General Updates and News

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The other thing that can make a sewer upgrading into a "Big P Problem" (I like that term!) is Halifax Water itself. You would think they would be able to handle replacing/adding pipes in the ground since that is mostly what they do, but their ineptitude and slow-moving bureaucracy often seems to take center stage and make a little problem into a Problem.

Speaking of sewer upgrades and Halifax water in general- I've heard the latest on Costco #3 is that Middle Sackville is a no go. Beford Commons seems most likely now, followed by Truro.
My guess is the service area politics has been a factor.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Depends on where in the city. Generally, there’s no overall capacity issue, but there are localized capacity issues. E.g. development of the Young Street area has been held up by servicing capacity issues.

Also, any servicing problems are little-p problems, not Problems. HRM considers servicing as part of approvals and sometimes upgrades need to be made, but it’s not like the commenters are highlighting some big roadblock to development like they think they are.

For sure, thanks for the information. It's being used as a scare tactic, as if their comments on FB (which I don't use btw, just look at the development pics without an account) will halt progress.

There must also be some benefits to scale... many projects are happening on greenfield properties in areas with low density.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by HalifaxRetales

there was permit request submitted to
renovate this office building into 70 residential units

71/73 Tacoma

Fencing went up around this building a few weeks ago with signage for Maritime Demolition. (I first encountered the barrier when I tried my usual convenient cut through to Tacoma Drive from the Shell station at 130 Main Street. I saw a guy try to do the same maneuver today so people are still being surprised by the fence.)

According to their website, Peakhill Capital is redeveloping the property for Valour Investments. The plan is to transform the eight-storey former commercial building to mostly residential, with 70 units. No mention of any affordable units. There'll be one commercial space on the ground floor and a west facing solar wall. The project is expected to take 14 months. I haven't noticed any sign of significant activity to date.

As per the image in the original post by Halifax Retales, the building, which is circa 50 years old, has been in dismal shape for some time. Among the last tenants, 091 Indian Food store and Gunners Tattoo Shop, appear to have moved out by last summer. I might have been excited to see the structure refreshed, but the rendering on the Peakhill Capital website is uninspiring, with small windows and black or dark brown metal siding with orange accents.


Source: Peakhill Capital

[OldDartmouthMark]

^ Egad! That’s one building that I had hoped would be torn down!

[Saul Goode]

I first encountered the barrier when I tried my usual convenient cut through to Tacoma Drive from the Shell station at 130 Main Street. I saw a guy try to do the same maneuver today so people are still being surprised by the fence.

Tangential comment: is access to the car wash at that station not one of the most effed-up things you've ever seen? I'm surprised that HRM allowed that configuration.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Tangential comment: is access to the car wash at that station not one of the most effed-up things you've ever seen? I'm surprised that HRM allowed that configuration.

Yes! I used it one time and never returned, after the debacle that is access to the wash. The c-store inside gave me a very light-headed feeling as well, as if something wasn't on the up-and-up. I can't explain why, just that it felt odd in there.

As for the office building conversion, my dentist used to be in there and I vaguely remember going to one other tenant on another floor years ago. Even then the building seemed odd, with the elevator lobby on the ground floor seemingly an afterthought and the building having a feeling of being quite shabby overall. If the minimal parking out front was full as it often was you had to park out back in a gravel/dirt lot and then trek all the way around to the front since there was no rear entrance. Not a good setup.

[ArchAficionado]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Yes! I used it one time and never returned, after the debacle that is access to the wash. The c-store inside gave me a very light-headed feeling as well, as if something wasn't on the up-and-up. I can't explain why, just that it felt odd in there.

As for the office building conversion, my dentist used to be in there and I vaguely remember going to one other tenant on another floor years ago. Even then the building seemed odd, with the elevator lobby on the ground floor seemingly an afterthought and the building having a feeling of being quite shabby overall. If the minimal parking out front was full as it often was you had to park out back in a gravel/dirt lot and then trek all the way around to the front since there was no rear entrance. Not a good setup.

You had to walk all the way around the perimeter of a building? Oh, the horror! /S

Jokes aside, that does sound like a poor setup and while this conversion leaves much to be desired still looks like an improvement on the net. Architecturally, they are constrained by the current structure re: window sides etc.

[Saul Goode]

The rendering is ugly - but not as ugly as the existing building.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by ArchAficionado

You had to walk all the way around the perimeter of a building? Oh, the horror! /S

In winter with lots of packed snow and ice it was both hazardous walking and quite unpleasant. A rear entry to the building would have helped, but nooo…

[someone123]

Not to beat a dead horse but as somebody following local news from afar I find it legitimately hard sometimes to tell when there's some kind of serious problem or not. The Halifax Water story has been around for years with a subtext that there's some kind of imminent calamity. I suspect Halifax is probably average or above average for water service efficiency, quality, and maintenance. That's not to say that it's excellently managed, just that a lot of places get by with deferred maintenance and inefficiencies. Ageing postwar infrastructure is incredibly common across North America.

Every year there is the same "HRM is almost broke and needs to raise taxes" story.

It repeats across practically any area. When the submarine announcement happened instead of the CBC or Globe and Mail running stories about the positive impact, there were a bunch of "Halifax is in crisis and how will the beleaguered place handle this" type stories which seemed to have been written by local correspondents. I don't really see this type of treatment given to other places.

In yet another area I keep seeing "Halifax is the least affordable place in Canada". Real estate purchase prices and incomes are about mid pack for Canadian cities. It's really a story about a portion of the population experiencing pressure from rising rents.