General Updates and News

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by JET

the facade, brick, windows etc, on the Spring garden 'Dairy Queen' is being replaced.

The former Dairy Queen building today:

[JET]

very nice pictures that you have been posting.

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by JET

very nice pictures that you have been posting.

Thank you. I am just a skyscraper enthusiast like all the good people here

[cormiermax]

Not as terrible looking as I first thought, still pretty bad. Lets hope it doesn't last more than a few years.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by cormiermax

Not as terrible looking as I first thought, still pretty bad. Lets hope it doesn't last more than a few years.

It's the blue....Maritime Blue.

[someone123]

It doesn't look any worse than it did when the DQ was there. I was hoping it would be redeveloped but even as it is now it might look okay if an attractive L-shaped building does go in behind.

Sadly the infill project next door appears to be mired in the usual red tape. This time it's a landscaped open space requirement that was introduced by HRM by Design. There's always something in Halifax.

[RyeJay]

I hate this building so much.

With the EastLink renovation this corner will likely remain as is for at least a decade unless something miraculous happens.

It's a shame the neighbouring fire did not destroy it as well.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

I hate this building so much.

With the EastLink renovation this corner will likely remain as is for at least a decade unless something miraculous happens.

It's a shame the neighbouring fire did not destroy it as well.

No chance. The heritage types would have insisted that the facade be preserved and you would have an unsightly hulk on the corner for 20 years, like with the ugly NFB building and its neighbors on Barrington that needed to be introduced to a bulldozer decades ago.

[Dmajackson]

Just some new housing I found on Beaufort Avenue built by Provident (photo by me yesterday)

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

Nope. I meant the clock is coming down. The whole structure. A clock maker was suppose to come in over the weekend to remove the actual clock face and mechanics for future use, and the rest of the structure will come down in a matter of days. Apparently its not in good shape and the dome on top is made from one inch thick lead. They are worried of the damage it might cause if it were to come off in a storm.

The clock has come down:

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by HaliStreaks

Portland Street plans
Chedrawe to break ground in fall for retail buildings
By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Editor
Mon, Sep 26 - 4:55 AM

DARTMOUTH — Developer Danny Chedrawe is planning a $10-million commercial project for Portland Street.

The president of Westwood Developments Ltd. expects to close a deal later this month to buy the two-hectare property that used to house Steele Auto Group’s Mazda dealership.

"We’re purchasing the former Mazda dealership and we’re building a commercial development on it," Chedrawe said.

"We’re hoping to start that in October."

Steele has already moved its Mazda dealership to its new digs on Baker Drive in Russell Lake West.

Chedrawe is planning to build two commercial buildings on the former car dealership site. One will be 6,000 square feet and the other will be twice that size.

Chedrawe wouldn’t name the two national retail tenants that will occupy the buildings.

"They have to make their own announcements. I can’t talk on their behalf."

The construction on the two buildings should be completed by next May, Chedrawe said.

Westwood Developments has several other projects on the go around the municipality. Those include a $25-million apartment building in north-end Halifax and a $10-million, four-storey office complex on Spring Garden Road that will house a TD Canada Trust branch.

The company also owns the Millstone Square Shopping Centre in Russell Lake West. That 72,000-square-foot complex is anchored by Sobeys and Kent Building Supplies.

( [email protected])

Shoppers and another building going up:

[worldlyhaligonian]

I'm definitely not the first to say this... but Halifax is booming right now! I remember when I first joined SSP, when Halifax was just a sub-forum and a few 10-12 story buildings like Gladstone Ridge were starting to go up.

At this point I can think of many more 10+ story developments either U/C, approved, or proposed.

I'm excited for the KW signature tower... I think it could be one of those iconic images for Dartmouth.

[RyeJay]

I think everyone will quickly get used to the new face of Halifax Harbour -- with dense clusters of towers established on both sides.

[someone123]

I'm hoping that this new round of development will cause the city to lose a lot of its shabbiness. For this to happen there need to be large areas that are consistently developed and offer a good pedestrian environment. Right now Halifax is very inconsistent -- one block is great, then the next is a parking lot.

Spring Garden Road is the classic example of a nice but shabby Halifax district. The main shopping street is pretty good, but it was surrounded by ugly surface parking. The Trillium development has dramatically improved one lot, and now if you walk down South Park Street from Sackville to Morris you will walk by a row of handsome buildings rather than a gap-toothed streetscape marred by parking lots. In addition to looking nice that strip will soon have more stores and more foot traffic. It will have more to offer in every way. It will even have more parking spaces than it did before.

I think the Sister sites and library will have a transformative effect on an even larger scale. The nice pedestrian area around Spring Garden Road will basically double in size and will blend seamlessly with adjacent residential areas.

Downtown Halifax needs similar development. Here's a large swatch of the downtown that's basically half parking:

http://binged.it/wAVF6u

If this were even modest residential buildings the downtown area would look much better and would be a lot more active.

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by JET

https://www.eastcoastcu.ca/SharedContent/documents/Dartmouth%20Construction_website%20summary.pdf

Credit Union on Ochterloney in Dartmouth, not sure if this has already been posted

Before pictures:


from Google Street View



Today's pictures:

[someone123]

The North End community groups are trying to stop the St. Pat's-Alexandra sale and their lawyer has gotten a hearing on Feb. 16. Until then the judge has issued a stay:

http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/arch...s-sale-of-st-pats-alexandra-to-developer

I still think this is overboard and unreasonable. I am not a lawyer but it seems unlikely that any of this will work out to the advantage of the neighbourhood or the nonprofits, given that the developer was willing to work with them. The city does not have to give them that land, and they were able to submit proposals along with developers. The lawyer argued in his submission that a separate RFP is required for the nonprofits but I'm not sure that's true.

[JET]

Originally Posted by someone123

The North End community groups are trying to stop the St. Pat's-Alexandra sale and their lawyer has gotten a hearing on Feb. 16. Until then the judge has issued a stay:

http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/arch...s-sale-of-st-pats-alexandra-to-developer

I still think this is overboard and unreasonable. I am not a lawyer but it seems unlikely that any of this will work out to the advantage of the neighbourhood or the nonprofits, given that the developer was willing to work with them. The city does not have to give them that land, and they were able to submit proposals along with developers. The lawyer argued in his submission that a separate RFP is required for the nonprofits but I'm not sure that's true.

HRM didn't follow their own policy and a judge has given the community groups time and opportunity to make their argument, sounds absolutely fair. The whole thing was a shambles. Let the legal system sort it out.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by JET

HRM didn't follow their own policy and a judge has given the community groups time and opportunity to make their argument, sounds absolutely fair. The whole thing was a shambles. Let the legal system sort it out.

What sort of outcome are the community groups expecting I wonder?

I also wonder why the city would have a policy of preferentially selling off land to community groups if it could otherwise get market rates for the properties. That approach seems worse than selling off the sites and then having the groups select their own market-rate properties according to their needs.

The whole system of government land banking and trading has produced a bunch of empty lots all over the core of the city. It is terrible.

[JET]

Originally Posted by someone123

What sort of outcome are the community groups expecting I wonder?

I also wonder why the city would have a policy of preferentially selling off land to community groups if it could otherwise get market rates for the properties. That approach seems worse than selling off the sites and then having the groups select their own market-rate properties according to their needs.

The whole system of government land banking and trading has produced a bunch of empty lots all over the core of the city. It is terrible.

I expect that they expect to have all or part of the school property/buildings. I'll be interested to hear their business plan

[Keith P.]

The "HRM didn't follow their own policy" line is arguable at best. The policy was poorly written and contradictory. It had never been followed in the way these groups suggest since its inception. In any event, it is moot, since the policy no longer exists.

I cannot see any court supporting this effort. The motion was before council on numerous occasions and passed every time. The policy has since been rescinded by council. Clearly, the wish of the elected representatives is to sell the property. Tough cookies. Go try to guilt some other group into giving you their assets, Rev.