General Updates and News

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I like it.

An interesting thought is that the addition was built in 1943, in the middle of a period when Halifax experienced unprecedented population growth due to wartime activity. The addition probably has some historical significance in itself, but I agree that removing it will not diminish the architectural value of the house in the least.

It’s nice to see that Halifax appears to be starting to value some of its heritage buildings. I hope we can see more developments like this in the future.

I lived not far away from there back in the '80s and often walked past this address. It is like a number of other properties in that immediate area. The original structure was an impressive (or at least was impressive at one time) piece of historical architecture. I remember thinking to myself what the interior finishes must have looked like, imagining walnut paneling, impressive staircases with lots of carving, the whole deal. I wondered how much of it remained given that even then these were obvious rentals, probably to students. Then you would see the box tacked onto the back which was just awful even in those times with no architectural merit at all and just shake your head. I don't remember this from back then but it looks very much like the parking lot behind the box was probably the site of another old Victorian at some point since there aren't many empty lots on South Bland.

The outcome may be better than some since at least the impressive building will be "restored" (hopefully well) and perhaps there's a chance the new addition will look OK. Maybe the parking lot will get put to a better use as well - it's hard to tell from the plans. Unfortunately they are proposing small commercial spaces for the front street-level units in the main old building which seems strange and could seriously detract from the look. Most all of the other units proposed are tiny apartments of around 300 sq ft. I know we need housing but those sound awful.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Unfortunately they are proposing small commercial spaces for the front street-level units in the main old building which seems strange and could seriously detract from the look. Most all of the other units proposed are tiny apartments of around 300 sq ft. I know we need housing but those sound awful.

The application mentions that the unit mix was arrived at when considering the universities nearby. It makes sense, really: the universities have inadequate student housing, so at least someone is delivering it.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

This past Thursday was a four cruise ship day which is not all that unusual this time of year. Two pics just because.


20241003_125506 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr


20241003_125451 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

A view of Dartmouth from the narrows looking south-ish.


20241003_123952 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

A new piece of public art being installed at Bishops Landing/Canard waterfront area.


IMG-20241003-WA0002 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

The waterside restaurant/bar is now open at Water Polo at the Canard. This pic was taken Thursday afternoon. I walked by again last (Friday) evening and it was reasonably busy.


IMG-20241003-WA0004 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[bartekci]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

The waterside restaurant/bar is now open at Water Polo at the Canard. This pic was taken Thursday afternoon. I walked by again last (Friday) evening and it was reasonably busy.

[/url]IMG-20241003-WA0004 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr[/URL]

Wasn't this supposed to be a little manufactured beach, similar to "Sugar Beach" in Toronto? Or is that another part of the site?

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Picture taken Oct 7/24.


20241007_121823 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[OldDartmouthMark]

Took me a minute to place it. Highfield Park, right?

[Musicman Halifax]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

Picture taken Oct 7/24.


20241007_121823 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

How long was this place actually open for?

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Took me a minute to place it. Highfield Park, right?

Right. Looks like there's not much of a future for this building. I'll be happy to see it gone as I find the red and white combo colours of this brand to be quite unappealing. I believe Starfish Properties owns this property. Hopefully they'll do something with it sooner than later.

[new2halifax]

Originally Posted by fatscat

Wasn't this supposed to be a little manufactured beach, similar to "Sugar Beach" in Toronto? Or is that another part of the site?

It was one of the options that they were considering for the public space. I haven't checked the area yet, but from what I've seen from photos there's no focal point.. just more boardwalk. Quite the disappointment.

[Keith P.]

I was driving yesterday in areas I have not visited for a while and was struck by a thought about how quickly things in the city have changed in terms of attitudes. I found myself heading north on Robie St and of course passed Richmond Yards and the newer developments north of there before turning left onto Young to go along Bayers Rd. Of course there is the kind-of-tall dual tower apartment development across from Superstore, but then up the street on the opposite side is the newer building with the interesting cladding on the side that is only 5 or so floors and looking quite small and lonely. Then as I drove west on Bayers there were the older buildings from a 2 or 3 decades ago like the apartments on the edge of the rail cut that were never all that impressive even when new but now look like a great opportunity missed, plus newer buildings near Joe Howe and Dutch Village that a decade or so ago seemed impressive, like St. Lawrence Place, but which now seem rather undersized given the area. I was struck by how the old "it's too TALL!" attitudes still haunt us.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Musicman Halifax

How long was this place actually open for?

I recall it being open around the mid 1990s, so at least that long.

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

Right. Looks like there's not much of a future for this building. I'll be happy to see it gone as I find the red and white combo colours of this brand to be quite unappealing. I believe Starfish Properties owns this property. Hopefully they'll do something with it sooner than later.

Thanks. Hopefully there will be a nice development there. Something tall. Seems to me the elevation is already pretty high in that area, so maybe I can dream a little further and hope for a rooftop restaurant? Downtown Dartmouth would probably be the best locale for such a thing, though.

[Colin May]

Homeless working people have been living in the building.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Homeless working people have been living in the building.

Not according to this article: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/demolit...motel-sitting-vacant-for-years-1.7060080

An old motel on Highfield Park Drive in Dartmouth, N.S., is being demolished after sitting vacant for a number of years.

Coun. Tony Mancini says possible renovations to the building to make it liveable would have been too expensive for province.

"When you have a building that's empty and does not have heat or circulation – and I understand there has been vandalism inside and breaking – it just deteriorates and nothing to keep it together, it really rots on the site, and that's unhealthy to try to be in there," Mancini says.

According to Mancini, many in the community were hoping the space would be used to house the homeless population, but that was not a possibility. There is also speculation the lot could be turned into new apartment buildings, but nothing is confirmed yet.

"There have been lots of inquiries over the past several years about whether we can use that facility to help with the homeless file,” Mancini says. “I know the province looked into it, but found it’s been empty for so long and would cost too much to renovate the inside to make it useful for the homeless file.”

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

120 PINECREST DRIVE, DARTMOUTH is now under construction. The developer is 4423358 Nova Scotia Ltd which is run by Ross Karlin, a Toronto-based developer. There is a rendering floating around and it is definitely not a "Highfield Special" which should be a nice change. It's a six-storey, 56-unit building.

Well this went up incredibly quick. Less than six months to excavate and erect a 6-storey building. This mystery developer clearly isn't familiar with the Halifax-pace of construction sites. I think all of his worker's are called Eom ..... get it?


HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Photo by David Jackson)

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Not according to this article: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/more/demolit...motel-sitting-vacant-for-years-1.7060080

My source is involved in the demolition. The people were found just before the machines moved in and have been relocated.

[Dmajackson]

There has been quite a few permits updated or submitted in the last couple of weeks. Here's a snippet of the last ten;

MAIN & TITUS – Building Permit Submitted
636 BEDFORD HIGHWAY – Building Permit Submitted
173 OCHTERLONELY STREET – Grade Alteration Permit Submitted
456 HERRING COVE ROAD – Demolition Permit Issued
215 WYSE ROAD II – Building Permit Submitted
MILLSTREAM, THE – Building Permit Reissued
3509 JOSEPH HOWE DRIVE – Grade Alteration Permit Issued
64 PINECREST DRIVE – Development-Only Permit Submitted
352 PLEASANT STREET – Development-Only Permit Issued
NAVY LANE CONDOS – Blasting Permit Issued

The five bolded ones are the one's without dedicated threads if anyone wants to discuss them here.

3509 JOSEPH HOWE DRIVE has a rendering on WM FARE'S WEBSITE but it is outdated. The consolidated lot for this is much larger and the depicted building could not fit the 168 units proposed now.

[Colin May]

A history lesson : https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/oct/28/ransacking-britain-sod-you-architecture-corbusier