General Updates and News

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by Empire

Downtown Dartmouth would be much better than Dartmouth Crossing. Either near the ferry terminal or the evolving dense cluster at the bridge.

While we're at it, maybe the Sportsplex could be rebuilt to have 16,000 seats? Big parking lot waiting for the building expansion.

The Sportsplex is on Dartmouth Common and any new building would require changes to the HRM Charter and being dealt with in the legislature. see here :
https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/f...%20regional%20municipality%20charter.pdf section 66 page 52

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

Aren't all the hardcore local gamblers at Jenny's Pub on Lady Hammond? Kidding...sort of. I don't think it can be argued that every activity that can be added to an entertainment district including a casino would add to the whole. However, I'd 'bet' that they well analyzed their audience before making a decision to move. And maybe this is another opportunity for Halifax to build a proper transit hub to make up for the failed opportunity on the Cogswell lands. Little doubt that Dartmouth Crossing and the hotels, shops and restaurants there will be happy to have them.

Originally Posted by IanWatson

I think the reality of gambling today is that 80% of the profits come from the 20% of the patrons who are harder-core gamblers. They'll go where the gambling is, and if you put it in Darmouth Crossing you can also draw that same demographic from outside the city.

I'm certainly no prude when it comes to gambling, but I honestly don't see what the Casino adds to the waterfront and downtown beyond being a successful venue for a niche of mid-sized music performances (despite the performance space itself being very medicore). Good riddance, I say!

I’m wondering why we need a brick and mortar casino anyway, given that the hard core gamblers are probably just blowing their paycheques at home online. Between all the sportsbetting (and their ‘data assist’ on the sports broadcasts themselves) and the online casinos, that little dopamine rush is as close as your couch and phone…

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I’m wondering why we need a brick and mortar casino anyway, given that the hard core gamblers are probably just blowing their paycheques at home online. Between all the sportsbetting (and their ‘data assist’ on the sports broadcasts themselves) and the online casinos, that little dopamine rush is as close as your couch and phone…

Govt finds it very difficult to get their cut from online gambling, as most of it is done outside the law both to avoid the govt's cut and to evade taxation on the winners (if there ever are any). It is one of many scourges visited upon us by govt to slake their never-ending thirst for our money.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

I don't think this one has its own thread. It's the old daycare site on Dutch Village Rd. close to the Shoppers Drug Mart and next to Saint Lawrence Place.

PXL_20260109_172051092 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr


PXL_20260109_172112100 by A.J. Forsythe, on Flickr

[worldlyhaligonian]

My opinion (as I was attacked for my own views last time I said this, yet IMO I have a more refined aesthetic and worldview that those who came after me)... but those houses next door are eyesores, fairly ugly, and take away from the look of this area.

What's the deal with the zoning here? Are these people hold outs to try to get money from a developer or are they simply older people who want to remain in their house.

Who would want to live in a house along this strip?

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

My opinion (as I was attacked for my own views last time I said this, yet IMO I have a more refined aesthetic and worldview that those who came after me)... but those houses next door are eyesores, fairly ugly, and take away from the look of this area.

What's the deal with the zoning here? Are these people hold outs to try to get money from a developer or are they simply older people who want to remain in their house.

Who would want to live in a house along this strip?

Maybe they have yet to receive that offer they can't refuse. I get the impression that some older folks on the Peninsula have had that knock on the door leading to many more Zero's than they ever thought their house was worth.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Maybe they have yet to receive that offer they can't refuse. I get the impression that some older folks on the Peninsula have had that knock on the door leading to many more Zero's than they ever thought their house was worth.

Good point, or 'is' worth. Must be nice.

[worldlyhaligonian]

• Video Link

Decent drone footage of the entire area. It would be nice to see some more height and a better interface with the street level.

[Dmajackson]

NEW PROJECT!!! - WINDSOR & ALMON STREET (The Brooklyn Warehouse lot)

"To design a 7 storey, 112 unit building on the corner of Windsor and Almon Streets"

PIDs 00004861, 41190091, 41300054, 00004887, 00004879, 00004895, 41190109


HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Screenshot from Explore HRM. Edited & Hosted by David Jackson)

Google Streetview

[Keith P.]

That’s an interesting land assembly.In addition to the Brooklyn Warehouse building ( which housed Ross Burner and Electric for many years), there is the barber shop next door which I think also has some rental housing, plus older rentals which may have been single homes at one time. Thankfully Johnny’s Snack Bar has been spared so far.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

What's the deal with the zoning here? Are these people hold outs to try to get money from a developer or are they simply older people who want to remain in their house.

That whole area was upzoned about a decade ago via the Plan Dutch Village Road project. It's very likely that those buildings have been acquired by a developer already and they just haven't got to redevelopment yet.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Pretty much. And on days when gridlock truly gums things up region-wide, you can be crawling across the entire GTA for hours, whereas here it might be one hour.

I think about this when people talk about the enormous options available to them in an area like the GTA. It's true to some degree, but in practice people will often stick to a quadrant of the GTA while the comparable travel/commuting distances encompass all of metro Halifax plus some outlying areas.

You also sometimes see people on SSP talking about their endless possibilities of road trips to Cleveland or Buffalo but I wonder how popular that is. And the Maritimes have some pretty popular spots too like PEI or Cape Breton.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

That whole area was upzoned about a decade ago via the Plan Dutch Village Road project. It's very likely that those buildings have been acquired by a developer already and they just haven't got to redevelopment yet.

Great to know, thanks Ian.

I think there is great potential here with the public streetscaping and private development combination. The diversity of international food options at the base of some of the squat buildings (the so-called 'Boss plaza') is a pleasant surprise.

It's areas like this that can change into vibrant 'hubs' in the city... I still believe that Young Street has potential with the WAY buildings and others expected, but that streetscape is still full of parking lots in front of towers and the Forum corner at Windsor and Young is atrocious. That being said, the bottom of Windsor has been a historically nicer area and can be 'sewn' back if enough density and street level improvement is made. The other, Robie end, is essentially the Hydrostone gateway, so a ton of potential.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

My opinion (as I was attacked for my own views last time I said this, yet IMO I have a more refined aesthetic and worldview that those who came after me)

Glad you found your mojo again and have chosen to continue providing your perspective in order to enrichen the conversations here.

We all have different perspectives of course (IMHO all of value and none superior to any others), and the board is always more interesting with more participants. So good for you, and happy to see you back.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

I still believe that Young Street has potential with the WAY buildings and others expected, but that streetscape is still full of parking lots in front of towers and the Forum corner at Windsor and Young is atrocious. That being said, the bottom of Windsor has been a historically nicer area and can be 'sewn' back if enough density and street level improvement is made. The other, Robie end, is essentially the Hydrostone gateway, so a ton of potential.

Yeah, I think this area (as well as the Darmouth side of the bridge) will be the most monumental change we'll see in the fabric of the city in this development cycle. The big thing holding it back right now is infrastructure capacity. HRM has been making its way through the appropriate studies though so hopefully in the near future we can see Young Street redeveloped.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Yeah, I think this area (as well as the Darmouth side of the bridge) will be the most monumental change we'll see in the fabric of the city in this development cycle. The big thing holding it back right now is infrastructure capacity. HRM has been making its way through the appropriate studies though so hopefully in the near future we can see Young Street redeveloped.

That would be great. Theoretically, Bayers to Young and further east could be an East-West transit option in the north end.

[ns_kid]

The province has announced that they’ve entered into a deal with Great Canadian Entertainment to move Casino Nova Scotia to a new site somewhere in Dartmouth Crossing.

They’ve already contracted with CBRE to find a buyer for the waterfront property and say the casino will continue to operate there until a new building is developed.

To move the Casino from the downtown tourist strip seems an odd choice to me but I know nothing about the economics of the place – I haven’t been there in years. If the main clientele is Nova Scotians gambling away their hard-earned cash, I suppose the Crossing is more accessible, and parking easier and cheaper.

The Herald asked HRM if there’s a possibility the site could house the needed new ferry terminal; they say there’s no such plan.

[Dmajackson]

THE TARTAN - 2487 MAYNARD STREET, HALIFAX


SDCM.ca - Current Projects


HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Photo by David Jackson)

[worldlyhaligonian]

Not sure this was posted. Decent looking new Dal residence.

[IanWatson]

Interesting to see brick making a comeback in the city.

The Robie-fronting building at Richmond Yards has brick going on it, and some of the recent mid-szied project proposals around the city are in brick.