Development Rumours

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

I don't have access to AllNovaScotia but they have two headlines - one about the conference centre and one about a $400M development ("Farhad Vladi's $400 Million Redevelopment Of Downtown Halifax").

Are these developments all related or are they separate? $400M sounds awfully expensive for anything less than a full-sized office tower. There's also very little land next to TD or the Royal Bank buildings.

Anyway, it's looking like we'll get at least one major office development very soon, which is unsurprising given rents and vacancies.

I read it today at work and my recollection is that he was saying that he was bidding on the convention center proposal call and would use the RBC site. If he didn't get the convention center he was able to build 16 storeys as of right and would tear down the existing building to build a new office tower on the site.

I have not heard of this guy prior to today.

[someone123]

Tearing down a 12 storey office building for a 16 storey tower seems to make little economic sense. It's also hard to see a convention centre working on that site.

I've also heard that the TD building was constructed with expansion in mind.

The best present sites for office development are next to the Delta Barrington, next to the Bank of Canada building (owned by the government?), and the Herald site plus the block above (though these fall under strict height restrictions).

It's kind of annoying how there are more and more RFPs out from the government but nothing is really getting resolved and there's little or no construction in the downtown core. As somebody else mentioned, Halifax is definitely in the running for "best theoretical city in Canada".

[hfx_chris]

Is the RBC building in bad shape or something?

[sdm]

Originally Posted by someone123

I don't have access to AllNovaScotia but they have two headlines - one about the conference centre and one about a $400M development ("Farhad Vladi's $400 Million Redevelopment Of Downtown Halifax").

Are these developments all related or are they separate? $400M sounds awfully expensive for anything less than a full-sized office tower. There's also very little land next to TD or the Royal Bank buildings.

Anyway, it's looking like we'll get at least one major office development very soon, which is unsurprising given rents and vacancies.

400M is the royal bank site development.

Ask me the article is missing a few facts. The only way i see getting that square footage is to tear down the whole block...

As for reasonings behind tearing it down, not sure why. Its 50 years old, but still has reasonable size floor plates at 8-9000.

[Empire]

The Royal Bank site should be able to support whatever the view siteline from the Citadel Courtyard would allow...~20-25fl? If the Merrill Lynch building is ever torn down there is no hope left...it is by far the most striking example of Greek architecture in eastern Canada...pure granite construction...... ionic columns and capitals, oak doors larger than most houses in metro...etc.

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/greek_arch.html

[Jonovision]

Yah!? whats this about the rbc building?!!?!?!
I remember stuff about td, but nothing about the rbc.

The power station in dartmouth is up for leasing, not for sale. Which seems kind of odd, as the building doesn't look very usable for any office or condos, or retail.

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

The power station in dartmouth is up for leasing, not for sale. Which seems kind of odd, as the building doesn't look very usable for any office or condos, or retail.

Could have sworn it said sale...


As for the RBC building, if there's nothing physically wrong with the building, I see no reason in tearing it down. Anybody know if RBC would have space in any new office development, or are they moving their offices to a new location altogether?

[sdm]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Could have sworn it said sale...


As for the RBC building, if there's nothing physically wrong with the building, I see no reason in tearing it down. Anybody know if RBC would have space in any new office development, or are they moving their offices to a new location altogether?

It would take probably 2 years to construct so i would say they would relocate to new facilities.

[Wishblade]

an article on the new convention center. It's good to see this rolling along, as the current one is obviously too small for our needs:


WTCC bidding begins
Herald building one of six in running for world trade centre
Paul McLeod, Metro Halifax
May 21, 2008 12:15

The new owners of the Chronicle Herald building will be one of six groups competing to build a new World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax.

Joe Ramia, director of Rank inc., confirmed they had put the Argyle street location forward as a possible site for the new centre. The building is expected to be demolished sometime after the Chronicle Herald moves to its new location near the Armdale Rotary in June.

Five other developers have also sent in bids: Hardman Group; Bird/Rideau Construction; Eastpen Inc.; Halifax Port Authority; and Anwyll Fogo Architects.

Details of the bids are confidential until the province and city evaluate them.

That should begin soon. HRM spokeswoman Deborah Story said a committee will review the bids and set up a short list. Then a request for proposal will be sent to the winning developer, and the two sides will begin discussing the project.

Storey said she couldn’t estimate how long the process would take but said the bids had not yet been reviewed.
Ramia also said his company did not put forward a bid to bring the national portrait gallery to Halifax, as had been previously speculated. Ramia said pursuing the portrait gallery was briefly considered but abandoned due to expense and other factors. Calgary is widely seen as the frontrunner to get the gallery.

“We were looking at it, but we did not,” said Robia. “We got jammed for time and things just didn’t happen.”

[email protected]

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Wishblade

an article on the new convention center. It's good to see this rolling along, as the current one is obviously too small for our needs:


WTCC bidding begins
Herald building one of six in running for world trade centre
Paul McLeod, Metro Halifax
May 21, 2008 12:15

The new owners of the Chronicle Herald building will be one of six groups competing to build a new World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax.

Joe Ramia, director of Rank inc., confirmed they had put the Argyle street location forward as a possible site for the new centre. The building is expected to be demolished sometime after the Chronicle Herald moves to its new location near the Armdale Rotary in June.

Five other developers have also sent in bids: Hardman Group; Bird/Rideau Construction; Eastpen Inc.; Halifax Port Authority; and Anwyll Fogo Architects.

Details of the bids are confidential until the province and city evaluate them.

That should begin soon. HRM spokeswoman Deborah Story said a committee will review the bids and set up a short list. Then a request for proposal will be sent to the winning developer, and the two sides will begin discussing the project.

Storey said she couldn’t estimate how long the process would take but said the bids had not yet been reviewed.
Ramia also said his company did not put forward a bid to bring the national portrait gallery to Halifax, as had been previously speculated. Ramia said pursuing the portrait gallery was briefly considered but abandoned due to expense and other factors. Calgary is widely seen as the frontrunner to get the gallery.

“We were looking at it, but we did not,” said Robia. “We got jammed for time and things just didn’t happen.”

[email protected]

The current one is too small, however i believe convention business will slow greatly over the next few years. The cost to fly, cost to drive, and the possiblility of an global economic slow down i think we are yet again years late in getting something done. Therefore I see this in being an exercise and that is all.
It distrubs me that we continue to be late on realizing opportunities in our city. The portrait galley is a good example. The city had plenlty of time, and plenty of land to deal with it, say SGR site, or former public libary or even a waterfront site.

That being said, the only proposal that has grounds from the above, if any is the Halifax port authority. Besides that the idea of expanding into the metro centre has the greatest merits i believe.

[someone123]

A museum would work well in the current public library building, but even if Halifax had a good bid I don't think it would have been in the running.

I agree that it's unfortunate how far behind the curve Halifax tends to be. Everything takes too long and the various levels of government don't tend to have any clues about what is new and innovative even though they spend way too much on studies.

[reddog794]

I'm not sure I agree with you SDM, I mean with the US going like it is, ya there will, but if we keep focusing on the East, preferably India more so than China, as it's a shorter distance and a more recent history. More into the Far East connections, and we'll be a beacon during the downturn. I wonder what is going to happen with the old WTCC/Metro centre.... big enough area there to fit a 20,000 arena... Atlantic Hurricanes....

Just a ghost of a fart of a rumour, that blasted Freddy McG, always leaving on a dream.

[hfx_chris]

Actually, if they demolished the current WTCC and MC, they could fit a rather large arena on that space, with a huge concourse, and the ice surface running east-west instead of its current north-south configuration. But A. the WTCC is a relatively new building and would be best kept as is, turned into just office space, and where would the Mooseheads play for those years between demolishing the MC and when they finish a new arena. The forum? Hmm, hope not.

[Canopus]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Not sure if this was known, but it's the first time I saw it. The old Nova Scotia Power building at the corner of Ochterloney and Maple Streets in Dartmouth is up for sale. Would be nice to get some sort of condo or retail development in that space, it's a fairly large site and right across the street from the Starr factory lands.

Sell or lease? Great site though. Too bad it has so much existing junk that would need removal but all in all, taht intersection generally could be a very interesting "gateway" into the Dartmouth side of the core.

Developed properly of course.

[worldlyhaligonian]

[worldlyhaligonian]

any renderings of this development?

[reddog794]

No idea, but for some reason all I can think when I see this picture is a street in Vancouver.

That area right now, is growing interestingly enough. As in there's an artistic settling in there, and there's a venue growth there as well. Meanwhile DT is loosing spots for live music.

The city is growing with, or without the big projects that would greatly affect it's development. Yet city council still is a bloated, mind numbing, waste of thousands of the taxpayers money. It's too busy painting, when it should be pouring.

I'm sorry for the rant again... but that part of town is going to be the new heart of the city, maybe lead to an Uptown District, focused on the Hydros and ending at north. Stopping.

[Empire]

This area of the city has tremendous potential. The danger is that some very bland developments are able to slip in. The entire district from Cunard to Young St. could be a mini (Queen St. Toronto)....eclectic yet progressive. Agrolica is the main driving force but Robie could join the club. The problem with Robie in that area is that it is 1970's Halifax. The real untapped potential for all of HRM lies north of Young. Young, Windsor, Lady Hammond, Robie. This block could represent the second downtown. Large office buildings, open green space, plazas, hotels, high density residential etc. This area has unlimited potential but continues to be completely ignored by planners and developers.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I completely Empire, I think Robie is an integral part, but I would like to see what you have mentioned actually happen. A good development at corner of Young and Windsor would change the feeling of entering the whole area... the neighborhoods south of there are great. The Forum lands are shite as well, but I'm liking the infill coming in around Young/Robie.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I would really like to know how tall this development will be.