Victoria studio and event venue Quadratic Sound has been forced to stop hosting events due to Victoria Bylaw and Victoria Fire Department informing the ownership that hosting events at the space violates zoning regulations.
The announcement was posted to Quadratic Sound’s website and social media Tuesday November 12, 2024.
“Although we’ve operated as a private club, which is typically allowed under our zoning type, the property itself is zoned as an industrial warehouse with different requirements,” the venues ownership says in their statement. “Changing this would require a complex rezoning process that only the property owner can initiate, and unfortunately, they have no motivation to do so.”
Events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks have either been cancelled or relocated.
Quadratic Sound has been operating at their current location on Queens Avenue, a building that also is home to downtown Victoria location of The Bottle Depot, for two and a half years. They have hosted more than 300 events since the fall of 2022.
They site has also served as a music studio with three acoustically treated studios for rehearsal space and recording. Quadratic Sound was founded in 2016 and previously operated at a building on Discovery Street until January 2022.
The shut down of events at the space is another blow to downtown Victoria’s music scene after the recent closure of the Victoria Event Centre in late October and Hermann’s Upstairs in March.
The City of Victoria may be close to securing a tenant for the Hermann’s Upstairs spot, but that has not been confirmed. The Downbeat, a new music and events centre that is taking over the former Hush Nighclub location on Government Street is set to announce an opening date soon.
Victoria City Councillor Matt Dell is already attempting to contact Quadratic Sound to see how he might be able to help as a city official.
