Interesting Websites

I've added a couple of interesting weblinks to the right hand side of the blog. You may have seen them on other sites or in the commentary.

- The New York Times Rent vs. Buy calculator. Thanks to QL.
- Walk Score website - Find a walkable neighbourhood. It's fun to play with. Thanks to Housing Panic.
- Garth Turner's website. I don't agree with all that he says and stands for, but I have been reading it almost daily. He doesn't sugarcoat the current economic and housing situation.

Also, check out MLS 248177. This house just sold for $422000. That's $93000 off the asking price!

Condemnation

A couple of note worthy articles in today's TC.

Four Rental Buildings Condemned. The landlord refuses to perform any upkeep on the buildings, and voila! Let's tear down the buildings and do something different - build luxury condos!

Unbuilt Building Condemned. Well, not quite. The Wing condo project in Vic West continues to be an eyesore, yet the local community association doesn't appear to want to do anything about it. I don't get the statement from Diane Carr "... it's not the community's obligation to make up for a bad investment on the part of the investors. That's not our problem." Alright, then forget about offers from developers who want to do something with that mess, and enjoy your eyesore!

I think that Victoria is being overbuilt at this time, however, I would sooner have a building, that perhaps doesn't please everyone, than an eyesore empty concrete-laden lot. My $0.02.

Your Ideal Neighbourhood

A unique opportunity has presented itself. A representative from the developer who is designing the West Hills community in Langford is seeking the input of the readers of this blog. They are interested in knowing what your ideal community / neighbourhood would look like. They don't want West Hills to necessarily be like every other new development. They are thinking outside the box, and for this they are asking the public what they want. My hat's off to the developer for this. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with this development, or any other new development, I think it is commendable for a developer to be willing to try something new.

This post's purpose is to stimulate a conversation on what an environmentally friendly, ecologically sound, affordable, family oriented neighbourhood should look like. Please post your thoughts on what a developer can do to do it right and what developers are doing wrong these days. Topics to think about and comment on include the following:

- How important is your car to you? With adequate public transportation, would you be willing to give it up?

- Would you like to see a car-free neighbourhood?

- If you couldn't live without your car, could you live without a garage? Would you be willing to park in a community parking lot and walk half a block to your home?

- Do you like lots of big, wide streets? What should the street grid look like?

- How would you make homes more affordable?

- Would you mind living with less square footage?

- How about a house with a 2nd floor that is not finished when you acquire ownership of it? Is sweat equity something you have time for and be willing to provide?

- How would you create a neighbourhood with people from all incomes?

- What existing neighbourhood / development is, in your opinion, close to ideal? What is the poorest neighbourhood design that you have seen?

Any other suggestions on how to make a community greener, more livable, more environmentally friendly are welcome. What would you want to see that would make you say "That's where I want to live!"

The developer is appreciative of all comments, thoughts, and ideas, both positive and negative. Another thing that the developer would be interested in knowing, if you are willing, is to have an idea of what your demographic situation is. But only if you are willing. No pressure. Thanks for your help, and for the great conversation as of lately.

I'll be working out of town for the next week, so I'm taking a little break from the blog. Hopefully, conversation on today's post will carry on until I'm back. Next post will be Saturday, March 24.

And the winner is...

Taking price, amenities, location, and housing into consideration, where do you think is the best place to live in Victoria?

When I moved to Victoria a couple years ago, I had no preconceptions, misconceptions, or biases of any sort to any of the neighbourhoods in Victoria. After some time passes, you live in a few different hoods, you get to know the neighbourhoods where friends live, opinions start to form.

Putting aside prejudices, where is the best place to live in Victoria? Some random thoughts about our different neighbourhoods...

Gordon Head - Pros - Safe, close to Mt. Doug park, outer edge is close to the ocean. Cons - Way to many houses from the seventies and the eighties, too far from downtown, no urban centre.

Fairfield - Pros - close to water, downtown, and beacon hill park, nice village fell about it. Cons - Too expensive, boring square apartments.

Esquimalt - Pros - Less expensive than many other neighbourhoods, close to downtown and the water. Cons - Crime, grungy, dirty.

Oak Bay - Pros - Clean front yards, close to the water, Ottavio bakery, and you can feed the seals at the marina. Cons - speed limit is 30 kph, boring clean front yards, way too expensive!

Langford - Pros - Progressive city development (I like it!), a little more affordable, a couple lakes nearby. Cons - Colwood crawl traffic, it's Langford (with a southern drawl), big box stores (well, i don't mind them too much)

Glentana - Pros - ???, maybe, hmm, the fact that it's closer than Langford to the city? Cons - How quickly can we get out of here?

My top neighbourhood pick? I'd say, Fernwood. Close to downtown, prices are a little less, lots of amenities close by, and I really think that that neighbour is turning around and heading in the right direction. Cons - there are a lot of black cats, witches (due to the black cats), and shoes hanging over the power lines.

But really, if money wasn't an issue, I'd soonest live in Fairfield.

What do you think???