[Dartmouth] King's Wharf (16 Kings Wharf Place) | 85 & 49 m | 27 & 15 fl | U/C

[-Harlington-]

Originally Posted by dartmouthian

The beach already exists. pretty rocky if I remember.

Yeah, there is a fairly rocky little beach between the site and the ferry terminal park .

[Empire]

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

Yeah, there is a fairly rocky little beach between the site and the ferry terminal park .

What a great place to dump the sand from the volleyball courts.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Empire

What a great place to dump the sand from the volleyball courts.

Apparently it is destined for lovely Burnside.

[-Harlington-]

Thats what im sayin, when i saw on the news that they were putting the sand to good use i thought this would be perfect

but apparently Burnside is a better idea

Its a lot of sand i think that Burnside and the beaches can share it somehow .

[Phalanx]

Ehhhh, considering how much construction is going on at the site over the next few years, I don't think there's any point in putting the sand there any time soon. Noise, construction traffic, debris, all the additional infilling that has to go on for later phases... no point yet.

[FuzzyWuz]

Originally Posted by Waye Mason

Haha. On page 3 it says that staff won't let the King's Street extension be called King's Street because it would mean existing King's Street would have to be renamed. Sigh. Maybe King's Street South? Give it a nice Toronto / NYC flavour?

It's already named King's Wharf Place. They had the sign up for a while till they started ripping up Alderney.

[Dmajackson]

This project and the surrounding area today;

[someone123]

Those vinyl-sided townhouses look even sadder now that King's Wharf is going up. Too bad it took so long to get some higher-quality development started in that area.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by someone123

Those vinyl-sided townhouses look even sadder now that King's Wharf is going up. Too bad it took so long to get some higher-quality development started in that area.

Those vinly clad townhoses are a complete misuse of that prime site. The development is not consistant with a downtown that has the potential to grow. I remember when they were built there were endless accolades of what a great development it was. Perhaps they will be torn down when they start to fall apart.

[halifaxboyns]

I think the issue of the naming of the 'King street extension' is mute. It doesn't matter if it's still King Street or King's Wharf whatever. If you are standing at the intersection, it will be obvious to any laymen the different - King's Wharf (all high density) to the right and King Street and old downtown to the left.

The townhouses aren't that old - roughly early 2000's they went up. This is an example of an as of right development that really didn't work well to achieve what the Dartmouth Plan was trying to encourage. I don't remember it word for word, but the plan wanted more people in Dartmouth. The townhouses did that, but badly. It could've easily been something more. But if the property owner wasn't someone who had the money to build a high density form - he/she built what they could. Such is the problem wish as of right sometimes...it can lead to forms of development that don't make sense over time. The only hope is that in 15 years, someone buy's them all up and doesn't something new...

I know a few planners that worked for Halifax prior to amalgamation in 1995. Many of them are happy with King's Wharf because they share the same idea I have: Dartmouth is an untapped resource waiting to explode with development opportunity. King's Wharf was a great first step, the viewplane review is a great second step. I would say a review of the downtown Dartmouth plan would be the next one. If memory serves, it really encourages a 'small town' type of downtown...that for me just doesn't work since it's part of the regional centre.

That being said, I'm probably one of few planners that think about the centre of HRM as being both Peninsula Halifax AND Downtown Dartmouth...the way the RP says. So for me, I'd be happy to see office development spring up on either side, although with the demand being almost none, I'd say Dartmouth should become the condo heaven of HRM.

[someone123]

Small town planning was great back when there were no malls or power centres or online shopping and you HAD to go through downtown Dartmouth to get to the ferry. If people want to recreate that environment then Dartmouth needs tons of medium- and high-density housing so that the small percentage of business that still goes to small town type shops can be obtained from the local population. A mix of crappy townhouses and parking lots doesn't come remotely close to that level, which is why Portland Street was always so sad.

King's Wharf actually *is* high enough density to get somewhere, so it's quite exciting. Once it's built out the whole neighbourhood will be much more attractive.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I think the issue of the naming of the 'King street extension' is mute. It doesn't matter if it's still King Street or King's Wharf whatever. If you are standing at the intersection, it will be obvious to any laymen the different - King's Wharf (all high density) to the right and King Street and old downtown to the left.

The townhouses aren't that old - roughly early 2000's they went up. This is an example of an as of right development that really didn't work well to achieve what the Dartmouth Plan was trying to encourage. I don't remember it word for word, but the plan wanted more people in Dartmouth. The townhouses did that, but badly. It could've easily been something more. But if the property owner wasn't someone who had the money to build a high density form - he/she built what they could. Such is the problem wish as of right sometimes...it can lead to forms of development that don't make sense over time. The only hope is that in 15 years, someone buy's them all up and doesn't something new...

I know a few planners that worked for Halifax prior to amalgamation in 1995. Many of them are happy with King's Wharf because they share the same idea I have: Dartmouth is an untapped resource waiting to explode with development opportunity. King's Wharf was a great first step, the viewplane review is a great second step. I would say a review of the downtown Dartmouth plan would be the next one. If memory serves, it really encourages a 'small town' type of downtown...that for me just doesn't work since it's part of the regional centre.

That being said, I'm probably one of few planners that think about the centre of HRM as being both Peninsula Halifax AND Downtown Dartmouth...the way the RP says. So for me, I'd be happy to see office development spring up on either side, although with the demand being almost none, I'd say Dartmouth should become the condo heaven of HRM.

I think one of the most underestimated areas for development in HRM is WYSE Rd. north. This is in the same bucket as Kempt Rd.

Massive potential for highrise development.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...v5k1wkQzAxWkT4b3NGxfQ&cbp=12,309.37,,0,0

[FuzzyWuz]

[QUOTE=Empire;5394786]I think one of the most underestimated areas for development in HRM is WYSE Rd. north. This is in the same bucket as Kempt Rd.

QUOTE]

Except Kempt Rd. has at least a bit of a district/corridor thing going with the dealerships. Wyse Rd. north is just a depressing non-place. I'd love to see something happen to it.

[Waye Mason]

Pics yesterday. I pass by on my new bike route to work, so updates will be pretty regularly.

From the foot bridge looking toward the cove at high tide... I like the look of it, up against the entrance to the canal.



The towers...

[halifaxboyns]

[QUOTE=FuzzyWuz;5394798]

Originally Posted by Empire

I think one of the most underestimated areas for development in HRM is WYSE Rd. north. This is in the same bucket as Kempt Rd.

QUOTE]

Except Kempt Rd. has at least a bit of a district/corridor thing going with the dealerships. Wyse Rd. north is just a depressing non-place. I'd love to see something happen to it.

Wyse Road has a great potential being so close to the bus terminal. I'd apply TOD principles and go super mixed use. Roughly 20 stories or more and make sure there was a pedestrian bridge across Wyse road for easy access to the bus terminal. Reduce the parking requirements by half (since you are close to the bus terminal) and crank up the height.

[kph06]

I was on site today and took these photos:

[haligonia]

Fantastic update!

I'm really starting to get excited for this project. I hope the developer is able to pull it off, because if he does, King's Wharf will be incredible.

[Haliwood]

Is the taller on that's being built going to be the Iconic Tower? This is going to be the tallest building in HRM for now - correct?

[someone123]

If I remember correctly the big tower is to be built during a third phase, after two more smaller buildings.

The reported height is 109 m, which would indeed be a new tallest: http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=51956864

Not as tall as the Skye proposal and I am not sure if Fenwick will be taller as a result of the redevelopment.

[Haliwood]

Thanks.

Originally Posted by someone123

Not as tall as the Skye proposal and I am not sure if Fenwick will be taller as a result of the redevelopment.

I'm going to assume that Skye won't be built at all - although I hope I'm terribly wrong. Keeping my expectations low with that one.