Bedford South Developments & Discussion Thread
 

This is a huge project under construction in Bedford South/Mainland Halifax. One of the many companies behind it is Clayton Developments (see Russell Lake Retail thread) and once complete the expected population is upwards of 17'000 people. General plans for this community include connecting Southgate Drive (Bedford) to Larry Uteck Blvd (Halifax), connecting Larry Uteck to a new interchange at Highway 102, connecting Royale Hemlock with The Ravines and Papermill Lake. This includes 25% of it becoming green space, a lot of residential and some commercial (near interchange) for a total area of 207 acres.

The official website is: http://www.claytondev.com/ravines.html.
(the map only shows Clayton's responibility. There are multiple developers so no full map is available).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2425746211_e170d6eca6_b.jpg
(Credit: Me) Larry Uteck Blvd from Eagle's Rock.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2425740569_0cd3ef5ea2_b.jpg
(Credit: Me) Ravines/Bedford South from Eagle's Rock.

I have spent hours if not days on end researching this project and i cannot find an official webiste or anything, not even a map. If anyone has information regarding this project it'll greatly be appreciated.

The overall plan involves extending Larry Uteck Blvd up to the 102, as mentioned.

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/Case00738BedfordSouth.pdf has a (poor) map of the overall development. There are probably better examples on the HRM website.

Thanks for the map. I turns out Starboard Drive (the main street off Larry Uteck) will curve around to become Nine Mile Drive (Oceanview/Paper Mill) and the land in the middle will be developed. Larry Uteck will become the retail and parkland road without many households.

I took the map from the Ravines website and overlayed it on Google Earth.
Took some adjusting but the roads line up perfect.

Go to this link and down the file for Google Earth and play with the transparency.

That's all I have time for right now, but I'd like to get the section between this overlay and the Royale Hemlocks filled with an image too.

Vey nice It really helps show where the interchange will be located.

I took a drive up in the Ravines today (no camera unfortunately). It becoming a very crowded neighbourhood. There's mere feet between houses here.

http://www.sandyhines.com/ravine5.jpg
(Credit: http://www.sandyhines.com/bedspict.htm).

They have connected the Ravines Drive loop back to Southgate Drive. They are still finishing houses in Shagnessy (they're HUGE!!), Worthington Close, Rochdale Drive, Kingsbury Way, Thorndale Terrace and Haystead Ridge.

I just don't understand the attration of developments like this. All the houses look the same even down to color, they are all piled on top of each other, and everything depends on having a car. I could see that if the houses were cheap but they aren't. I guess I'm just not a "new suburbia" type of guy.

I tend to agree. $400,000 houses and they don't put in sidewalks? There's also very little commercial development nearby, although that is supposed to be up the hill a bit in a future phase. I find it puzzling because it seems like these developments could be made much more pedestrian friendly with relatively little work. The density is already more or less there.

If you're going to live in a place like this you might as well live in Kingswood, I think. Otherwise, decent houses in the same price range can be found in the city.

They have sidewalk part way up the hill but it ends very quickly. On good thing this neighbourhood has that most other Bedford neighbourhoods dont have is paths. In most of Beford there are few paths connecting roads in a realitively straight line. The Ravines has them everywhere. Thankfully i live in an older neighbourhood so the houses are unique and have space between them.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2747549769_53418006b0.jpg
The Ravines Condo Building
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2747545861_7d6bb6047c.jpg
Shaugnessy Place McMansion
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2748374958_6d96199709.jpg
Thorndale Terrace
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2748369572_d41cf490db.jpg
Southgate Drive
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2748366728_b1a1d45940.jpg
Southgate Drive Rowhouses
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/2748364052_fc58c8c63a.jpg
Another Condo Building on Southgate Drive
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2747539259_d85f8c28ff_b.jpg
The corner of Southgate Dr. and Ravines Dr. The unfinished road will connect to Larry Uteck Blvd and the Bi-Hi.

Geez, those designs are terribly ordinary. The company that makes beige vinyl siding must be doing really well. That "most expensive house" is hideous.

I was in the newly built McMansion of someone for the first time yesterday and I have to say I don't get it. Why do people want to spend close to half a million dollars on 3500 sq ft houses that are made out of crap materials and thrown together with absolutely no quality of workmanship?

I do agree that all the houses are way too similar for my liking but there are some nice aspects to this neighbourhood;

1) There are quite a few parks around (25% of the neighbourhood).
2) They were smart and provived many trails and walkways.
3) They funded the repair of the Old Coach Road all through their property.

All well and good, and I cannot argue with them if they are getting what they are asking for these places. The question I ask is why do people buy them? The Southgate shot looks exactly like my friend's street, and what you have are oversized faux-Georgian designs shoehorned onto lots that would normally only have supported a house half that footprint size, so you have no yard and no privacy. They are made of chipboard and green wood, clad in wavy vinyl siding and faux-stone, and finished inside with laminate and drywall. In 20 years they will be crap. I don't get it.

They already are. That shot looking down the street with the finished houses looks like any other new subdivision development in HRM. Very drab.

Unfortunately this is what happens in Bedford a lot. A couple of our older neighbourhoods are unique and beautiful but once you get up the hill and away from the water everything looks the same. We don't care what it looks like, all we want is more people.

Just wait until Bedford West is developed. It is a huge peice of land with no waterfront to beautify, is hidden by the Bi-Hi and will look like the rest of up-hill Bedford.

I don't understand why, when they build these houses, they can't vary the styles, the architectural features, or even just the colours. Notice in those developments all you see are brown and beige? Why are there no green houses, no yellow houses, no blue houses or even a white house? I know one thing is for sure, if I was building my own house some day (not moving into one of these cookie cutter neighborhoods) it would not be brown or beige. It would be colourful, because that adds something to a neighborhood.

Clayton Developments has requested for allowing the rest of this neighbourhood to be built.

Case numbers are 01159 and 01194

Its about 290 acres for the Ravines part. The Hemlock side still has to be finished so they wont be connected for awhile yet.

You mean they didn't have all that already approved?

apparently not. Bedford South is broken into different sections and apparently they only negotiated the development agreement for part of it. There are three parcels still not under an agreement (two of which are in this request, and one is part of the Hemlock part probably).

Yeah, seriously. There is definitely a lack of taste overall. That turret is rediculous, I would have opted-out on that part of the design for some shingles in place of the vinyl siding. I wonder what these people think of their house. I could find alot better ways to spend $500,000, especially considering that this is an off-peninsula location.

I was up through the neighbourhood(s) again yesterday. The road has progressed about 200m since the photo was taken.

Here's a quick picture I took yesterday of a condo building u/c on Masthead Court mere metres away from the Bi-Hi.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/3283046662_89beebac8a_b.jpg

So that's where those 2 building are. They really stick out when you're driving on the 102, but I never associated them with the Ravines.

^Actually there are in Royale Hemlocks. But since the two neighborhoods will be connected soon it just consider them one big neighbourhood.

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! The layout for the top part of the hill with the new interchange is now available to view! :)

Master Plan

Three roundabouts? Interesting.....

Oh god NO!! more rotaries!

what's going in all those commercial properties?

What the devil. Why would they put rotaries in those locations...

Ahhhh 3 roundabouts?? I could see maybe one, but that's overkill.

I agree. Shades of 1984...big brother is watching and expects everyone to conform.
If you are going to waste land to put in new burbs the least you could do is show you have a sense of style...but I say this in a society where so many think McDonalds is haute cuisine. :(

Yeah, I don't get that...maybe for a meeting of some back streets but for a major intersection right off a major highway...???

Some people can be sooooooo stupid...betcha they'll wind up tearing them out and putting in a set of lights.

I'm actually surprised Halifax doesn't have more round a bouts. I've seen them in soooooo many other cities. If used correctly they are great and very efficient. They just shouldn't be used for every single intersection. I think our views of round a bouts are very skewed because of the Rotary.

I've always been surprised by the lack of roundabouts as well. Halifax only has one so far which is very strange for a city settled by European descendants. Even Moncton has more than us (2 with one more on the way).

As for the one's in the plans I can see the need for two of them, ones a main intersection and one has five roadways, but the middle one is defenitely unnesseciary.

I've always thought Halifax could do with a couple more roundabouts at main intersections. :)

The official plan for the Neighbourhood "B" (corner of Southgate and Larry Uteck) is going before Council on Tuesday.

Amending Agreements - Beford South
Development Agreement for Bedford South

Looking at these documents this is quite suburban looking (surprise eh not like its in Bedford or anything ;) ).

For the area near the corner there is supposed to be; 4X6 Storey, 1X7 Storey, 1X9 Storey and 1X12 Storey condominium buildings. And in addition to that two commercial buidings.

For the rest of the area currently not under a development agreement;

- A assisted care-facility to be built by Shannex(156 Units),
- Four multiple-unit dwellings (323 Units),
- two more community commercial sites,
- three general commercial sites,
- 91 single-unit dwellings (Ngh D),
- 150 single-unit/townhouses dwellings (Ngh E),
- 74 multiple unit dwellings (Ngh E),
- A new French High School (Southgate @ Larry Uteck),
- 1253m of trail,
- 23 acres of parkland,
- a playing field (soccer field),
- the new 102 Interchange (to be opened Fall 2010),
- three roundabouts,

And the area is to be phased in over four years;

09/10 - Construction of Larry Uteck, 102 Interchange, Starboard Drive, and the first part of Nine Mile Drive. Including the park on Larry Uteck, Shannex Lands, and some of the Commercial.

10/11 - Construction of Road "9" off of Nine Mile Drive, Multiple-Unit Dwellings on Larry Uteck, and the remainder of the commercial.

11/12 - Construction of Roads "20" and "22", remainder of Nine Mile Drive and the remainder of the parkland.

12/13 - Construction of the rest of the connectors to Paper Mill/Crestview.

If this sounds slightly confusing don't worry too much. I'll be trying my best to get photos to show what this all means over the next couple of years. :)

I was up through Royale Hemlocks and the Ravines today and both Southgate and Larry Uteck are paved most likely up to their intersection but are still blocked off to traffic.

As soon as it warms up slightly on the waterfront I am going to bike up and see if I can get any pictures without getting trouble. :)

I was back up the hill today. It looks like both Southgate and Larry Uteck have sidewalks up the hill so I am going to try later today to walk up and see if I can see anything.

April 3, 2009
 

Picture time (all photos taken by me tonight);

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3409814489_57d15de377_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/3410623924_edbd1b6797_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3552/3409815713_55fabcab66_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/3410625176_0f3ddeef79_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/3409817059_9b02cfdc18_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3410626626_a99f2ec6c6_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3410627244_d95e44e113_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/3410628178_7bdf3661c5_b.jpg

Oui for French school
Plans unveiled for new Halifax francophone high school
Halifax News Net
By Yvette d’Entremont – The Weekly News

Agroup of parents, teachers, school board and provincial officials filled Ecole Beaubassin’s cafeteria on April 20 for an update on the new francophone high school slated to open on Larry Uteck Boulevard in 2010.
WHW Architects unveiled its design plans to an appreciative audience, many of whom had questions about the school’s operating capacity, when it would open, and what grade levels would fill its classrooms.
Darrell Samson, superintendent of the province’s Acadian School Board, said the new high school will have enough classrooms for 450 students, but it is being built with the expectation it will eventually have up to 650 students.
“There will be a second phase in two years or so, to add six other classrooms,” Samson said during an interview conducted in French.
“But the core, the gymnasium, the cafeteria and the library will all be built to accommodate 650 students, so we don’t find ourselves scrambling to accommodate 650 down the road.”
Ecole du Carrefour in Dartmouth is the only current choice for francophone students in HRM who want to attend high school using their native tongue.
Parents at the elementary Ecole Beaubassin began lobbying for a new francophone school on the Halifax side of the harbour after the population at Beaubassin exploded, only a few years after the school’s construction.
The new high school project was officially announced in 2007, to the jubilation of parents who feared long commutes to Dartmouth from farther-flung communities would mean many youths wouldn’t be able to continue their francophone education after leaving Beaubassin.
“It’s important to congratulate the francophone community on (the Halifax) side of the harbour that took this opportunity and ran with it. Beaubassin opened with 205 students and is now approaching 600,” Samson said. “A real sense of community has developed. It shows they have a lot of energy and a real desire to be able to provide their children with an education in the French language.”
Samson said government officials have told him the new high school bordering Larry Uteck Boulevard and Southgate Drive in Bedford will be partially ready by December 2009.
“We could accommodate students by then if we want, but it will be completely open and ready for all classes to start in September of 2010,” he said.
The school will have two separate wings: one for students in grades 6 to 8, the second for those in grades 9 through 12. Federal and provincial funding is also making it possible for the school to offer 60 francophone daycare spaces for children one to five years old.

[email protected]

Found the plans for the New French School at the corner of Larry Uteck and Southgate. Its pretty nice looking for a school.

Nouvelle Ecole

EDIT: Just as a side note this building is aiming for LEED Certification. :)

It's a very industrial design. I don't know if I would want to have gone to school there.

Renderings for Ecole Secondaire (all from WHW Architects):

http://www.whwarchitects.com/projects/schools/ecole%20secondaire/1.jpg

http://www.whwarchitects.com/projects/schools/ecole%20secondaire/2.jpg

http://www.whwarchitects.com/projects/schools/ecole%20secondaire/4.jpg

http://www.whwarchitects.com/projects/schools/ecole%20secondaire/5.jpg

http://www.whwarchitects.com/projects/schools/ecole%20secondaire/6.jpg

Whats the completion date for the new on/ off ramp.

Sometime late next year so around Fall 2010 I think?

May 16, 2009
 

Both Larry Uteck and Southgate are now open to the public. The sidewalks on both are also being extended to their junctions. Larry Uteck is slowly being extended beyond the intersection to the future interchange site.

Ecole Secondaire is coming along slowly with most of the rear wall in place.

Some pictures by me today;

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2355/3536348747_c6ee007cb9_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2166/3537164082_418e4c8ed0_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/3536350623_472713c699_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3537166214_9bf7ab0be7_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3537167202_09ebab75b9_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2346/3537168154_65e5c06278_b.jpg
Its hard to tell in this image but the posts seemed to be in a circular fashion so I think this might be the first of three roundabouts for the area.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3536355153_292f476d4c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3536356139_2b9a08d16d_b.jpg

In the interest of saving space I am going to only post a select few photos from tonight to this thread. But if you want more photos just say so and I'll post them.

After carefully judging distance and looking at the plans I think I have finally figured out what the plan is for this area. Right now the main focus is for the junsction of Southgate and Larry Uteck to be built and completed along with the construction of Ecole Secondaire. Larry Uteck is being extended past the intersection right now to allow easy extension at a later date and to open up the corner commercial lot to be developed soon. Where the unpaved section of LU ends is just past the boundary of the commercial lot and is starting onto the parkland. The two dump trucks shown off in the distance are at the end of the ES lot and are probably beginning the clearing for the sportsfield next door.

Within the coming weeks I suspect the curbs will be completed in the area, sidewalks will be extended slightly up LU and stoplight installation for the corner of Southgate and LU will begin. Ecole Secondaire will continue construction and most of the exterior walls will be in place by the end of the summer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/3554663225_cbd6dbeaa8_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3555473138_424c456854_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3554665617_4ce8d2664f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3366/3555475612_fb3d15668c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3345/3554668569_62afabc2a9_b.jpg

Amazing how an architect's computer rendering can make an ugly precast tiltup box with vertical metal siding look good, when in reality it is what ugliness is being put up in these pics.

Development Agreement is going before Chebucto Community Council on July 6th for the area on the extended Starboard Drive;

Case 01194

Photos by Me today;

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3379/3600935425_601c70ecbf_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3372/3600934315_f61005d88e_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3600933041_f3e16e76c4_b.jpg
I didn't realize what those were until after I walked by them and saw the detinator box.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/3601745032_bc4f3b8a3f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3334/3600930161_dd826f34b9_b.jpg

Even brand-new roads here are patched and cut up! Why can this town not build a decently-surfaced street?

Normally at this time I would say "All photos taken by me today" and post a few photos from the exact same spot as previous weeks.

Unfortunately my computer decided to crash and destroy its hardware last night so the computer I am on right now is an older computer that does not like my photos and doesn't like photo upload sights either so I will post the photos later in the week once I have a brand new laptop to play around with. So in lieu of visual photos I will just provide this;

Ecole Secondaire is coming along nicely with most of the frame up and with the base in for the part that extends towards the road. Blasting is occuring on Larry Uteck in order to clear the future sites of condominium/apartment buildings. And the houses under construction on Southgate Drive between LU and Ravines Dr are well under way with work taking place on Saturdays now.

When I was back up in the area today I took a close look and well theres a reason the road looks so patchy.

In reality the road is actually very smooth but the reason it's still not perfect is because they have not put on the final layer of asphalt. Theres about an inch or so between the current asphalt level and the curb/manhole level which I imagine they will fill in later on after the heavy construction vehicles stop using the road so much.