General Updates and News

[halifaxboyns]

Those are great comments from the CEO of Crombie REIT. This will be good news for the merchants at Scotia Square, that really suffer on the weekend. While those 3 apartment buildings have a lot of people (I used to live there), there really needs to be even more to really help support those shops.

When I worked for MTT, it always amazed me how empty that mall was when I was working on a Saturday or Sunday.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by someone123

Very interesting article tonight in ANS about Scotia Square. As mentioned before, there are a couple of building pads that could accommodate small office developments (40,000 sq. ft. and 100,000 sq. ft.).

A more interesting bit of news was about possible plans for a residential addition to the top of the Trade Mart building. It's been talked about a few times in the past as a good candidate for expansion and residential in that area would be great. Ideally they'd also overhaul the street level of the existing building.

The CEO of Crombie REIT mentioned the importance of residential downtown and he is completely correct. If there were better residential options in that area and more people lived there it would be a more attractive place for office development. Lots of people enjoy the lifestyle of living in an urban neighbourhood with lots of services and being able to walk to work in 10 or 15 minutes. People do not enjoy fighting traffic and parking.

Development around Scotia Square and Brunswick/Cogswell (potentially 5 residential/hotel towers) has good implications for an eventual Cogswell redevelopment as well. Even if Cogswell were torn down right now it would be somewhat unattractive because it is surrounded by a wasteland of concrete and empty lots. If the surroundings were developed a bit more then it would be easy to integrate all the development together.

Very appreciated news! This will strengthen Scotia Square's ability to support its retail. With an addition of one or two new office towers, maybe facade resorations for the existing towers could be done concurrently?... I may just be overly hopeful.

The three moderately sized apartment buildings behind Scotia Square, and connected to it, I wish to see redeveloped.

[kph06]

The South End Diner is being torn down right now.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Very appreciated news! This will strengthen Scotia Square's ability to support its retail. With an addition of one or two new office towers, maybe facade resorations for the existing towers could be done concurrently?... I may just be overly hopeful.

The three moderately sized apartment buildings behind Scotia Square, and connected to it, I wish to see redeveloped.

Could we leave Plaza 1881 alone though? That was always one of my favorites, since I lived there for a few years.

[someone123]

There was also an article last night about streetscaping. Apparently some money will be used for streetscape improvements in "business districts" in the coming year, but a letter was sent out indicating that nothing would happen along Spring Garden Road until 2014 at the earliest because they already have the library project happening.

It seems to me that the best approach would be to time streetscaping with the library to minimize disruption and avoid having to rebuild that sidewalk repeatedly.

Maybe there will be something for Barrington...? Sadly even Hollis Street south of Sackville still has overhead power lines.

Hopefully "business district" doesn't mean Bayers Lake or something like that.

[kph06]

I had the day off today, so here are a bunch of photo's of the South End Diner coming down. I spoke to a lady who worked there and lived there for a couple decades and she said the fire damage wasn't too bad, but after the fire a few water tanks blew, which took the ceiling of the diner down. It sounded like the owners originally planned to fix the diner up.

[someone123]

Isn't that lot one of several on that block that some buyers have been assembling for development?

[halifaxboyns]

There was an article about that somewhere a while back...can't remember where.

[someone123]

Yeah, I remember a couple of articles in ANS. I don't remember if there were actual development plans coming along or if this was planned to be something a few years out. It would be unfortunate to have an empty lot here for 5-10 years.

The North End Diner was also torn down after a fire and as far as I know it's still a gravel lot.

[macgregor]

From Chronicle Herald

Rona downsizes the big box
February 24, 2012 - 8:01pm BY COLLEEN COSGROVE BUSINESS REPORTER

Retailer will focus on smaller stores

......

Our intention is to have more stores, so instead of one store, we’ll have multiple stores in multiple locations,” Kennedy said, adding that the company is “exploring additional sites all over (Halifax Regional Municipality).”

Meantime, the company has alternative plans for at least one of the five Pierceys hardware stores it purchased in 2010. The Halifax outlet on Robie Street will eventually relocate to a nearby Almon Street site owned by the Bragg Group of Companies and currently occupied by the Used Car Factory.

Blueprints for the construction of a new store are underway and construction is expected to move forward within the year, Kennedy said.

.....

([email protected])

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

There was no yellow siding in the rendering :

... and the windows are all different. I think that the rendering is from before the street oriented commercial/retail component was axed.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by someone123

Yeah, I remember a couple of articles in ANS. I don't remember if there were actual development plans coming along or if this was planned to be something a few years out. It would be unfortunate to have an empty lot here for 5-10 years.

The North End Diner was also torn down after a fire and as far as I know it's still a gravel lot.

I think they own 8 or 9 buildings on that block. It's not a perfect block of properties, there is one on Kent they aren't listed as owners on (had a fire 2 weeks ago) that breaks the group up. They put them out for offers last summer/fall, but didn't get the price they wanted for the block and took them off the market, then the place beside the South end diner had it's fire. I think the plan was to sell to a developer rather than develop the lot themselves.

[JET]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

... and the windows are all different. I think that the rendering is from before the street oriented commercial/retail component was axed.

it is a very different building than originally laid out. On the right hand side where there was to be some contrast is a bank of 12 windows and a yellow wall. On the side street side there was an indent breaking up the wall, and now it is an odd bump out.
The dark brick on the Gottingen main floor is not bad, but if the rest is all yellow hardie, then that is really unfortunate. The original rendering seemed fine, but nothing of that has carried over.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by JET

it is a very different building than originally laid out. On the right hand side where there was to be some contrast is a bank of 12 windows and a yellow wall. On the side street side there was an indent breaking up the wall, and now it is an odd bump out.
The dark brick on the Gottingen main floor is not bad, but if the rest is all yellow hardie, then that is really unfortunate. The original rendering seemed fine, but nothing of that has carried over.

The original rendering was crap!

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by kph06

I had the day off today, so here are a bunch of photo's of the South End Diner coming down. I spoke to a lady who worked there and lived there for a couple decades and she said the fire damage wasn't too bad, but after the fire a few water tanks blew, which took the ceiling of the diner down. It sounded like the owners originally planned to fix the diner up.


]

Thank You for posting your pictures. I ate a lot of good lunches there. The older couple that ran it up until a year ago or so were some of the nicest people I knew in the restaurant business. Hopefully whatever building replaces this might be able to have a small type restaurant built into it.

Someone said on this forum before about the difficulty of taking a photo without having Fenwick Tower in it somehow. Well....

[planarchy]

Originally Posted by Empire

The original rendering was crap!

No it wasn't. Nothing amazing, but fine infill from a nonprofit on a site that's been vacant for years.

The building currently being built - now that certainly is showing clear signs of being crap.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by planarchy

No it wasn't. Nothing amazing, but fine infill from a nonprofit on a site that's been vacant for years.

I agree. Like I said, the alternatives in an area like Gottingen are to either get things going with some modest buildings or pass on these opportunities and let sites like this sit idle for an indefinite period of time.

Not every small apartment building needs to be a masterpiece, and I like the simplicity of some of Halifax's older wooden buildings. They can look great, provided they are well-proportioned and kept in good shape. I don't think that original rendering was horrible.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by planarchy

No it wasn't. Nothing amazing, but fine infill from a nonprofit on a site that's been vacant for years.

The building currently being built - now that certainly is showing clear signs of being crap.

This is my point. When you have a marginal rendering history has shown that the final product is always inferior. A street like Gottingen should have higher commercial appearance then on Creighton or Buddy Day because of the visibility and commercial potential.

Some of the wooden structures in the area add a lot to the feel of the neighbourhood. Crap knock-off structures detract from an otherwise vibrant precinct.

[Empire]

It's about time:

Cranes in short supply:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/67780-coping-crane-drain

[worldlyhaligonian]

I think we are hitting the critical mass, tipping point here people.

This, Dutch Village, and the 2nd Waterton tower really will add a nice flow going southward.