[Halifax] Macara Presidio (5510 Macara) | 26 m | 8 fl | U/C
 

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Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

Starting to think all of the North-End will fill with dull-coloured buildings? How about red brick and army colour to mix it up! :psycho:

New proposal for Gottingen & Macara. This one is a 71-unit residential building with ground floor commercial (~3'500 sq ft) and three two-bedroom townhouses.

More information is available on HALIFAX's planning website;

Case 20149 Details

The developer must be looking to capitalize on the rousing success of the green glass in the new Sister's building

:stunned:

I certainly hope those colours will change.

Army colours is a good way to describe it. Maybe it wouldn't look so bad if it were solid army colours, but camouflage, yikes.

Colours aside it's a pretty solid proposal. Nice scale and undeniably better than what's there now.

This is still making it's way through the approval process. It looks like they have dropped the army colours.

http://www.halifax.ca/Commcoun/west/...18Item1311.pdf

The report regarding the Macara development just makes me shake my head. The public session was over a year ago and all it had were negative things. Then the staff report is page upon page of bureaucratic bafflegab that I doubt Council members even read.

What does all this cost in terms of staff time, uncertainty, and undue delay? Surely there is a better way.

I do think it's inefficient to do so much work on a case-by-case basis, or give the impression that public consultations are there for the uninformed to critique new developments or complain about all development. The Centre Plan is supposedly meant to address this problem.

In any case there is impressive amount of development happening along Gottingen, and it is badly needed.

No doubt the population on the peninsula will continue to decline.
Bedford west is the boom area.

The better way is to get Centre Plan passed. Then these things can be done as-of-right or with streamlined design review like they are downtown.

When you go through a planning application--any development agreement or rezoning--that bureaucratic bafflegab is absolutely necessary. These are legal processes and open to appeal to the UARB. That detailed analysis is necessary to defend against appeals.

Don't you find the renderings for the development is very similar to st. Joseph square on gottigen and Russell street.

Can't we create a buliding worth talking about something more unique considering they have a very similar st Joseph square basically across the street.

But the Centre Plan is hugely flawed. It should not be passed in its present form.

I agree with both of these comments.

One thing that I would like to see in the Centre Plan are areas set aside in commercial/industrial type areas where signature buildings of up to say 100 meters (32 - 33 residential storeys, or 25 office storeys) are permitted. In order for a project to qualify, then it would have to be an outstanding project, otherwise the limit may be 20 storeys (60 meters).

But outstanding to who? The Centre Plan could be passed in it's current form with an understanding that further work and refinement is coming. No plan is perfect and frankly is out of date the moment it passes.

The public comments, to me as a planner, frankly show the need for Halifax to have something along the lines of a planning 101 program. But as much as such a thing may be offered; you can't force everyone to take it. The centre plan won't stop people who just don't want to be informed from staying out of the loop and having their opinions. Just have to be prepared for folks like that and ready to defend the recommendations.

I would like to see a few 50 storey buildings, 3 would be good and then we can all look forward to planning to increase the number of families on the peninsula.
The new medical centre in Bayers Lake is a smart decision, perhaps a 50 storey building is planned for close by.

Outstanding as determined by the Design Review Committee. Let's be serious if it is passed in it's current form then little to no changes will be coming in the next 10 - 20 years.

I am not sure if you are being serious or sarcastic (no offense, I am just not sure). Honestly I wouldn't want to live at or near the top of a 50 storey tower and so I would rather see two 25 storey towers or three 17 storey towers than one 50 storey tower. 50 storey towers are a dime a dozen in the GTA and such heights don't really impress me.

On the other hand if a developer came by and wanted to build something eye appealing and impressive but needs 30 storeys to justify it, then let's have that option. I am thinking of something like below, but 100 meters.

I think the Design Review Committee can decide between something outstanding and just a nondescript tower.

(source: http://chicago.urbanturf.com/article...n_updates/3166 )
http://chicago.urbanturf.com/images/..._rendering.jpg

It seems as if those of us who are rah-rah for tall buildings dislike the Centre Plan because it isn't permissive enough re: height, even as the Peggy Camerons of the world dislike the Centre Plan because they believe it will result in too much height.

So I guess it's a good compromise!

Except our present anti-development Council is already using the draft plan's 20-storey limit as an excuse to torpedo any development proposal over that height. How can you square your statement with that?

Apparently because you are a planner you know that 16 - 20 storeys is what is best for the urban core of Halifax/Dartmouth. Have you even read the draft proposal for the Centre Plan?

So as a planner give me a quick excerpt from your 101 planning course, why is a 30 storey tower too tall for King's Wharf? It was proposed and accepted; as a planner explain why this wrong? There are many sites within the Halifax/Dartmouth urban core where a 30 storey tall building won't cast shadows on parks or residential homes.

Staff is recommending approval of this project. First reading is next week at H&WCC.


Case 20149: LUB Amendment and Development Agreement for 2858/2860 &
2866 Gottingen Street, and 5516/5518 Macara Street, Halifax