The Cosmopolitan - proposed new 5 story rental building turned down

The Cosmopolitan was a proposed five story building to go in the 600 block of Fort Street.


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The project would have replaced a number of small retail buildings with one building with high quality ground floor retail and four floors of apartments for rent.   The building is the same height as the neighbouring building on Fort Street.   It would have been much shorter than the Sovereign, which is going in on Broughton behind this location.

For some reason the City of Victoria's Planning and Land Use Committee gave the project a thumbs down.   An issue of height and density apparently.

Seriously?   This would be too dense for this part of Fort Street?   I am stunned at that thought.   As to height, it is not located in a spot that it would be seen from anywhere further afield.  It is the same height at the neighbouring building and the Eaton Bay Centre.  How can it be too tall?

The developer was offering rental units, did they miss out how important that is for the city?

I really can not understand this decision on any level.