[Bedford] Bedford Commons

[Dmajackson]

This new retail area occasionally pops up in this forum so i thought we should have a thread for it. Known facts:

-approx. 250 acres.
-Located off of Duke Street/Glendale Drive (Exit 4C on Bi-Hi).

Stores:

Now Open:
- Walmart (McDonalds included)
- Spaces Storage
- Tip Top Tailors
- Tim Hortons
- Dollarama
- Subway
- Aliant
- Reitmans
- Others including a pet store, natural food store, ect...

Coming Soon:
- Canadian Tire
- Home Depot
- Future Shop
- Triplex Arena (temporary one under construction)


If anyone has the website or site plan or development agreement it would be greatly appreciated. If i forgot anything please post it below if its a store i will add it to the list.

[gm_scott]

I guess you could inclue Tim Hortons. But they do already have a million locations in Sackville alone, so it's nothing special

[Dmajackson]

Horribly made location map (by me):

This is a very outdated Google Earth picture (they need new pics). Wal-Mart is in the top right hand corner.

[Dmajackson]

This has to be the slowest power-centre ever built. In three years only 5-6 stores have opened (only one being a big-box). Anyways some new stores that have opened up recently;

Tim Horton's
Tip Top Tailor
Subway
other small one's i can't remember.

[waterloowarrior]

http://bedfordcommons.ca/

nothing really on the website though

[Dmajackson]

Thats interesting no matter how many times i searched it on Google this website never seemed to appear.

Just for some bearings the Wal-Mart is th black building on the top-left. Subway and smaller stores are in the black-roofed building right of that, and Tip-Top Tailors is in the middle. There is also a self storage place in the green building (below Wal-Mart). And Tim's is near Subway...

Thanks for finding the picture.

[reddog794]

Great, another reason for people to take they're cars....

[Dmajackson]

I don't know which building this is going in but there is a Dollarama sign up somewhere in this area...

It doesn't look like this development will have anything unique in it;

-Wal Mart was stolen from Lwr Sackville leaving Downsview looking horrible,
-Dollarama has two other locatiions around (Bedford Place and Downsiview),
-Tip Top Tailors has a location in Bedford Place,
-Subway has at least five locations in Bedford/Sackville, and
-Canadian Tire is already in Sunnyside.

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

I don't know which building this is going in but there is a Dollarama sign up somewhere in this area...

yay, as if there aren't enough of those around

[gm_scott]

Future Shop is unique enough.

[Dmajackson]

I believe that this is tied in with the tri-plex arena planned here so:

(Monday, September 22, 2008)– Earlier today HRM's Permits and Inspections Division issued a permit to Lydon Lynch Architects on behalf of the Rocky Lake Development Association. This approval allows Phase One of the Gary Martin Arena project to commence.

The Phase One construction includes final site preparation, site services such as sewer and water, as well as, construction of the foundations and slab.

Councillor Tim Outhit, District 21 - Bedford said, " This represents a major step forward in the construction of this facility. I would like to thank the Rocky Lake Development Association and Mayor Peter Kelly for their efforts in bringing about this much needed community rink. I would also like to thank Minister Len Goucher and the province for their financial support."

Phase two of the development will include placement of an air supported structure and construction of locker room and wash room facilities.

This interim facility will provide valuable ice-time capacity until such time as permanent multi-surface rinks are built. The future multi-surface facility will also be named in honour of the late Councillor Gary Martin.

[Dmajackson]

Bedford Commons hasn't really grown much in a few years but heres what i have:

Stores:

Now Open:
- Walmart
- Spaces Storage
- Tip Top Tailors
- Tim Hortons
- Dollarama
- Subway
- Aliant
- Reitmans
- Others including a pet store, natural food store, ect...

Coming Soon:
- Canadian Tire
- Home Depot
- Future Shop
- Triplex Arena (temporary one under construction)

Pictures (all by me):





Future Home of Future Shop. The new one in Dartmouth Crossing looks identical to this one.

Overall this is a run-of-a-mill power centre development. The obvious way I've learned to recognize a power centre is to see if a Walmart is there yet.

[worldlyhaligonian]

What is going on with the sports part of the development?

[Dmajackson]

Not too mch from what I hear at school.

The only sports item under construction is the temporary Gray Martin Arena just behing CPA.

[hfx_chris]

Temporary?

[Dmajackson]

^Yep its very strange to me too.

This one is temporary its just so Bedford has another rink this season. The permnament one is expected to start in the spring and be done by next winter.

[hfx_chris]

I hope the new rink will also be named after Martin. I would kinda suck after years of public service, your only honor is a one-season temporary rink

[Dmajackson]

Poor weather delays work on domed rink until March

By PAT LEE Staff Reporter
Mon. Feb 16 - 11:21 AM
BEDFORD — Plans for a temporary domed rink in Bedford remain on track despite some delays in inflating the roof of the building, says a spokesman for the project.

Barry Mason, chairman of the Rocky Lake Development Association, said last week that crews had hoped to inflate the roof this week and proceed with indoor construction of the arena, but weather has hampered those efforts and it won’t likely happen now until March.

"There are things that have happened that have slowed us down from a weather perspective," he said. "But we’re still on course for opening and getting everything completed for the next hockey season."

He said it had originally been hoped the facility would be open for part of this season or for summer hockey, but the opening has now been postponed until August.

"Most of the summer hockey is booked well in advance so the economics of it didn’t make sense," he said.

Although they’re behind their original construction timetable, Mason said the project is moving along.

"There’s still work being done on a daily basis and things are moving forward."

The slab for an adjacent outbuilding housing the entrance and dressing rooms was poured on Feb. 11.

The rink, to be named after late Bedford councillor Gary Martin, is a much-needed facility in the area, Mason said, providing ice time not only for hockey players but ringette teams and figure skaters.

He said council’s announcement that a four-rink "quadplex" will be built in Hammonds Plains does not diminish the need for the arena they’re working on.

"The demand for the rink is just unreal. We have so many calls from so many groups."

The association owns 21 hectares of land near C.P. Allen High School and has long-range plans for permanent rinks, all-weather soccer fields and gymnasiums on the Bedford Common

[Dmajackson]

I was by this tonight and well it looks the same as it has for years now but some signs of progress are being made. The ice rink has its foundation poured and they are defenitely working (from here the damn rock cutter all day at school), the Future Shop is near completion and is now hiring, and two new tenants are moving into the Future Shop "strip"; Bulk Barn and Pets Unlimited.

Unfortunately with the two new stores opening I fear that the Bedford Place Mall is doomed (both have locations in the mall). That place is going downhill fast.

I noticed a For Lease sign on the land between Wal-Mart and the Storage facitliy.

Also unfortunately to my stupidity (see the photos thread) I couldn't take and pictures tonight.

[Dmajackson]

An article from the CH today;

Silent backer pushes $50m project in Bedford
Canadian Tire, major hotel among tenants
By BILL POWER Business Reporter
Wed. Mar 18 - 6:11 AM

The Bedford Common retail area will get some big new tenants this construction season, including a Canadian Tire store, a major hotel and a project worth about $50 million.

"Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to say who is behind the $50-million project," Besim Halef of Banc Properties Ltd. said in an interview Tuesday. Banc Properties is developing the Bedford Common site near Highway 102 and Glendale Drive.

"We can say there will be a lot of construction happening very soon."

Canadian Tire has obtained a development permit from Halifax Regional Municipality but has not said when construction of the estimated 80,000-square-foot retail operation will start.

A new Canadian Tire store is scheduled to open this summer at Upper Tantallon on St. Margarets Bay Road.

"In these dire economic times it is encouraging to see developments of this magnitude proceeding," said Mr. Halef. "This is good for our Bedford Common project but also good for the entire region."

The developer said he is also excited that a daycare with space for about 95 students will be part of the Bedford Common.

"This is a feature many workers in the area will find appealing," he said.

Banc Properties has a number of developments taking shape in HRM.

At the Trinity-Harbourview site in North Dartmouth, valued at about $85 million, some of the 194 townhouses to be built are ready for occupancy. The company is finalizing details on construction of 220 condominium units, Mr. Halef said.

Trinity-Harbourview is located on 24 acres between Victoria and Windmill roads and is aimed at first-time buyers and people looking to downsize.

The company also has 82 semi-detached homes in development in the Kelly Street area just off Northwest Arm Drive.

Personal Note: While I am all for development in Bedford this could spell disaster for the rest of the town. Canadian Tire is currently in Sunnyside Mall and having worked there I know that as soon as the new location opens the current one will close. CT is a major tenant in the mall and there's already many deserted storefronts in Sunnyside. This couple with a major drop in quality and quantity of stores in Bedford Place Mall is bad news. The only silver-lining I can see for the CT location is that HRM could buy the lot and convert it into a bus terminal which Bedford is currently lacking. And I've had a look on the HRM Transit plan and they do want a bus terminal in the Sunnside area eventually.