Development Rumours

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

I was driving around tonight and noticed a construction site on Gottigen St between North and Cogswell.

Does anyone know what's going up there? Its a pretty big site...

If it anything other than 5505 Falkland, I have no idea.

[Dmajackson]

I didn't even think of that. I searched it on Google Maps and it came up as at the corner of Gottigen and Falkalnd so that was probably what I saw. I just never realised where that project was before. Well I can now say there are concrete columns sticking above ground.

Thanks "Wishblade".

[spaustin]

So I seem to have insomnia this evening and while looking at the Upper Water Street proposal I stumbled across the heritage advisory committee's agenda for July 23. There is a neat little tidbit in there that didn't feel big enough to warrant a full thread: a report on plans for the Free Mason Hall on Barrington Street. Apologies if this has been reported elsewhere (couldn't find it when I looked), but the new owner wants to turn it into office space. Apparently the high ceilings in there mean that the new owner can transform 4 floors into 6. Sounds like a fairly decent way of making the old place economically viable and adding some more life to Barrington. Hard to say how it'll look. Could be pretty seamless or it could be a messy transition. Unfortunately the minutes for July 23 haven't been posted yet so I have no idea whether it passed or not!

As a side note, the last set of minutes they have up is from their April meeting. Some lag is to be expected but that's just pathetic. HRM can do better than that in letting people know what was decided.

Anyway, the report can be found here: http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/hac/documents/HACRptforJuly2308.pdf

[sdm]

Originally Posted by spaustin

So I seem to have insomnia this evening and while looking at the Upper Water Street proposal I stumbled across the heritage advisory committee's agenda for July 23. There is a neat little tidbit in there that didn't feel big enough to warrant a full thread: a report on plans for the Free Mason Hall on Barrington Street. Apologies if this has been reported elsewhere (couldn't find it when I looked), but the new owner wants to turn it into office space. Apparently the high ceilings in there mean that the new owner can transform 4 floors into 6. Sounds like a fairly decent way of making the old place economically viable and adding some more life to Barrington. Hard to say how it'll look. Could be pretty seamless or it could be a messy transition. Unfortunately the minutes for July 23 haven't been posted yet so I have no idea whether it passed or not!

As a side note, the last set of minutes they have up is from their April meeting. Some lag is to be expected but that's just pathetic. HRM can do better than that in letting people know what was decided.

Anyway, the report can be found here: http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/hac/documents/HACRptforJuly2308.pdf

Noted this somewheres on here before, but yes the freemasons hall is being converted to "C" class office space. The building would probably be un economically substainable to be created to "a" class space, which is what is really needed right now.

[hfx_chris]

Is that the former Sobeys site?

...or was that an IGA? My mind's shot to hell...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Is that the former Sobeys site?

...or was that an IGA? My mind's shot to hell...

Gottingen and Falkland? No, that's where the big fire was a few winters ago. Wiped out a few shabby wooden buildings.

[hfx_chris]

Oh, I didn't know he meant Falkland, he just said between North and Cogswell - pretty big stretch of road.

[Spitfire75]

Update on the expansion at Village on Bayers Road

[someone123]

I wandered around the North End taking pictures today and overall I'm pretty impressed with what's happening there. My photos aren't all online yet but I came across this construction site on Gottingen:



I guess they're just building new houses there? There were some nice and some run-down townhouses in this area before. The red one used to be quite rough but has seen some renovations.

[Jonovision]

I quite like the look of the expansion at Bayers Rd. It's nice to see something of a modern glass design that isn't out in the middle of nowhere.

[Spitfire75]

Now if they only redevelop the exterior of the rest of the building...

[Dmajackson]

Just thought I would throw this out here;

If it is approved 1200-1216 Cole Harbour Rd (between Bissett and Ashgrove) is going to become a 20'000sq ft strip mall (6 stores?). They are proposing to build a pedestrian bridge to a proposed neighbourhood.

It's nothing much but it helps show some infill happening around town.

[Dmajackson]

From the Metro today:

Work on peninsula bike lane begins
LINDSAY JONES, METRO HALIFAX
August 25, 2008 05:00

Part of a new bike lane is about to be painted on the peninsula.

City workers are to paint the 1.5-metre strips inbound along Bell Road, between Robie and Trollope streets over the next few weeks, says Coun. Sheila Fougere, chair of the Bikeways Advisory Committee.


“It’s a visual cue to motorists that cyclists are there and to exercise extreme caution,” Fougere said.


To be painted in three stages, the new bike lane will eventually extend down South Park Street to Inglis Street on both sides by 2009. City staff say there’s not enough room right now for the lane to extend to Sackville Street or create an outbound bike lane, but that is part of the plan.


“For the first time in a long time, the peninsula has more bike lanes,” Fougere said. “It’s painfully slow, but it’s progress.”


Fougere said the Bell Road bike lane is part of a larger plan to create a network of bike lanes for commuters.


Laena Garrison, Ecology Action Centre TRAX coordinator, said the move is a step in the right direction, but bike lanes should be better integrated to form a continuous cycling network.


“Right now, I feel we have a bit of a patchwork,” Garrison said.


“It’s like a quilt that hasn’t been finished. She said signs at intersections are also required.

[Dmajackson]

^^^The bicycle is already painted from Sackville south to University and is very popular. Just driving up the street tonight i saw 5 or so cyclists around this area.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Meh, practically none of the infrastructure is what I would deem safe. Good bike lanes would be on the grassy patches INSIDE of the sidewalk along that area near the museum and around the other side down into the core. Our roadways, esp. Bell Rd. are too traffic intensive as compared to europe (which often separates public transit, bike, and car paths in most areas of cities, save those where slower speeds are maintained) and I see people on bikes as being in my way in that area. Its a bottleneck at points and adding people on bikes on the street not only makes it harder for the biker, but more dangerous.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Meh, practically none of the infrastructure is what I would deem safe. Good bike lanes would be on the grassy patches INSIDE of the sidewalk along that area near the museum and around the other side down into the core. Our roadways, esp. Bell Rd. are too traffic intensive as compared to europe (which often separates public transit, bike, and car paths in most areas of cities, save those where slower speeds are maintained) and I see people on bikes as being in my way in that area. Its a bottleneck at points and adding people on bikes on the street not only makes it harder for the biker, but more dangerous.

While this is defenitely not the ideal way to do it, it is a start. With bike lanes painted on the road it helps warn drivers but also this particular lane provides the path between the Citadel and point Pleasant. Since they are continuing the lane to Inglis St it provide the path onto Young Ave and ultimately the park.

Ideally they would eliminate parking on South Park. On the south side the could install a straight bike lane against the curb and on the north side they could install a small barrier/median seperating cars and bikes. On Young Ave they could eliminate traffic as well or have more cops hand out speeding tickets. I don't think they would require a bike lane but they could defenitely do with "share the road" signs.

Another road I would like to see done is Sackville (between Brunswick and South Park) to provide a connection between the two downtown bicycle lanes.

[Keith P.]

Painting lines on our existing narrow streets is hardly a visionary thing and possibly very dangerous. Most of the time I end up driving on those lanes because the streets are too narrow. The failure to actually build a proper lane, especially when other construction is underway, is ridiculous. The entire approach the city has taken to bike lanes reeks of political correctness rather than any legitimate attempt to actually accommodate them.

As for signage, surely it is not intended for bicyclists, as the vast majority of them in this town do not follow ANY rules of the road, much less road signs.

Eliminating parking on South Park would be a very bad idea as the many apartments on that street often do not have adequate parking for tenants and almost none have visitor parking.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Eliminating parking on South Park would be a very bad idea as the many apartments on that street often do not have adequate parking for tenants and almost none have visitor parking.

If it is done correctly I think it is possible to eliminate parking on South Park without much of an impact. One thing that is needed on that street is a parking garage with cheap fares. This could easily eliminate some parked cars on the street and it could mark the end of the Clyde St. parking lots, allowing more development. They should also somehow do a survey and determine where drivers are coming from so they know where to better service by transit. I know many people would rather take a bus than try to park on that street.

First though we should wait until the SGR project is done next summer, see what the traffic is like then and then decide what to do with the bicycle lanes and parking.

[GUB]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Painting lines on our existing narrow streets is hardly a visionary thing and possibly very dangerous. Most of the time I end up driving on those lanes because the streets are too narrow. The failure to actually build a proper lane, especially when other construction is underway, is ridiculous. The entire approach the city has taken to bike lanes reeks of political correctness rather than any legitimate attempt to actually accommodate them.

As for signage, surely it is not intended for bicyclists, as the vast majority of them in this town do not follow ANY rules of the road, much less road signs.

Eliminating parking on South Park would be a very bad idea as the many apartments on that street often do not have adequate parking for tenants and almost none have visitor parking.

You ever tried riding a bike in Halifax? I seriously doubt it, because if you had, you would know that following the bike rules is impossible in this city due to horrid road conditions, construction, ignorant motorists, general shoddy drivers etc. etc. Just my 2 cents!

[Haliguy]

Developer has big plans for downtown Halifax property
Valuable two-block Herald lands being considered for new convention centre
By BRUCE ERSKINE Business Reporter
Wed. Aug 27 - 6:29 AM



Argyle Developments is mulling three options for the soon-to-be-vacant Chronicle Herald headquarters on Argyle Street in Halifax. The newspaper’s staff are moving to new offices on Joseph Howe Drive at the end of the month. (Eric Wynne / Staff)





The developer that owns the Chronicle Herald property at 1650 Argyle St. is working up three possible scenarios for the large downtown Halifax location.

"We have to have options," said Joe Ramia, a principal with Argyle Developments Inc., in an interview on Tuesday.

One of those options is for a new downtown convention centre, but Mr. Ramia said he needs contingency plans if the convention centre proposal by his group, Rank Inc., isn’t selected by the municipality and the province.

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly said Tuesday that a decision on a shortlist of convention centre developers will be made in September. Six proposals, including Rank’s, are now being reviewed by a panel of provincial and municipal appointees.

Mr. Ramia said all three plans for the two-block Chronicle Herald property are still being formulated. "We haven’t submitted anything to anybody."

Before the province and the municipality called for proposals to build a new convention centre in March to replace the aging World Trade and Convention Centre, also on Argyle Street, Mr. Ramia had speculated that the downtown site would be home to a mixed commercial-residential development

Argyle Developments bought the Chronicle Herald property in 2007 from the estate of the late cable TV mogul Charles Keating, which had listed it for $15 million. Mr. Keating purchased the property from the Dennis family, owners of The Halifax Herald Ltd., in 2002.

In July, Mr. Ramia bought the nearby Midtown Tavern property on Grafton Street for $1.5 million, after a court battle involving the children of the pub’s former owner, Doug Grant. That purchase, combined with the Chronicle Herald property, gives Argyle Developments one of the largest single pieces of real estate in the downtown core.

The former owners of the Midtown were given a year to operate the bar, but Mr. Ramia said Tuesday that his group could take the property over earlier than that.

Staff at The Chronicle Herald will complete their move from Argyle Street into new offices on Joseph Howe Drive by the end of the month, and Mr. Ramia said his group will take official possession of the downtown property on Oct. 1.

Argyle Developments has a demolition permit for the property, but Mr. Ramia said his firm is still determining the best way to proceed with taking the building down.

"We’re deliberating on how quickly to move on it," he said, confirming that taxes on the property are higher with the building in place.

Mr. Ramia said the structure could be knocked down in stages or imploded. "It’s still up in the air," he said.

( [email protected])