Thanks for posting that Nparker.

A major addition to the office scene is the Merchant House Capital makeover of the Times Colonist building on Douglas Street, which is being transformed into 120,000 square feet of office space and about 10,000 square feet of retail, including a brewpub, as the Victoria Press Building. The Times Colonist has taken space in the complex and a private college, Sprott Shaw, has also leased space, said Nathaniel Simpson, leasing agent with CBRE Victoria.


https://www.timescolonist.com/business/developers-clamour-for-piece-of-vancouver-island-1.23888751

that’s just the two existing office tenants. nothing new?

Two facets of this development are going to CotW on Thursday Feb 27:

• An application to designate the facade of the Times Colonist building (from 1971) as 'heritage'
• An application for a 10-year tax break to seismically retrofit the existing structure

The building is close to 50 years old and there is a shortage of buildings from the post war era of this style that have been protected. Not to protect this building is a very similar argument that was used in the 80s and 90s not to protect art deco buildings. A lot of buildings that have been heritage designated are ones that are not of a high architectural value but simple managed to survive. Most of our best buildings from 100 to 140 years ago have been torn down