Took a look today and didn't see the renovations as visible yet. The sidewalk is still dug up and it looks like the water pipes (or plastic conduits) that go into the foundation may be new. Pictures soon.

EDIT: After looking at the DA again, I wonder if they will be choosing to renovate this without building the infill Halkirk House at the same time. They are adjacent, sharing a glass atrium building, but I'm not sure if they will share any other utilities, etc.

Time will tell.

Photos by me.
http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/a...0/IMG_0147.jpg

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/a...0/IMG_0149.jpg

Looks pretty interesting - hopefully the tower will move forward. I'm hopeful that with the decision and work moving forward on Nova Centre - that when it begins construction there will be enough confidence shot into downtown that this project will come off the shelf. I doubt that Twisted Sisters will (I suspect office demand is still low); but if this one does - I'll be happy.

Most of that project is residential, with condos in the fatter tower and a hotel in the smaller one. That is hasn't moved forward I think says more about the developer when we have other newer projects like King's Wharf that have been marketed and begun construction.

The fact that work is moving forward on other parts of the Brewery project is good news. I think the success of other projects like the Trillium also demonstrates that there will be demand for another practically identical tower. The brewery tower site is very desirable since it will have waterfront views and is right next to the shops and services in Bishop's Landing. Part of why I'm so interested in it is that, if the Salter development also moves forward, that stretch of Lower Water Street will finally be coherent looking.

To me it will be mostly coherent. The only gap will be those two older Federal Government Buildings in the Salter/Hollis/LW/Sackville block where CRS and some other federal departments are. Personally, I've always believed that block should be mixed use if re-developed, focusing mainly on residential above groundfloor commercial. The trend on Lower Water (with the exception of the Power Station redevelopment) has been towards residential mainly (or hotel). Considering the height of Twisted Sisters, I think this particular block would be perfect few a few 20 storey mixed use towers with access off lower water perhaps?

Personally; I'd like to see the building themed in a brick form similar to the older building near corner - older sandstone or brick, but that's just me.

The area to the north is a little better but this stretch of Lower Water Street is very bleak: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...88.97,,0,-3.67

The block with the Bank of Canada and Ralston Building is a mess. Those two buildings are actually kind of interesting but the Ralston has tiered concrete parking next door and messed up sidewalks along Lower Water (in fact that whole area has really poorly designed concrete planters and heaving brick sidewalks). The Bank of Canada takes up only a small share of the rest of the block. One block up from there is the United Gulf pit so the effect is a huge hole in the heart of the downtown.

On the waterfront side we have the empty Salter block and the underused Waterfront Warehouse site which is about 75% parking.

Not a highlight of the downtown area..

Nova Centre has residential as part of its development. If anything, assuming how this local market works, if Nova Centre proceeds this project will be in limbo for sometime.

I thought the Nova Centre was commercial, office, convention centre, and hotel? I guess hotel could be considered "residential" but it's separate from the condo or apartment markets.

You really don't sound like a fan of that project. To me it seems like the Nova Centre would make little difference to the brewery tower.

I remember that Joe Ramia mentioned that part of the Nova Centre will be residential and that more space will be switched to residential if there isn't sufficient demand for office space. However, I feel that more residential availability in the downtown core is better for the city so I hope that it won't affect the Halkirk residential tower.

I think the office component would do quite well, but at the expense of other towers downtown. There are still companies that seek out space that offers a little more prestige. It's not all gloom out there.

I think he said its an option to have a residential component to it but is not a sure thing at this point.

Actually there is residential within the proposal as it sits now. There also contains an option to increase the amount of residential if the market for the office tower is not warranted.

I don't agree on that. This project is residential - I suspect it will go forward if Nova goes. The demand to live in the core has been quite high if the sales figures I'm hearing from King's Wharf and Trillium are any indication.

NC is what downtown needs - a big dose of confidence in the downtown core to get a bunch of projects moving. My suspicion is that on the low end, this project and perhaps one more will come off the shelf and move forward. On the high end, it may push things like the Discovery Centre and the Roy Building applications into overdrive to get approval and wake up other dormant applications.

The only project I suspect might remain in limbo (alas) is twisted sisters, but not because of market forces.

It's really unfortunately how little residential infill has been built in the old downtown area. The city has only moderate demand for office space but the HRM promotes suburban office parks while developers propose more and more office towers downtown that will not be built. Meanwhile people actually would move downtown but there are very few residential offerings aside from some small conversions -- zero new residential towers. I don't believe that there is demand for King's Wharf in Dartmouth but that nobody would move into a residential highrise downtown.

The goal should be to get 5,000-10,000 new people to move to the old downtown area in the next 5-10 years. This would be great for the tax base, great for businesses, great for residents, and would even increase demand for office space somewhat since the area would be more convenient for living in and working in.

It is unfortunate; but I see a few things changing in the next few years and the seeds of these changes are being sewed now...

Firstly - the population growth of HRM has been no less than impressive. As I've harped on about in other threads, we WILL blow past 425,000 before the end of the regional plan in 2026. So that realization alone will probably prompt a revisit of the plan way earlier than HRM had probably planned.

NC will also be a shot in the arm for the downtown (I suspect). But because the office demand dt is low, I suspect the only projects that will move forward will be residential (for the most part). Which is fine; because it brings the people first - which is what will bring demand for the businesses to return to the core. This, Hollis, Trillium, Roy and a few others will bring probably somewhere between 500 to 1500 new people downtown. Good start.

Once downtown gets the 'shot in the arm' and the confidence level increases, I suspect that you'll start seeing more interest in doing residential for the short term - until office demand returns. I'm guessing 5 to 8 year time span, but could be shorter if economic circumstances change quickly.

The other thing which I think you'll start to see over the next few years (partly because of the population increase and demographic shift) is a greater demand for townhousing and apartment style units. Most of the boomers will want out of their homes but won't move right into seniors care because they won't need it right away. So they will do like many people I know are doing with retirement - sell the house, get a condo (no yard work) and then travel.

Another thing which may come about over the next few years is a number of high rise seniors facilities being built. The demand is going to go up - so why not have one or two in downtown? Pretty central - but then again I'm probably thinking like a gen x'er and it might not be a good place for them.

Big changes like what you are hoping take time. But the seeds are being sewed, it's just a matter of standing up to groups like STV and HT and getting the projects going. I've coined the idea that Halifax could be the 'Vancouver of the east' - very sustainable, walkable and dense downtown. Halifax may not be like Vancouver in the sense of having lots of huge towers, but we can still have a very dense downtown core and surrounding areas which promote more walkable development.

Photos by me today.

Foundation/utility work on Keith's Hall was completed this winter. There is now scaffolding and covering on the front of the building.
http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/a...0/IMG_0482.jpg

A peek behind the cover
http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/a...0/IMG_0483.jpg

Thanks for the pictorial update. I wonder if they have finalized plans for the 19 storey tower?

Great to see progress.

Buildings like this are real gems and their maintenance has a huge impact on how residents and visitors alike perceive the city. Somebody walking by Salter's Gate, Government House, Wier House, and a newly restored Keith Hall will see a great historic city. Tourists who walked by the old empty brewery lot and run down Keith Hall probably often though the city was a dump or at least was a place that had seen better days.

Barrington's the same way. The NFB building alone really makes the street look run down. If it is fixed it will have a transformative effect on the area.

Can somebody e-mail them and them and ask what the schedule for development is?

Can't wait for this development, its going to be a vast improvement over the empty lot.

Credit: RobertCiavarro on Flickr
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