Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
Well, there's not much land left in the downtown area, and it's not really clear where the downtown could grow in the future since according to the HRM by Design plan most neighbourhoods should be left alone.
The other big issue is whether or not these small buildings actually meet the needs of potential companies. Major companies need lots of space and large floorplates. W Suites is built on a nice scale but it's residential, not an office building.
I am not sure that is a real problem but I dislike the idea of trying to guess ahead of time what the "needs" of the downtown will be. Nobody knows and if they get it wrong there will be serious problems akin to what is happening now in some older buildings that are crippled by poor regulation and sit half-empty. I would prefer a more market-driven system similar to what we have now but with a much faster turnaround time.
Anyway, the South Street building should be decent. The Waterton crane looks surprisingly large.
|
Personally I don't agree with the idea that we should be preserving neighbourhoods untouched. Some neighbourhoods yes, but probably not to the extent HRMbyDesign is proposing. Neighbourhoods change that's part of what makes cities exciting.
I think there is a significant amount of land downtown. Waterfront, south end of Hollis, numerous lots around the Herald building. And of course Cogswell. I understand we need to allow for two different building types: commercial and residential. That's one reason I think height in Cogswell has so much potential to fill a lot of the financial needs. As it stands Cogswell doesn't provide the immediate needs, however there are two development agreements signed and ready to go for office towers in the area which one imagines would address the short term needs.
The other thing is that not all office space needed downtown is necessarily Class-A; if you build an eight storey tower with a smaller floorplate you might fill the needs of smaller consulting firms, lawyers, insurance agents, etc. that want to be downtown but don't have the same needs as the bigger financial companies that want Purdy's Wharf types of developments. The Class A space isn't the only market.
Where can downtown grow? I think with Cogswell gone the north-end is the prime area. Lots of space around Cogswell and Gottingen, on Gottingen, directly on Barrington near Cornwallis. You wouldn't see the banking towers in this area but a lot of residential could fill in this area. There is already some activity such as the Brickyards which one assumes caters to the downtown office workers.