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‘What a waste’: Victoria building toppled for self-storage instead of housing

Area residents called it a wasted opportunity to add density
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The old Paynes Marine Group building at 2120 Quadra St. has been demolished, with equipment hauling away the remnants this week. (Chris Campbell photo for Victoria News)

Neighbours of a Victoria industrial building that was recently torn down are lamenting that its future use won’t be “much-needed” housing.

The old Paynes Marine Group building at 2120 Quadra St. has been demolished, with equipment hauling away the remnants this week.

The property will now be turned into a self-storage business, but neighbours said it was a prime location for housing – something that had previously been under consideration by the City of Victoria in the area.

Doug Grant lives near the site and tweeted a photo of the demolished building with a short history of city plans for the neighbourhood.

Grant said it’s perfect for adding density as it’s on a transit route and across the street from both a park and a public swimming pool.

Grant said he and other neighbours had previously been polled on a future plan for the neighborhood that was heavy on adding density. Grant tweeted a graphic that even showed the Paynes site being reimagined as a multi-storey apartment building in the year 2040.

“The city even foretold this development when they convinced us to participate in a poll about how our neighbourhood will look,” Grant tweeted. “They then rejected a proposal to put an apartment building here in favour of this. Yes, according to the (City of Victoria), the official community plan really wants a storage facility and all the extra traffic it will bring. It’s what we all really, really wanted.”

Other area residents tweeted about the demolition, lamenting a “wasted” opportunity.

“Located across the street from Crystal Pool, a block from the arena and less than a 10-minute walk to downtown,” tweeted Thomas Guerrero. “I am truly looking forward to this much-needed … Um self-storage building? … Just seems to me that you couldn’t have a better location for homes in the city … Sigh.”

That tweet brought a swift response from other local residents.

“What a waste,” tweeted @marrkstep.

“What a disappointing outcome,” tweeted Marilyn Kay. “The city needs more housing and community spaces – not more self-storage.”

READ MORE: Opinion: Victoria needs affordable rentals, not Harris Green and ‘rampant demolitions’

Do you have a story tip? Email: chris.campbell@blackpress.ca.

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Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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