program. Changes planned are to allow planter boxes and growing of food on boulevards.
A public hearing will be held on Thursday July 17, 2014, regarding the proposal to reduce the speed limit to 40 km/h on certain blocks of Bay Street, Gorge Road, Richmond Avenue, and other city streets. There is no need to register in order to speak at the hearing. More information will be posted on the city’s website as of Friday, July 11 (Note: watch the DRA's social media for further details).
No City meetings will be scheduled between July 24 through August 27, 2014.

Land Use Committee: Ian Sutherland

Johnson Street Bridge - East Side Approaches

The Public Realm and Landscape Design Strategy for the Johnson Street Bridge came before City Council for review at a Governance and Priorities Committee meeting of a few weeks ago, but the review was ultimately postponed until July 24th. The DRA LUC has concerns about the lack of useable green space in the City's proposal which features a wide paved surface at a steep gradient inserted in a cut between the Northern Junk site and Johnson Street. The LUC favours a design of local architect Paul Merrick the Architect for the Northern Junk and Janion redevelopments which contains usable green space and great potential for public gathering. You can view the Merrick design compared to the City design here.

The DRA has made our concerns known to City staff at the Johnson Street Bridge Approaches Open House held in 2012, and requested changes to the plan on several occasions over the past two years. While the DRA's written submissions were acknowledged within an appendix to the documentation, the DRA is quite concerned that the priorities for downtown residents put forward in those submissions have been largely ignored.

Besides providing the public with usable green space the DRA also believes that Paul Merrick's alternative design would cost less to implement, as the City's plan would require removal and disposal of a significant volume of soil, which if contaminated, could cost the City hundreds of thousands of dollars in disposal fees. Merrick's design would leave the soil in place. You can read the letter the DRA LUC sent to Victoria City Council on June 25, 2014 here.

The DRA is encouraging members to email City Councilors before July 24th, and request a review of the proposed design for the public spaces at the eastern bridge approaches. To request a review, click here to contact Mayor and Council via the City's website, or send an email to Councillors@victoria.ca

New England Hotel - 1312 Government Street
Cell phone antennas have been erected atop the new addition to this heritage building. Cell phone tower permits are issued by the Federal Government. Board member Doug Boyd, has past experience with these matters, and advised that the Federal Government will consider the wishes of the local municipality, but does not have to follow them, and ultimately has the final say.

The DRA forwarded images to Councillor Pamela Madoff, who in turn inquired with City staff if anything can be done in this instance, and to investigate the potential for establishing a future policy for the installation of cell phone antennas on heritage buildings.

Kunju Development - 613 Herald Street
Developer Conrad Nyren and Hillel Architecture have integrated some of the DRA’s suggestions. The DRA is concerned that the garage gate is set-back too far from the face of the building, and questions the need for a double-wide parking entrance when the design is for only 12 parking spaces. The City’s present policy is a single-wide drive for 10 vehicles or less.

Next DRA Board Meeting

Our next board meeting will be held on Tuesday July 22, 2014 at 5:30 pm. We will soon announce a new location for our board meetings, as the Silver Threads Service is relocating their downtown activity centre and we are looking for a new facility. Until further notice however, meetings will still be held at the Silver Threads Centre, 1728 Douglas Street. DRA Board meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month, and are open to all DRA members.

Bartholomew’s Pub Liquor License Application

Public Meeting Review

[Thanks to Eric Ney for this content - Editor]

Thirty-six members of the community, including Councillors Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Shellie Gudgeon, and two board members from the Downtown Residents Association, attended the Public Information Session at the Colwood Room in the Victoria Conference Centre on Wednesday, June 25. As representative for the owners, Francis Mairet gave a brief presentation outlining his personal and professional connections to the community and reviewed the proposal for the property.

The following points were noted in Francis Mairet's presentation:

His intention for the meeting is for it to provide an opportunity for clarification and understanding around the application put to the City - wants to be a good neighbour and pay attention to the neighbourhood.
He does not make promises he cannot keep.
He does not know what problems there will be in relation to the operation of the pub as it is not operating yet. Will have to wait to see what problems arise once the operations resume.
The [Executive House] hotel is in the process of being redeveloped as a part of a rebranding exercise as a Hilton Doubletree.
He reports to Hilton, and has a 10 year contract with the owners.
He has a personal stake in maintaining a high standard as required by Hilton Doubletree.
Existing food and beverage facilities include a total of 306 seats: 120 Food Primary, 112 Liquor Primary, 28 Patio, 46 Lounge.
He wants to consolidate his operation and reduce total seating to 244 seats.

Proposed changes and upgrades to the food & beverage space are:

The front doors are being redesigned and retooled.
The band will be moved away from the windows near the patio, deeper into the room, with the goal of reducing (but not eliminating) the sound emanating into the street.
The sound system will be consolidated to fewer but better quality speakers.
The air conditioning will be upgraded, so that windows won't have to be opened to cool the room.
Some of the doors on the patio will be replaced with windows.

What follows here are the highlights of comments from the public, with any corresponding replies from Francis Mairet (FM), or others:

Comment: There are quality of life issues for residents in the area - issues that require a greater police presence.
FM: He only has certain options to address problems. However, he is happy to participate in the discussion and address problems where he can.

Comment: There should be a regulated sound standard that is enforced in the community. Businesses and operators need to be held to this standard.
FM: He is not operating the pub yet, so he does not know if there is a problem but hopes he has addressed the issue in the redesign. Within the entire operations of the property, their living is made from the hotel component, not the pub.

Comment: The bad reputation of the Strathcona [Hotel] and Victoria Council's inaction is being reflected in the response to this proposal.
Shellie Gudgeon: Council needs to ensure that there's more transit at night. Smoking will be an additional source of noise.

Comment: The resident manager and the Strata at The Falls have had success with working with the Strathcona [Hotel] in addressing the concerns of their residents. It is hoped that these discussions will continue and expand to include other operators in the area. The presence of police is often ineffectual as the one police vehicle parks on Courtney, west of Douglas, with a view of the front door of the Strath, but there are frequently problems on Courtney, east of Douglas, which are beyond the sight lines of the police vehicle. There needs to be an increased presence and patrolling.

Comment: Has an engineer been asked to provide noise reduction from the patio?
FM: The redesign of the patio includes plans to move the water feature and increase the amount glass enclosing the space. The expectation is to have a better space, but it's unknown if the noise will be reduced. This is a neighbourhood issue, not just an issue related to Bartholomew's.

Comment: The issue of noise is very concerning to those living in residences above the patio space as the noise travels up from the street. It is suggested that the noise is not really an issue at street level. People are having to change their sleep schedules as the noise prohibits sleep. It is a concern that the proposal seeks to add more seating to the patio as the noise from the patio was already a problem. The decibel levels need to be monitored and enforced. Will patrons on the patio be moved inside at 11:00 pm?
FM: There are currently no plans to close the patio until 1:00 am.

Charlayne Thornton-Joe: Until what time will food be served? It's often noted that there needs to be more late night food service in the city. Late night transportation - buses and taxis - are also needed to move people out of the area at the end of the night. To address the bigger issues in the community, perhaps a meeting with the DRA, Humboldt Valley residents and operators and Chief Elsner would be productive.
FM: Food will be served until 11:00 pm.

Comment: A breakdown of the current seating was provided, but what is the breakdown if the proposal is approved?
FM: There will be a reduction of the total number of seats and while the seating in the Cafe currently closes at 3 pm, the entirety of the new seating area will be open from 9:00 am until 1:00 am.

Comment: What is the occupancy and target market of property intended to be?
FM: There will be 180 rooms with a target of 70% occupancy. The pub is intended to serve the transient population of the hotel while retaining a local presence. The hotel won't be priced to target sports teams.

Shellie Gudgeon: Please email councillors with feedback and suggestions to deal with noise in the neighbourhood at councillors@victoria.ca
FM: Also contact Mark Hayden, Manager of Bylaw & Licensing at liquorlicensing@victoria.ca

Solutions that were discussed included the following:

Adopt a bylaw to require outdoor patios to close at 11:00 pm.
Install rubber sleeves on garbage bins to reduce noise during collection.
Coordinate schedule of services in the area (garbage, deliveries, street cleaning, maintenance, etc.), so that there is a long duration of quiet through the late hours of the night

Hudson Public Market Update

Robert Florida Reporting:
The Hudson Indoor Public Market is nearing its first anniversary of opening in September 2013. When it opened there were a number of empty shops with some under construction.

In April the last gap was filled with the opening of the Grocer at the Hudson, which means that the Public Market now can supply just everything a family will need to eat. The Grocer at the Hudson is fully stocked and offers a great variety of premium products with an emphasis on local and ecologically responsible food stuffs.

Fresh vegetables, dairy products, soft drinks, snacks, bakery items, condiments—just about everything you might need—are nicely displayed. It is a real convenience for the neighborhood to be able to shop in one place for all that one needs.

Also, for the second summer running, the Market is featuring local farmers, artisans, and miscellaneous food producers on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. Experience suggests that getting there around noon insures that your favorite item won’t be sold out. So drop in for lunch and pick up your shopping all at once.

City to Review Skateboarding Prohibition

City of Victoria bylaws currently prohibit the riding of skateboards on sidewalks anywhere in the city, and also prohibit the riding of skateboards on streets in the downtown core. Skateboarders have asked City Council to reconsider these bylaws.

City staff is currently preparing a report for Council, and the DRA has been invited to submit feedback. Please review the letter and map (below), and submit your comments to the DRA by clicking on this link: chair@victoriadra.ca.

DVBA AGM
Report

[Thanks to the DVBA for providing the minutes from their 2014 AGM - Editor]

Nicholas Harrington Reporting:
Recently, there has been some suggestion that the DRA should work closely with the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) on projects and issues of mutual interest and benefit. One example of such possible future cooperation is a Block Watch program. As you may know, for some time now the DRA's Healthy Living Committee has been discussing supporting the implementation of a pilot Block Watch program in Downtown. As Downtown is a mixed use neighbourhood (residential and commercial), working with the DVBA on any pilot Block Watch program would greatly increase its chance of success.

In order to learn more about the DVBA, and what interests we may have in common, the DRA purchased one ticket to the DVBA's annual AGM, and I was selected to attend, and report back. The following are points of interest from that event.

DVBA General Manager, Ken Kelly, called their 10th Annual General Meeting to order at high noon on June 20, 2014. Ken thanked everyone for attending, and specially welcomed members of the VicPD and Deputy Police Chief Steve Ing, Councilors Coleman, Alto, Coleman, Helps, Thornton-Joe, and Madoff, as well as City staff in attendance.

Mr. Kelly made note of the DVBA's achievements over the past 10 years:

360,000 pounds of garbage and litter have been picked up from Downtown streets by their 'Clean Team'
37,000 graffiti tags have been removed from public and private spaces
13,000 needles and other drug paraphernalia had been picked up
150,000 Christmas lights installed each year in Centennial Square, around the harbour and Government street
$600,000 has been invested in public street lighting in a joint program with the City of Victoria
Support for 15 festivals and events each year.

Mr. Kelly then introduced, thanked and congratulated the members of the current board: Fran Hobbis, Vanessa Leong, Dan Sawchuk, Nick Blasko, Suzanne Bradbury, Deidre Campbell, Paul DaCosta, Shane Devereaux, Dave Ganong, Kay Koot, Kathy Hogan, Grant Olson and Marianne Alto.

Then, after some official AGM business was conducted, DVBA Chairperson Fran Hobbis rose to the podium. She thanked everyone for attending, and noted that the AGM was an opportunity for people who are passionate about downtown to gather and exchange ideas. The following are some highlights from her speech:

The DVBA Board sent representatives to last year's conference of International Downtown Business Associations in New York. Attending the conference created relationships which affirmed that Victoria is not unique in its challenges, and that Victoria is on the right track.
The DVBA hosted a number of summer and fall festivals and the Clean Team has done an amazing job.
DVBA staff deserve a huge 'thank you' for their tremendous work.
Future plans include engaging with members and stakeholders to determine what the DBVA should focus on going forward.
The DVBA is currently in year 2 of their 3 year strategic plan. That document, which is available for anyone to look at, includes some ambitious projects.
The DVBA can’t do everything, but can help bring parties together to achieve shared goals. We often miss the ‘forest for the trees’. We have to celebrate ourselves and be focused, responsible, creative, bold, and visionary as we do new things.

Chairperson Hobbis then introduced the DVBA's new Board members: Deidre Campbell, Dave Ganong, Fran Hobbis, Kathy Hogan, Vanessa Leong, Dan Sawchuk

The AGM concluded with a talk given by this year's guest speaker, Christopher Beynon. Chris is an international leader in the transformation of urban environments, a principal at the Berkeley-based firm MIG, and uses his knowledge of cutting edge trends to help communities discover their own paths. The following is an excellent summary of Chris' talk, "Urban Design for the New Economy: Creating Place to Ensure Prosperity", taken from the minutes of the AGM, courtesy of the DVBA:

We are living through transformative change like no other time in history. The next wave of people are called the Millennials and they do things differently. They think differently and want different things from their world. They are more diverse than any generation before and they want to live in downtown cores.

Victoria is doing wonderful things. You have a great environment here. You have an attractive destination, arts, events, etc., but that is not enough. You cannot rest. It is a very competitive and you cannot be average. The 'age of average is over'. If you are not excelling, you will 'die on the vine'. There is no room for average in the future.

Downtowns are back but we still have to worry. We have to watch out for trends and retailers like Amazon. Ask yourself, "every tourist coming downtown, are they buying it here, or ordering it online and shipping it by Amazon?" Do you need all that space? Can you afford the space and rent? What are we building to create retail spaces and shopping that respond to the new patterns? Are we thinking nimbly? Portable coffee shops. Food trucks - embrace them. This draws more people in and often leads to a 'bricks and mortar space'. Even Walmart is building smaller foot prints. Target introduced pop-ups.

The Sharing Economy – "Why do I need to have that power drill that I use once every 6 months, when I can borrow it through social media?"

Employment is a huge issue. The creative person wants to work from 9 to 3 and then go play soccer, or meet friends at the brew pub and then work from 7 to 11 at night from a local coffee shop. It is not 9 to 5 anymore. Technology allows that to happen. You need to create environments where it all mixes, young and old. Having more environments in the downtown core, and that connect to surrounding neighbourhoods will attract younger workers and the new economy.

You need spaces for industrial design, manufacturing, urban agriculture. People want to grow food locally, in the urban cores. The natural habitat for the younger generation is the coffee shops – they want to be in the heart of the action (the hub), every day, every week.

Don’t be afraid to do pilot art? Create excitement and buzz and a difference. Big gathering spaces are important, but you need smaller ones too, places for respite. Think of spaces that don't have to be so finely designed. People interact in different ways. Let people create their own space. If you don’t have the space, do it on the streets. Take away 1 or 2 parking spots. Do it seasonally. Think about 'parklets' in the environment.

Look up! Are things draping from the sides of buildings. Think vertically. Think of the city as a place for the child. How are you are creating activities, creating attraction for children and families?

The younger generation is not driving and doesn’t own a car. They use car share, ride their bike, or walk. It is a new world and the patterns of the 20th century are crumbling. You can do better in Victoria with bicycles. People are making decisions from an environmental standpoint and economic standpoint. Bike share. Build biking into the infrastructure.

Any nook and cranny can have light and colour. When you walk around corners, make it so that you want to go to the next block and the next block. Create that excitement!

Being memorable is a great part of a downtown. What makes Victoria memorable? Great cities don’t happen by happenstance. It is being out in front and it is about collaboration. The great cities provide partnerships between the public sector and private sectors. Yesterday we walked the streets, we had a workshop, we wrote on posters, the city was there, and the private sector was there. Cast your net far and wide.

Whether it is the artist, the mayor, the CEO, the shop keeper; everybody has a role to play. Be inclusive.

Green Space Clean Up

City Councillor Shellie Gudgeon is organizing a volunteer clean up of the 'green space' (east end of the Robbins parking lot) in the 700 block of Pandora Avenue on Monday, July 14th. The City will provide gloves, loppers and pruners, and Councillor Gudgeon will provide garbage totes and refreshments for the volunteers. The clean up starts at 7:00 am. If you are interested in joining the volunteers for the clean up, please contact Councillor Gudgeon by email.

Summer in the Square

Enjoy free lunchtime and evening concerts and events in Centennial Square this summer. Click here for your complete 2014 Summer in the Square event listings.

Free Lunchtime Concerts in the Square
Bring your lunch and some sunscreen and soak up some sun and free tunes. From classical to world beat, folk to jazz and baroque to blues, there's something for everyone. Join us for free concerts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon - 1 p.m. from July 2 to September 11, 2014 in Centennial Square. All Summer in the Square Lunchtime Concerts are “rain or shine” and are subject to change.

Dancing in the Square
Enjoy free dance instruction followed by dancing to live music on Mondays July 7, 14, 21, 28 and August 11 and 18 from 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. in Centennial Square. Each week features a different dance. The event is presented by the City of Victoria and the Victoria Ballroom Dance Society.

July 7 - Instr: Bob Gibb, Workshop: Jive, Band: Katzenjammers
July 14 - Instr: Adam Hanna, Workshop: Cha Cha, Band: MC2
July 21 - Instr: Ron Smailes, Workshop: Line Dances, Band: Katzenjammers
July 28 - Instr: Adam Hanna, Workshop: Social Foxtrot, Band: Little Big Band
Aug 11 - Instr: Roman Yue, Workshop: Waltz, Band: Little Big Band
Aug 18 - Instr: Bob Gibb, Workshop: Rumba, Band: MC2

NEW - Eventide Music Series
Join us Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. from July 3 to August 14 for the Eventide Music Series. Eventide, (pronounced “even-tide”) is the old name for “evening”, and was chosen to reflect the timing of the concerts in Centennial Square. This free, new concert series highlights Victoria’s eclectic local music scene featuring sounds that may or may not be described as “idiosyncratic, post angular, electro gypsy shoegaze, with a twist of twee folk, and psychedelic freak-space pop”. The Eventide Music Series is presented by the Downtown Victoria Business Association, the City of Victoria and CFUV Community Campus Radio. More information on the Eventide Music Series can be found here.

Concerts in the Park

Whether you like jazz, blues, classical, folk or swing, there's something for everyone at Concerts in the Park. Concerts take place Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays from June 20 to September 12, 2014 between 1:30 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park.

Children's Concerts in the Park take place on Wedesday, July 16, 30 and August 13 and 27 from 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park. Bring a picnic, sunscreen and a blanket and make a day of it with the kids!

A complete Concerts in the Park events listing is available here.

CityVibe

Check out CITYVibe, Victoria's Guide to Festivals and Outdoor Events!
Available in hard copy, online and iPhone app (from the iTunes store), CITYVibe is your free guide to City-sponsored festivals and outdoor events downtown this summer. Watch for the 2014 CITYVibe at local venues and at City Hall.

The guide showcases the many spectacular summer festivals and outdoor events that receive the City's annual Festival Investment Grant.

You'll also find listings for Victoria's public markets, free concerts and events at the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park, Summer in the Square programming, free lunchtime concerts in Centennial Square, as well as events at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park.

Make CITYVibe your guide to summer fun in downtown Victoria!

July 2014 Newsletter

Your Newsletter - Your Forum