General Updates and News

[fenwick16]

There is a public hearing on May 28th starting at 6 PM at City Hall before Council regarding the building height amendments for the Atlantic Superstore/Via Station/Westin Hotel area. Here is a link to a staff presentation which explains the issue in easy to understand terms - http://halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/130528ca91pres.pdf

[fenwick16]

(source: http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/687911/halifax-council-raises-height-restrictions-for-barrington-south-properties/)
May 28, 2013 Updated: May 28, 2013 | 8:58 pm
Halifax council raises height restrictions for Barrington South properties
By Haley Ryan

A local developer said he is happy Halifax regional council “finally” raised height restrictions to his South Street property, although others are worried the move could affect heritage district plans.

At a public hearing Tuesday night, council approved raising the height restrictions of certain buildings surrounding Cornwallis Park to 22 metres, from a current 10 or 13 metre height.

“I’m glad that we finally got our approval,” said Tony Metlej, executive director of Galaxy Properties Ltd.

“Now that we feel we have some direction, we can move forward.”

Metlej, who owns the 5161 to 5175 South Street lots including the Grand Taj Restaurant, said the development will echo the Hydrostone with shops and restaurants along the street with apartments up above.
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I think this was a sensible decision for the area in question. There are several low rise apartment buildings in the general area, which appear to be around 22 meters in height, and in the near future it will likely lead to the development of a vacant lot (as indicated in the story).

Congratulations to the HRM staff for their good presentation of the issue. According to the allnovascotia.com, only three Councillors voted against. Waye Mason reportedly voted in favour of raising the height limit to 22 meters.

[Keith P.]

The new Mother's Pizza building on Agricola. It's nice to see so many little construction projects happening all over the North End. The big projects get most of the attention, but I think the fine-grained organic growth adds a lot to neighbourhoods.

http://www.motherspizzacanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/2013-04-04-16.27.27-1024x768.jpg
http://www.motherspizzacanada.com/tag/mothers-halifax/

I wonder if the proponents of this have run out of money or otherwise had some misfortune. Things seem to have ground to a halt over the last couple of months.

[scooby074]

I wonder if the proponents of this have run out of money or otherwise had some misfortune. Things seem to have ground to a halt over the last couple of months.

They are still at it according to Twitter. Aiming for end of June. Last updated June 1.

[skyscraperfan]

I saw this website and thought that the ideas/concept for downtown look pretty cool! I think that the proportions of the nova centre are a little off though, they seem to be smaller in the concept than what will be built. Check it out!

http://www.designdialog.ca/projects/halifax/

[halifaxboyns]

I saw this website and thought that the ideas/concept for downtown look pretty cool! I think that the proportions of the nova centre are a little off though, they seem to be smaller in the concept than what will be built. Check it out!

http://www.designdialog.ca/projects/halifax/

I wonder if this concept is based upon the rules of HbD? If so, that's impressive what a redesign could accomplish.

Edit: This looks to be the layout of the road network encouraged by HbD.

[teddifax]

Pacrim Hospitality Services is associated with these hotels :
Radisson
Crowne Plaza
Best Western
Embassy Suites Hotels
Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn
Candlewood Suites
Wingate by Wyndham
Super 8
Hampton Inn & Suites
An article to appear in the Chronicle Herald on Tuesday states that they are interested in building in downtown Halifax, here is the article.

Hotel companies split the bill
3 hours ago
REMO ZACCAGNA Business Reporter


















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A partnership between two hotel management companies could see the construction of $100 million in new hotels in Atlantic Canada in the next five years.

The joint venture announced Monday means Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc. of Bedford and Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC of Miami will target new growth opportunities across Canada, but particularly on the Atlantic coast.

New 100- to 300-room full-service and extended-stay properties are being planned in the Bedford-Sackville area, as well as near Fredericton, Argentia, N.L., St. John’s, N.L., Goose Bay, N.L., and Golden, B.C.

“We have agreements in all of these markets,” Pacrim chief executive officer Glenn Squires said in a telephone interview from New York City, where he is attending the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference

“We’ve identified partners … to go ahead.”

After that, the companies will look for additional growth in emerging markets in South America and the Middle East, as well as further United States expansion.

Pacrim, for example, recently entered agreements for the development of a 250-room InterContinental hotel at Muscat Hill Golf & Country Club and a 110-room luxury seaside resort in Muscat, Oman.

But it was the opportunity to expand to Canada that sealed the deal for Driftwood, said Brian Quinn, the company’s executive vice-president of development.

“We will focus in the Middle East and South America, and in North America as well, but the first few deals that are going to get us off the ground are going to be new-build projects in Canada,” Quinn said from New York City, also attending the conference.

Canada’s relatively strong economic fundamentals and robust energy sector are two factors that piqued the company’s interest, he said.

“The skies look blue to the north.”

Conversely, it was Driftwood’s reach in the U.S. that caught Pacrim’s attention because just three of the company’s 46 hotels are south of the border.

“It gives us a larger platform in the United States; we’re currently looking at acquisitions,” Squires said. “It gives us additional infrastructure and reach for new developments in Canada.

“As we pursued it, it just made a lot of sense that we could leverage off of each other’s scale and scope and areas of expertise and build our platforms.”

Outside of the Bedford-Sackville project, he said the company is planning to build two more Halifax-area properties. Squires declined to give specific locations, although he didn’t rule out at least one of these being downtown.

“I believe there’s an opportunity now to go back more to two types of properties. We want to focus on extended-stay and more full-service hotels, which are hotels that have meeting space and restaurants and bars and that kind of stuff.”

[someone123]

I wonder if this concept is based upon the rules of HbD? If so, that's impressive what a redesign could accomplish.

I remember this model from a few years ago. The Citadel Hotel site is also out of date in this rendering, and it's missing Waterside Centre. The map includes the library and Sister Sites but not the Trillium.

I'm not sure about the exact alignments but I think this is the sort of density around Cogswell that would actually make a difference. Ideally I think it would be maybe 2/3 residential and 1/3 office. It's important that the residential development be substantial enough to support amenities like a full-service grocery store.

[Haligonian88]

There's an article on thechronicleherld.ca about two companies that are partnering to potentially build $100m worth of hotels in Atlantic Canada over the next five years, with an agreement in place for the Bedford-Sackville area, and plans for two more in the Halifax area, possibly downtown.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1133533-hotel-companies-split-the-bill

Anyone know where the hotel will be in the Bedford-Sackville area? I would guess Bedford Commons as that is often referred to as Bedford-Sackville, but there was a rumor of a hotel in Sackville where the Staples was.

[Wishblade]

deleted

[Jonovision]

New small proposal for Dresden Rowe.

http://designprojects.ca/1581dresdenrow/

http://designprojects.ca/1581dresdenrow/images/header_images.png

[Drybrain]

Oh, that's perfect. Contemporary but complementary design, and rather than knock down half a block full of character buildings, they're taking out one structure that really is a blight on the street, and leaving the rest. Ideal.

Is it a real proposal? I have no idea what that designprojects.ca website is.

[someone123]

Yeah, it is a nice little project on a nice block. It's interesting to have buildings with smaller footprints like these, and 4 storeys is a good height. Maybe eventually more South End side streets and maybe Gottingen side streets will have a similar character.

[teddifax]

Oh, that's perfect. Contemporary but complementary design, and rather than knock down half a block full of character buildings, they're taking out one structure that really is a blight on the street, and leaving the rest. Ideal.

Is it a real proposal? I have no idea what that designprojects.ca website is.

This was in Saturday's Mail Star under Municipal Government Notices, pg A13 - Notice of Public Open House, Tues. June 25 6 to 8pm at 2nd Cup, SGR to talk about this development.

[Dmajackson]

Somewhat new proposal for Urban Dartmouth. There's no mention of height but any amount of increased density will help the area become more urbanized and promote the new Portland Street Transit Corridor.

Case 18255 – Amendments to the Dartmouth MPS & LUB for 530
Portland Street and 104 Green Village Lane, Dartmouth

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/130611ca1012.pdf

[pblaauw]

There's a new blog (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/) about buildings in Halifax. So far, an interesting read.

[kph06]

DRDC Canada's new building on Windmill:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3709/9015014956_217c698581_b.jpg

[kph06]

This is the building on the MBS radio land in Bayers Lake, a photo I got Friday:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9075467772_2ba2d4db5f_b.jpg

[Wishblade]

Residential tower planned
A new residential tower is being planned for Halifax, next to the Brunswick Place building.

Very little information on the project was revealed Tuesday, but it was mentioned at the Atlantic Real Estate Forum during a panel discussion on the future of the regional office sector.

“We plan on building a new building on Brunswick Street, in the old Trade Mart parkade,” said Barry Stockall, senior director of office leasing for Crombie REIT, a subsidiary of Sobey-controlled Empire Co. Ltd.

He said it would be a 15-storey residential unit.

This is a site I've been hoping would be developed for a while. It's great to see some residential starting to move into the downtown :cheers:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1136318-residential-tower-planned

[Aya_Akai]

This is a site I've been hoping would be developed for a while. It's great to see some residential starting to move into the downtown :cheers:

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1136318-residential-tower-planned

Agreeeeeed.. walking along that stretch of Brunswick is so bleak. Once this goes up, with the tie-in of the new hotels & apartments on the old Citadel Hotel site, and hopefully something will happen with the old trinity corner sooner than later.. AND the cogswell/gottingen staples site redvelopment in the future. It's good to see larger buildings spreading out, and downtown starting to actually meet with the surroundings in that area, hopefully this can be a bit of a "spark" for the "reunification" of the neighbourhoods!

[Drybrain]

Agreeeeeed.. walking along that stretch of Brunswick is so bleak. Once this goes up, with the tie-in of the new hotels & apartments on the old Citadel Hotel site, and hopefully something will happen with the old trinity corner sooner than later.. AND the cogswell/gottingen staples site redvelopment in the future. It's good to see larger buildings spreading out, and downtown starting to actually meet with the surroundings in that area, hopefully this can be a bit of a "spark" for the "reunification" of the neighbourhoods!

It's also great to see the development occurring in the logical, under-used areas just adjacent to downtown, rather than redeveloping the same already-built up properties and losing the existing building stock. I just hope that whatever eventually comes here meets Brunswick in an appropriately urban way to extend the main street quality (i.e., mid-sized storefronts suitable to a diversity of businesses) rather than a big wall with one front foor.

[scooby074]

The Dartmouth Refinery is closing. 400 more jobs gone and likely higher gas prices for us Nova Scotians. Not unexpected, but not great either. I had hoped that the talk of a new eastward crude pipeline would have kept it going.

Im sure many on here will be like "great, that eyesore is gone", but it generated lots of jobs and kept a lot of spinoff businesses going. More people to go work in Alberta I guess. The exodus continues.

And Ill miss the flare!

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/business/1136467-dartmouths-imperial-oil-refinery-to-become-storage-facility

[ILoveHalifax]

I suppose we can start building in that wonderful view plane from Citadel Hill if we don't have a refinery to look at any more.

[halifaxboyns]

I suppose we can start building in that wonderful view plane from Citadel Hill if we don't have a refinery to look at any more.

The irony about that viewplane is that it's actually supposed to protect the view to George's Island - the refinery 'happened' to end up behind it. Ironic...?

[someone123]

It's also great to see the development occurring in the logical, under-used areas just adjacent to downtown, rather than redeveloping the same already-built up properties and losing the existing building stock.

The rebuilding has been happening in Halifax for hundreds of years. The Bank of NS block for example on Hollis used to be a bunch of 4-6 storey stone buildings from the 1860's or so. All of the bank towers were pre-dated by older stone buildings. Projects like the Roy redevelopment are similar.

I think city planning policy encourages this indirectly by throwing up so many roadblocks in front of higher-density or more commercial construction outside of the old downtown core, which also happens to be where most of the heritage buildings are. Downtown Dartmouth is bad for this too.

[pblaauw]

And Ill miss the flare!

I'll miss the 4pm Thursday fire drill that sounds like an air raid siren, and the confused looks of tourists - and locals - who wonder what's going on. :haha: :shrug:

[Aya_Akai]

I'll miss the 4pm Thursday fire drill that sounds like an air raid siren, and the confused looks of tourists - and locals - who wonder what's going on. :haha: :shrug:

Funny story.. about a month ago they didn't do the drill, as I was standing opposite to the refinery on Pleasant Street, as I wanted to get an audio recording of the siren going off to share with my american tornado siren enthusiasts.. I guess my presence was enough to keep them spooked enough that they didn't do the drill for whatever reason, and had security come talk to me :shrug::haha:

[pblaauw]

Funny story.. about a month ago they didn't do the drill, as I was standing opposite to the refinery on Pleasant Street, as I wanted to get an audio recording of the siren going off to share with my american tornado siren enthusiasts.. I guess my presence was enough to keep them spooked enough that they didn't do the drill for whatever reason, and had security come talk to me :shrug::haha:

They should have just made it extra obnoxious.

Were you accosted by Men In Black? :runaway:

[Aya_Akai]

They should have just made it extra obnoxious.

Were you accosted by Men In Black? :runaway:

lol more like subcontracted security guard in dirty coveralls and hard hat driving a beat up pickup truck... but I guess for whatever reason the felt that someone pointing a camera at the refinery posed some sort of security "threat"...... :uhh:

[pblaauw]

The area around the escalators and food court in Park Lane is being extensively renovated. Is this ALL an expansion of GoodLife?

And, Treats is now located at the back of the main floor, where Liquid used to be. It looks much more like a cafe now, and not at all like a food-court shop.

Photo of PL renos. (http://twitpic.com/cyvmod)

[Phalanx]

Prime property up for grabs in downtown Halifax
June 25, 2013 - 7:05pm REMO ZACCAGNA Business Reporter
Developer asking $3m for lots on Spring Garden, South Park

A prime piece of downtown real estate is now on the block.

Gregory Arab, head of Gremar Investments Ltd., owns properties at 5688 Spring Garden Rd. and 1485 South Park St., in Halifax and is asking $3 million for the two empty lots.

The Spring Garden property previously housed a commercial building that was destroyed in a fire in April 2008...


Continued at theChronicleHerald.ca (http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1137575-prime-property-up-for-grabs-in-downtown-halifax)

[Keith P.]

Alan Ruffman opposes every development proposal in peninsular Halifax, it seems. When was the last time he did not try to obstruct? He is a convicted tax evader and professional complainer who should be ignored.

[someone123]

Previously the owners had talked about developing that lot themselves.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out since it's an unusual site in such a prominent location.

[teddifax]

Previously the owners had talked about developing that lot themselves.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out since it's an unusual site in such a prominent location.

I think the entire corner, including the Eastlink building should be developed. Build the site in 2 stages, making the Eastlink store the first to move into the new section and after the corner is finished, move into the former location. That way the entire site is developed making it a much more attractive development than an L-shaped one.

[ILoveHalifax]

The building to the south of this site is well maintained and adds a lot of character to the street. Then there is an old house next to that before the Trillium that's a real eye sore.
I think it would be interesting to see this stretch re-developed with several smaller buildings rather than one larger foot print from Trillium to SGR. So the strange shape of this lot could add to the interest. As well there are a few other buildings along SGR that could over time be redeveloped.

[Drybrain]

The building to the south of this site is well maintained and adds a lot of character to the street. Then there is an old house next to that before the Trillium that's a real eye sore.
I think it would be interesting to see this stretch re-developed with several smaller buildings rather than one larger foot print from Trillium to SGR. So the strange shape of this lot could add to the interest. As well there are a few other buildings along SGR that could over time be redeveloped.

I think a case could be made for a large redevelopment or a small one, but I agree, a series of smaller developments would be preferable to retain the eclectic commercial character of the streets leading south from Spring Garden. And those character houses would be good to preserve--lotsa charm there, and lotsa room for redevelopment on the corner/empty lot.

[JET]

I think a case could be made for a large redevelopment or a small one, but I agree, a series of smaller developments would be preferable to retain the eclectic commercial character of the streets leading south from Spring Garden. And those character houses would be good to preserve--lotsa charm there, and lotsa room for redevelopment on the corner/empty lot.

there's not many character houses left on that block.
http://www.htns.ca/pdf_Griffin/Vol39.4-Dec12.pdf
page 8 of this publication has an intersting South Part St. House, not sure if it is still there, probably not

[Drybrain]

there's not many character houses left on that block.
http://www.htns.ca/pdf_Griffin/Vol39.4-Dec12.pdf
page 8 of this publication has an intersting South Part St. House, not sure if it is still there, probably not

Oh yeah, I just meant the two houses that are there now. (The Eastlink building is okay too, but I wouldn't shed tears were someone to put something better there).

[Duff]

Here is a small redevelopment on Windsor Street between Almon and North.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9158773306_27c7a321a6_b.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2867/9156548407_e01c64c3b0_b.jpg

[W.Sobchak]

As much as infilling is important, if not more than the big projects of Trillium scale and up, it seems that these small buildings fall through the cracks when it comes to design scrutiny and use of streetfront. Almost no imagination or thought into how this could be an experiance to walk by as to walk in, but I have to blame architect hired/developer.

Rrrrrabble rabble rabble, good to see the area have more residences.

[someone123]

Outside of the HbD area these are approved as of right and there is no real design review.

Hopefully the rules across the rest of the peninsula will be amended so it's easier to build well-designed mid-sized buildings.

[Jonovision]

Small new development for Agricola.

http://www.halifax.ca/planning/Case17885Details.html

[eastcoastal]

Small new development for Agricola.

http://www.halifax.ca/planning/Case17885Details.html

Finally.... the old laundromat that's been vacant for a long time now.

[Drybrain]

Finally.... the old laundromat that's been vacant for a long time now.

Big improvement. Simple, graceful design. It would be nice to see these kind of little projects bump up the density a bit though (i.e., three storeys instead of two).

[Keith P.]

Better than what's there, but not all that much. The upstairs residence seems rather odd - 3 small bedrooms, one with no closet (so how can it be a bedroom?). It might be better with 2 larger bedrooms and a second bath.

[Ziobrop]

BuildHFX has started a series on the History of some of halifax's 1960's landmarks, to help understand how we got there. - things like the Cogswell interchange, Scotia Square, and Africville were products of a history of thought.

You can begin the series at http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/the-60s-halifax-thinks-big.html
History of 20th Centrury Planning (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/introduction-to-20th-century-planning.html) and Part 2 (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/06/introduction-to-20th-century-planning_30.html)

there is also a look at the 1946 Master Plan (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/07/the-1945-master-plan-introduction.html) and the section on traffic (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/2013/07/the-1945-master-plan-streets-and.html)

New Posts will apper at the top of this page (http://blog.builthalifax.ca/search/label/Halifax%20thinks%20big)

[eastcoastal]

Better than what's there, but not all that much. The upstairs residence seems rather odd - 3 small bedrooms, one with no closet (so how can it be a bedroom?). It might be better with 2 larger bedrooms and a second bath.

I agree - though, from what I could tell, based on the drawing title/description, the second storey interior is pretty much maintaining its current layout.

[Northend Guy]

I agree - though, from what I could tell, based on the drawing title/description, the second storey interior is pretty much maintaining its current layout.

It's hard to say what is going on with the 2nd floor. I wonder if they maybe just submitted the existing plan just to expedite getting this thru the approval process. If you compare the 2nd floor plan with the elevations, nothing lines up - the window arrangements are completely different.

[Dmajackson]

The Design Review Committee has this on their agenda for Thursday.

"7.1 Introduction to Development Proposal for 5447 Rainnie Drive, Halifax"

There's no link and the address doen't exist on Explore HRM but it would put it at or near this ugly building next to the police station.

Google Maps Streetview (https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5447+rainnie+drive+halifax&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4b5a23d2ef7c4b83:0x49f0c11f93103323,5447+Rainnie+Dr,+Halifax,+NS+B3J+1P8&gl=ca&ei=VB7XUaqhD6rpiwKzl4HYCg&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA)

[eastcoastal]

The Design Review Committee has this on their agenda for Thursday.

"7.1 Introduction to Development Proposal for 5447 Rainnie Drive, Halifax"

There's no link and the address doen't exist on Explore HRM but it would put it at or near this ugly building next to the police station.

Google Maps Streetview (https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5447+rainnie+drive+halifax&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4b5a23d2ef7c4b83:0x49f0c11f93103323,5447+Rainnie+Dr,+Halifax,+NS+B3J+1P8&gl=ca&ei=VB7XUaqhD6rpiwKzl4HYCg&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA)

could it be the barf-tastic drum condos?

[BravoZulu]

could it be the barf-tastic drum condos?

I don't think so, 5445 is the H&R Block building down the hill, I think the legion that was up near the corner had an address of 5621 so this should be just up the hill from H&R block.

[fenwick16]

The Design Review Committee has this on their agenda for Thursday.

"7.1 Introduction to Development Proposal for 5447 Rainnie Drive, Halifax"

There's no link and the address doen't exist on Explore HRM but it would put it at or near this ugly building next to the police station.

Google Maps Streetview (https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5447+rainnie+drive+halifax&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4b5a23d2ef7c4b83:0x49f0c11f93103323,5447+Rainnie+Dr,+Halifax,+NS+B3J+1P8&gl=ca&ei=VB7XUaqhD6rpiwKzl4HYCg&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA)

I wonder if they just stated the wrong address? There was a story in the allnovascotia.com on December 31, 2012, "Nassim Ghosn Plans Downtown Rental" by Andrew MacDonald. It states that:

Nassim Ghosn is preparing plans for an eight-storey residental rental building for 5445 Rainnie Drive in downtown Halifax adjacent to the HRM Police Department.

The property, at the base of Citadel Hill, houses a two-storey office building, which is home to an H&R Block office. The lease there expires in May.

"After they are gone, I'll be demolishing that building and applying for a permit to build a residential building with commercial on the ground level", says the developer.

The 60-unit building will need HRM by Design approval.
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Here is the Google map link - https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5445+rainnie+drive+halifax&hl=en&ll=44.648613,-63.578171&spn=0.006351,0.016512&sll=44.649069,-63.578813&layer=c&cbp=13,23.08,,0,0&cbll=44.648887,-63.578922&gl=ca&hnear=5445+Rainnie+Dr,+Halifax,+Halifax+Regional+Municipality,+Nova+Scotia+B3J+1P8&t=h&z=17&panoid=ZMZsaoCFYetM5cxQixiVgQ

[BravoZulu]

I think you may be on to something there Fenwick, makes the most sense to me.

[someone123]

Sounds like a good development. The Cogswell/Rainnie area is a great spot for infill. It doesn't have heritage buildings and it's surrounded by neighbourhoods that could really use the added density. Gottingen for example has a lot of potential to support new shops that would serve these new buildings. It's also important to have better buildings around the Cogswell interchange area. A development there won't be as successful if it's surrounded by parking lots and concrete bunkers.

[kph06]

More details here. (http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/5447RannieDrive.pdf)

Looks interesting, might be a bit of a mish-mash of designs though. It will be interesting what ends up actually getting built, I could see the inverted curved roof turning out angular.

[FuzzyWuz]

More details here. (http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/5447RannieDrive.pdf)

Looks interesting, might be a bit of a mish-mash of designs though. It will be interesting what ends up actually getting built, I could see the inverted curved roof turning out angular.

Room on the roof for skateboarders. Nice.

[Fischbob]

I really like the design, even if it is a bit noisy. The coloured glass and the lighter front facade and top are particularly nice touches. I wonder what the DRC will say about it though?

This and the Citadel Hotel project are really going to transform the density and character of this block. That police station is looking more and more attractive as a site for redevelopment...

[coolmillion]

I was in the Barrington Place Mall today and saw extensive renovations underway. All of the shops and offices on the Barrington Street level have closed except Tempo (which opened not long ago), Plaid Place, Adecco and maybe one other. They have put up a temporary wall the entire length of the hall and it has been narrowed to half its original width. I get the sense that the place is being gutted behind the wall. There are signs saying "reopening September 2013". There have been rumours that the focus is shifting from shops to offices. This makes sense given plans to change and expand Scotia Square which is much better suited to shopping.

[JET]

I was in the Barrington Place Mall today and saw extensive renovations underway. All of the shops and offices on the Barrington Street level have closed except Tempo (which opened not long ago), Plaid Place, Adecco and maybe one other. They have put up a temporary wall the entire length of the hall and it has been narrowed to half its original width. I get the sense that the place is being gutted behind the wall. There are signs saying "reopening September 2013". There have been rumours that the focus is shifting from shops to offices. This makes sense given plans to change and expand Scotia Square which is much better suited to shopping.

"change and expand Scotia Square which is much better suited to shopping"

interesting; it is a ghost town for shopping given what it was originally.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I was in the Barrington Place Mall today and saw extensive renovations underway. All of the shops and offices on the Barrington Street level have closed except Tempo (which opened not long ago), Plaid Place, Adecco and maybe one other. They have put up a temporary wall the entire length of the hall and it has been narrowed to half its original width. I get the sense that the place is being gutted behind the wall. There are signs saying "reopening September 2013". There have been rumours that the focus is shifting from shops to offices. This makes sense given plans to change and expand Scotia Square which is much better suited to shopping.

As I was swigging my beer from the outdoor patio of Brussels this past weekend I noticed that pretty much all of the ground floor of Barrington Place which fronts on Granville has been gutted. I believe I heard that a Good Life fitness centre is going in there.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, as I enjoyed an outdoor patio where I didn't have my eardrums popped by the passing of a troupe of Harleys with their exhaust baffles drilled out, or choked on the fumes of a diesel delivery truck as sits idling at curbside, not to mention the ever-present cigarette-smoking contingent standing on the temporary sidewalk... Why didn't this concept catch on? There were storefronts there at one time, a successful bar in Peddler's Pub... no traffic to deal with and an excellent area to "mull about" whilst sipping on your coffee or whatever. Now with pretty much the whole frontage being taken up with a fitness centre on one side, mostly empty frontage on the other side, there are only a couple of bars left to attract any kind of foot traffic other than those passing through, which I understand will all but be eliminated now because you can't even get to the Barrington Place escalator from Granville anymore since they removed the doors.

Too bad, because I fear the lack of success of the Granville Mall will pretty much rule out this sort of thing ever happening again. :(

[JET]

"an excellent area to "mull about" whilst sipping on your coffee or whatever"

not to put to too fine a point on it, but 'mill about', perhaps? Otherwise, I agree.

[coolmillion]

"change and expand Scotia Square which is much better suited to shopping"

interesting; it is a ghost town for shopping given what it was originally.

It is much better suited to shopping because it is full of people all the time given its parking garages, food court and the office towers and residences in close proximity. In contrast the Barrington Place has been more tourist oriented (apart from a few specialty shops) and has acted mainly as a pedestrian link. You're correct that Scotia Square isn't what it once was but it seems to be working in its current format. I don't know too much about the plans to renovate and expand (in particular if they will involve more shops), but they have have been mentioned in other threads.

[OldDartmouthMark]

"an excellent area to "mull about" whilst sipping on your coffee or whatever"

not to put to too fine a point on it, but 'mill about', perhaps? Otherwise, I agree.

Typo. Sorry.

Perhaps I should have said to "spend some time enjoying the open public space in a relaxing manner"... ;)

[Phalanx]

I think the location is the biggest knock against it. It's an area primarily designed for foot traffic, but it backs on to a dead area for most pedestrians. There's not much through traffic, and and outside of the immediate area, there isn't much else going on with Granville. It's the type of area that could really improve once the Cogswell mess is sorted out.

It would be a little more 'connected', and there'd be more through traffic.

[Keith P.]

Pedestrian malls never seem to work long-term. I will let the planners debate as to why.

[scooby074]

Pedestrian malls never seem to work long-term. I will let the planners debate as to why.

Sparks St. begs to differ.

[someone123]

It may be better now but when I was there a few years ago Sparks Street was pretty reminiscent of Granville. It is longer and less of a dead end but it still felt like it was stuck in low gear and it had a lot of empty storefronts and marginal retail. It was markedly less successful than the market area, which is more analogous to Spring Garden Road. The same pattern exists in many Canadian cities. It seems to me like the CBD/retail combo just didn't work out that well over the long term. Vancouver has done better but it has a lot of downtown residents.

[alps]

I think the location is the biggest knock against it. It's an area primarily designed for foot traffic, but it backs on to a dead area for most pedestrians. There's not much through traffic, and and outside of the immediate area, there isn't much else going on with Granville. It's the type of area that could really improve once the Cogswell mess is sorted out.

It would be a little more 'connected', and there'd be more through traffic.

Agreed, I also think Granville would work better if it was carried through in some way to the Cogswell lands eventually. If International Place is built I hope you're able to pass through the ground floor of the building in a welcoming and intuitive way.

[ILoveHalifax]

Why don't we just turn Granville into a one way north bound street that turns right unto Hollis St. It would at least increase some on street parking.

[Drybrain]

I actually agree with Keith on this. Successful pedestrian malls are few and far between--I think I've mentioned this before, but an interesting model for Granville would be to re-connect it at the north end during Cogswell redevelopment, and turn it into a naked street (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space)--open to vehicles, but prioritizing no particular mode of transport.

[ILoveHalifax]

I actually agree with Keith on this. Successful pedestrian malls are few and far between--I think I've mentioned this before, but an interesting model for Granville would be to re-connect it at the north end during Cogswell redevelopment, and turn it into a naked street (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space)--open to vehicles, but prioritizing no particular mode of transport.

If we make it a 'naked street' could lead to some very interesting parties.

[OldDartmouthMark]

This board never ceases to amaze me. :haha:

Talk about building more/larger streets to increase traffic flow and it's dismissed as a poor idea that will lead to the ruination of the downtown... and that there should be more pedestrian-friendly areas to bring people into the area. :order:

Talk about the virtues of a pedestrian-friendly area and ask about why it doesn't seem to be successful, and it's suggested that it should be turned into a street to increase traffic flow.... :shrug:

Go figure! :koko:

Seriously, I agree that the fact it's cut off on the north end by a very pedestrian unfriendly area (i.e. Cogswell) and that it is not really a destination for people coming downtown (as there are better shopping areas as well as the waterfront to draw "visitors"), as the main reasons for its lack of success. If there were more residential in the area and actual shopping (rather than tourist shopping) it would stand a chance of succeeding IMHO. I think another thing which crippled it is that NSCAD took up a large section of the block, thereby reducing the draw for the public.

Oh well, for anybody looking for a nice quiet outdoor patio dining/drinking experience, I would strongly suggest Brussels on Granville. Enjoy it before they reopen the street to traffic! :D

[coolmillion]

Just to clarify, my original comment was about the interior of Barrington Place. It acts as a pedestrian link between the office towers on the other side of Duke and Scotia Square. This is another reason for the failure of Barrington Mall - pedestrians are indoors rather than outside. I think that a bigger problem has been poor management by Crombie REIT (see also Park Lane). The restaurants facing Granville Mall on under the hotel have always been crap. As the quality of other places in Halifax improved, people (even tourists) went elsewhere. They (Peddler's Pub, etc.) eventually closed, only to be replaced with more crap (Boston Pizza) and the future gym, which is a completely innapropriate use of the space. I think this must be due to the leasing mandate of the company and the configuration of the retail spaces. The businesses under NSCAD are more successful and note that they are smaller and independently owned.

[Ziobrop]

Sparks St. begs to differ.

How, its dead after 5 pm when the civil servants go away. except for the rib fest week, and buskers fest week.
Otherwise, dead.

[Fischbob]

Anyone who doubts the effectiveness of pedestrian malls should take a walk down rue Prince-Arthur E. in Montreal. A larger residential population in the area would do wonders for Granville.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Yeah, both residential and commercial in a pedestrian square with towers on the Cogswell site.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Just to clarify, my original comment was about the interior of Barrington Place. It acts as a pedestrian link between the office towers on the other side of Duke and Scotia Square. This is another reason for the failure of Barrington Mall - pedestrians are indoors rather than outside. I think that a bigger problem has been poor management by Crombie REIT (see also Park Lane). The restaurants facing Granville Mall on under the hotel have always been crap. As the quality of other places in Halifax improved, people (even tourists) went elsewhere. They (Peddler's Pub, etc.) eventually closed, only to be replaced with more crap (Boston Pizza) and the future gym, which is a completely innapropriate use of the space. I think this must be due to the leasing mandate of the company and the configuration of the retail spaces. The businesses under NSCAD are more successful and note that they are smaller and independently owned.

Sorry, I had hijacked your post a little.

These are excellent points which indicate to me that perhaps poor management (and planning to some extent) is the real reason for the failure of this area rather than the concept of the Granville Mall itself.

Hopefully with Cogswell being reconfigured someday there will be more residential there and the north side will be opened up to pedestrian traffic. Would be nice if some of the vacancies on the NSCAD side would be filled, but that might be asking for too much... :cheers:

[coolmillion]

Sorry, I had hijacked your post a little.

These are excellent points which indicate to me that perhaps poor management (and planning to some extent) is the real reason for the failure of this area rather than the concept of the Granville Mall itself.

Hopefully with Cogswell being reconfigured someday there will be more residential there and the north side will be opened up to pedestrian traffic. Would be nice if some of the vacancies on the NSCAD side would be filled, but that might be asking for too much... :cheers:

No worries! I was just thinking that the interior of Barrington Place is a bit different than the exterior along Granville Mall :-)

[JET]

Common Roots Urban Farm, at site of QE High
http://www2.fiskars.com/Community/Project-Orange-Thumb/Halifax

[counterfactual]

Sorry, I had hijacked your post a little.

These are excellent points which indicate to me that perhaps poor management (and planning to some extent) is the real reason for the failure of this area rather than the concept of the Granville Mall itself.

Hopefully with Cogswell being reconfigured someday there will be more residential there and the north side will be opened up to pedestrian traffic. Would be nice if some of the vacancies on the NSCAD side would be filled, but that might be asking for too much... :cheers:

Don't necessarily disagree with all of this, but I think that a lot of the problems that we're debating on here with respect to Barrington Place / Granville would be *easily* solved just with more people living downtown, particularly around this area.

I mean, beyond a smattering of office towers (a few of which are being worked on), you just have a very low residential density there.

Get more people living down there via some new higher density developments (possibly at Cogswell?), and I can almost bet you, life would spring up from the blasted ruin that is currently Granville Mall.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Don't necessarily disagree with all of this, but I think that a lot of the problems that we're debating on here with respect to Barrington Place / Granville would be *easily* solved just with more people living downtown, particularly around this area.

I mean, beyond a smattering of office towers (a few of which are being worked on), you just have a very low residential density there.

Get more people living down there via some new higher density developments (possibly at Cogswell?), and I can almost bet you, life would spring up from the blasted ruin that is currently Granville Mall.

I don't disagree with you as I believe that offering a greater ratio of residential/office space down town would surely increase its chances of success - as I did point out in my post. However, I also have to point out that just 2 streets down, the waterfront area is often crawling with people on nice evenings and weekends (and the general area has many office workers, etc. in the area during the day). They might just be persuaded to walk up to the GM if (1) there was a reason to (i.e. great shopping/dining options) and (2) if it were not such an inconvenient and sometimes life-risking task (if crossing Lower Water and Barrington/Hollis at the north end of the GM) to get there.

But yes, if people live there they will be looking for a convenient area for them to go. A no-brainer there... :tup:

[counterfactual]

I don't disagree with you as I believe that offering a greater ratio of residential/office space down town would surely increase its chances of success - as I did point out in my post. However, I also have to point out that just 2 streets down, the waterfront area is often crawling with people on nice evenings and weekends (and the general area has many office workers, etc. in the area during the day). They might just be persuaded to walk up to the GM if (1) there was a reason to (i.e. great shopping/dining options) and (2) if it were not such an inconvenient and sometimes life-risking task (if crossing Lower Water and Barrington/Hollis at the north end of the GM) to get there.

But yes, if people live there they will be looking for a convenient area for them to go. A no-brainer there... :tup:

Yeah, it's a bit of a chicken-or-egg thing. More people will live/go there if nice shopping... but then you need more people for nice shopping to spring up.

You're right, that we need to also come up with smart ways to encourage people to, you know, walk a little up from the waterfront.

I always thought a streetcar running from ferry terminal up Duke street to Citadel Hill (with stop above Barrington) would be a natural means of moving both tourists and residents up the hill, in a fun way. Also would seriously help Barrington.

One of the things that always annoyed me about Ferry, is how you take it across, and if you need to go further uptown, you have to basically walk all the way up to Barrington/Duke st bus stop.

[scooby074]

How, its dead after 5 pm when the civil servants go away. except for the rib fest week, and buskers fest week.
Otherwise, dead.

Umm no.

Several bars and pubs stay active late into the night (for Ottawa), well after the Civil Servants go home.

The last week I was in Ottawa, I went to:
3 Brasseurs two nites and D'arcy McGee's one nite. All were busy till well after 10.

Then there is Brixtons, Parliament plus several other bars/pubs.

All those are quite active after 5.

Daytime means shopping, cbc, food courts.. all and all a pretty active spot for a pedestrian mall.

And thats ignoring the festivals like Sparks st. festival, rib and buskers.

I mean, sure, its not a wide open party, but hey, its Ottawa;) Far from dead, considering.

[Dmajackson]

The following projects are moving forward on Monday night at H&WCC! While all of these are first reading this will be a massive move forward for project approvals on the Halifax Peninsula! :D

Gottingen & Bloomfield Thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=203047&page=2) - Staff Report (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/documents/Case18254LUBandDAGottingenStweb.pdf)

2814 Isleville Street (@ Almon Street) Thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=200743) - Staff Report (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/documents/Case17756LUBandDAAlmonatIslevilleweb.pdf)

Dutch Village @ Andrew Thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=201355) - Staff Report (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/documents/Case17759MPSLUBandDADutchVillageandAndrewStweb.pdf)

3601 Windsor Street (No Dedicated Thread) - Staff Report (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/documents/Case17840RezoningWindsorStweb.pdf)

3065 Robie Street Thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=197052) - Staff Report (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/documents/Case17456LUBandDARobieStweb.pdf)

Halifax & West Community Council Agenda - July 22nd, 2013 (http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/HWCCJuly222013.html)

[FuzzyWuz]

Thought people might like to see the finished product on Portland across from the funeral home.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/FuzzyWuz_photos/july192013004.jpg (http://s869.photobucket.com/user/FuzzyWuz_photos/media/july192013004.jpg.html)

[ILoveHalifax]

Thought people might like to see the finished product on Portland across from the funeral home.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/FuzzyWuz_photos/july192013004.jpg (http://s869.photobucket.com/user/FuzzyWuz_photos/media/july192013004.jpg.html)

They make siding in red??? That must cost a whole lot extra than beige.

[Aya_Akai]

They make siding in red??? That must cost a whole lot extra than beige.

I think most of that is that concrete-board siding too.. I don't think that stuff is cheap.. lol

[scooby074]

They make siding in red??? That must cost a whole lot extra than beige.

Interesting to see how much it fades. Reds and other bright colours are notorious for it.

Still nice to see over the usual (and cheaper) colours.

[Empire]

Thought people might like to see the finished product on Portland across from the funeral home.

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/FuzzyWuz_photos/july192013004.jpg (http://s869.photobucket.com/user/FuzzyWuz_photos/media/july192013004.jpg.html)

This building is a visual and materials disaster.

[Nilan8888]

What...is...THAT????

[eastcoastal]

This building is a visual and materials disaster.

.... and I'm going to guess it'll start leaking soon - all those material and plane changes.

At least someone's trying?

[Empire]

.... and I'm going to guess it'll start leaking soon - all those material and plane changes.

At least someone's trying?

They're not trying hard enough.

[Drybrain]

Better than this rendering (http://www.harbourvista.ca/) at least.

Still, Michael Napier Architects: So close, yet so far. I get the aesthetic they're going for, but they always kind of crap out on the follow-through. (It's starting to become obvious that the Vic was so good because they partnered with Breakhouse on it.)

[JET]

Better than this rendering (http://www.harbourvista.ca/) at least.

Still, Michael Napier Architects: So close, yet so far. I get the aesthetic they're going for, but they always kind of crap out on the follow-through. (It's starting to become obvious that the Vic was so good because they partnered with Breakhouse on it.)

I like what they have built on Portland Street; it's a vast improvement over what was there before.

[Empire]

Google Images

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=881&bih=536&q=halifax+nova+scotia&oq=hali&gs_l=img.1.2.0l10.1844.4230.0.7382.4.4.0.0.0.0.124.481.0j4.4.0....0...1ac.1.22.img..0.4.480.ODwrFJS3we4

[pblaauw]

Found this interesting, but not overly surprising.

Wide open spaces: How unused parking adds up (http://grist.org/cities/wide-open-spaces-how-unused-parking-adds-up/)

[OldDartmouthMark]

Found this interesting, but not overly surprising.

Wide open spaces: How unused parking adds up (http://grist.org/cities/wide-open-spaces-how-unused-parking-adds-up/)

Read a little of this link in the article:
http://daily.sightline.org/2007/04/19/car-head/

He talks about running smack into the back of a large bright red Jeep parked in the bike lane. Good thing it was an SUV that could absorb the impact and not some child or jogger that he would have run over while he was not paying attention to what he was doing.

I for one am sure glad he chooses to not drive a car... :rolleyes:

[Dmajackson]

Another week another North-End proposal;

Public Information Meeting - Case 18591
When: Thu, September 26, 7pm – 9pm
Where: 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax, NS (Bloomfield Centre - Multi-Purpose Room) (map)

Case 18591 Application by Genivar, on behalf of FH Construction Ltd., to investigate amending the Halifax Peninsula Land Use By-law by applying Schedule Q to 5530-5532 Bilby Street, Halifax, to allow for a residential building by Development Agreement

[Dmajackson]

And yet another North-End proposal;

Public Information Meeting - Case 18555
When: Wed, September 18, 7pm – 9pm
Where: 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax, NS (Bloomfield Centre - Multi-Purpose Room) (map)

Case 18555 - Application by Genivar, on behalf of Onyx Properties, to amend the Halifax Peninsula Land Use By-law by applying Schedule Q to 2857-2861 Isleville Street, Halifax, to allow for a mixed use building by Development Agreement.

Google Streetview: 2857-2861 Isleville Street (@ Bilby Street) (https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2861+Isleville+Street+halifax&ll=44.659733,-63.597163&spn=0.001288,0.00327&hnear=2861+Isleville+St,+Halifax,+Nova+Scotia+B3K+1W3&gl=ca&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=44.659665,-63.597069&panoid=r5AJr3y1hNOXvyPZqyLu2Q&cbp=12,5.54,,0,-0.54)

I've lost track now but I think this now the 6th proposal in the small neighbourhood bound by Robie, Almon, Gottingen, and Young Streets.

[someone123]

Here's a map of some of the North End proposals:

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/8864/k10z.png

These renderings are from http://www.halifax.ca/planning/