[Halifax] Nova Centre | 65-58-58 m | 16-15-14 fl | Completed

[someone123]

What kind of agreement has been reached with the developer on this?

At one point they were saying that it involved no provincial government money or something similar but that seems unlikely...

[phrenic]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Dont count on that...I can just hear it now. the money would be better to go into keeping ER's open they will be saying.

The thing is, technically the money would actually be better spent keeping ERs open. Keeping Nova Scotians healthy and making sure they have adequate access to health care is more important than a convention centre.

But, nothing will change with Nova Centre. It's important to the Halifax economy. Metro NDP MLAs (with the possible exception of Epstein) will see that.

[Barrington south]

Originally Posted by phrenic

But, nothing will change with Nova Centre. It's important to the Halifax economy. Metro NDP MLAs (with the possible exception of Epstein) will see that.

do you honestly think that socialists have, in the past, supported large economic\business development's on the sole basis that it good for the economy?...I think one should "wait and see" what NDP do, before jumping to the conclusion, that what they will do what is logical, sensible and beneficial to all of HRM.....unless you have....inside connectoins?......

[phrenic]

Who said anything about socialists? Socialists don't exist in this country. The closet thing we have is Social Democrats, and in reality that label applies more to the federal NDP than its provincial counterparts.

This isn't some pie-in-the-sky convention centre idea. I think that considering how this project is already progressing, it would be rather irrational to assume that our incoming government would act against something that, as you say, is logical, sensible and beneficial to all of HRM. I wouldn't put it past Epstein to say something stupid, but Dexter will want to have the DHBC on his side.

But we'll wait and see I suppose. As its all we really can do.

[Takeo]

Originally Posted by Barrington south

do you honestly think that socialists...

[Dmajackson]

I took a count last night and of the 18 or so MLA areas in HRM only four are not NDP (all Liberal) so I imagine the 14 NDP's representing Halifax will be in support of the convention centre.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Dont count on that...I can just hear it now. the money would be better to go into keeping ER's open they will be saying.

Exactly.....how does one pay for so many unrealistic promises? $15,000 tax credit for grads to stay in NS, no more wait times, slash the HST on power etc...etc...and all with no tax hikes while balancing the budget.

May be a tall order while trying to keep companies from packing up to escape the dreaded CORPORATE tax grab.

[Barrington south]

Originally Posted by Takeo

sorry.....socialists "LITE".....

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

I took a count last night and of the 18 or so MLA areas in HRM only four are not NDP (all Liberal) so I imagine the 14 NDP's representing Halifax will be in support of the convention centre.

I would suspect the opposite

[Dmajackson]

I don't normally post column because of their biasm but this seemed to have the right idea and its a good way to clear the dust off this thread.

Time to get moving on old Herald property

By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist
Wed. Jul 15 - 4:46 AM

THE PAUL McCARTNEY concert Saturday provided Halifax with a much-needed injection of energy.

It was felt particularly in the downtown, where the economy there seems to be limping along without much direction.

But there are signs that things may turn around for the downtown business community. For example, on the heels of the McCartney success, there’s the arrival of the tall ships later this week and the Kiss concert on the Halifax Commons on Saturday. Both are expected to draw thousands.

The weather is improving, too.

Tuesday was such a beautiful summer day, I heard people wishing they could go sit out on a patio somewhere downtown. Nice weather is good news for many bar owners who need similar days to insure their patios are full for the rest of the summer.

All this is a short-term fix, however. Longer term, it seems to me that everything is on hold as we wait for work to begin on the proposed convention centre on the former Chronicle Herald property on Argyle Street.

The plan includes a new hotel and office tower, along with retail and residential components. It should take the better part of a couple of years to complete. But even during construction, the activity at such a prominent location downtown is expected to buoy the spirits of the business community.

Most business owners support the construction of the project, estimated at $300 million, and are anxious for work to get going, even though there was some concern that work would start during the profitable summer months, thus putting a damper on people wanting to sit outside and eat a meal.

Those fears of a disrupted summer patio season seem to be fading a bit because the project’s pace seems to have slowed.

But that could change quickly. The developer has already received approval from city hall to proceed and the province is working on its end of the deal. Once the final arrangements are worked out with the province, the hope is that Ottawa will help with financing.

The Harper government shouldn’t have any problems getting involved in a private-public partnership with developer Rank Inc. and its partners as a means of leveraging its investment and providing stimulus for the local economy.

When work does begin, one of the first things that will be done is the demolition of the old Herald building.

Despite speculation that crews may decide to use explosives to tear down the structure, I’ve been told the cost of using explosives to implode the five-storey structure would be too expensive.

The developer has been told that updated demolition techniques should be able to tear down the building in a cost-effective way, even though the building has reinforced floors. The thick concrete floors were necessary to support the heavy typesetting equipment used during the last century.

Some people may mourn the demise of the old Herald building, but it’s an empty shell taking up space in an important part of the city. The sooner work can start on the next phase of the downtown, the better off the city will be.

Considering its importance to the future of the downtown business community, it seems like a good idea to get things moving on the convention centre as quickly as possible.

( [email protected])

[Phalanx]

Roger Taylor, on the whole, is pro-development... just for the record.

[Barrington south]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Some people may mourn the demise of the old Herald building,

( [email protected])[/I]

That would be like mourning the death of Crackhead Bob......

[Jonovision]

When I was in Toronto a few weeks ago I noticed a lot of similarites between this project and the Eaton Centre......two glass towers with a pedestrian mall in between. All the white cladding and the blue glass.

[someone123]

Yeah, this design immediately reminded me of the Eaton Centre, which is a little worrisome since the newer tower went up in 1992 or so.

I am hoping there will be some (major) cosmetic improvements to this proposal before it is actually built, though I'd like it to move forward as quickly as possible.

It seems wildly optimistic to expect them to break ground this summer or whatever when they still want federal funding. When are government projects ever that fast? In Halifax terms a "fast" project takes only a couple of years of tenders and planning and then a couple more for random delays.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by someone123

Yeah, this design immediately reminded me of the Eaton Centre, which is a little worrisome since the newer tower went up in 1992 or so.

I am hoping there will be some (major) cosmetic improvements to this proposal before it is actually built, though I'd like it to move forward as quickly as possible.

It seems wildly optimistic to expect them to break ground this summer or whatever when they still want federal funding. When are government projects ever that fast? In Halifax terms a "fast" project takes only a couple of years of tenders and planning and then a couple more for random delays.

This is so true.. Look at the Queen's Wharf/Maritime Museum redevelopment. How many years since they first hit the news, looking for government funding. And now we supposedly have all kinds of "infrastructure" dollars floating around. Glacial...

[Barrington south]

hopefully the retail\commercial component in this will be a shot in the arm for Market St......
which sees about as much action as Ketch Harbor on a Saturday night

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by someone123

In Halifax terms a "fast" project takes only a couple of years of tenders and planning and then a couple more for random delays.

Sometimes I feel like there isn't enough planning... I mean, these projects are all significant investments, so it makes sense to study and plan. On the other hand, things like the Bloomfield Master Plan are still languishing in purgatory - the plan was approved by that particular Committee many many months ago, and is now over a year (!!) late going to Council.

Maybe we just do too much — planning and not enough good planning?

[miesh111]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Maybe we just do too much — planning and not enough good planning?

Maybe when there's actual money behind a project instead of the city hoping for it to come out of nowhere, then things happen faster. When there's someone pulling the train, it gets to the destination faster. It has nothing to do with the quality of planning.

[someone123]

I think it all comes down to funding and political will.

The HRM has very little political leadership and most councillors simply look out for their own district so projects like the central library languish for years.

In the case of the HRM it also feels like most councillors want money for projects to magically fall out of the sky - everything is fine in principle but then nobody actually wants to pay for it.

When it comes to the private sector I think the horrible level of red tape hurts a lot. A number of projects were proposed just as the market was heating up but were only given the green light when things were starting to slow and the credit market was freezing up. That is terrible, and I've never even seen anyone admit to it being the case. The developers seem very hesitant to give statements about it when they talk to the media.

Of course, I am not saying that everything would have been built had the approvals gone better, but the economic performance of the downtown area is terrible relative to that of the region as a whole. Lately Halifax has actually been one of the top Canadian cities for population and job growth, and all of that's been headed to the suburbs because it's easier to build there.

[Jonovision]

The midtown closed yesterday for its move up the street. I doubt that something like the midtown would move if they weren't going to go through with the project.