[St. John's] The Official Project Thread

[SignalHillHiker]

September 3, 2012

This was such a great news day for St. John's. I'm actually in a great mood because of the things you all shared here today - I love that!

So... my father was out chatting with the neighbour and he happened to be throwing out a tripod. He brought it to me, to see if I wanted it. I thought he must have talked to Mom because just yesterday I told her to take it easy this Christmas and just get me a cheap, second-hand tripod.

So, of course, I had to rush out and test it tonight!


Growing City at NIght by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


351 Water Street by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


St. John's at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


St. John's at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


St. John's at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Queen's Battery and Cabot Tower by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


The Battery at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


The Basilica at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


351 Water Street by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Fortis Place and 351 Water Street by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


St. John's at Night by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

[PoscStudent]

Love the last one. Is that MUN above the Newfoyndland hotel?

[SignalHillHiker]

Yeah!

[Architype]

Great photos, I like the night shot of Cabot Tower, and all the rest too.
After the buildings are completed you could probably sell your series of photos to the owners.

[SignalHillHiker]

MIX Condos is up on Remax. $244,000!





Remax

[kwajo]

Looks pretty good actually, better than I was expecting!

[SignalHillHiker]

CBC News coverage of the new harbour fence.

And, since it's local and not national news, they interviewed passers-by who can speak English with all of their teeth.

[Copes]

Originally Posted by Architype

It might be like a back alley with parking (lane) then, which is a very good idea for medium density like this. Having double wide driveways in front on the street every ten feet apart doesn't look good or make much sense.

Anyone know what type of housing this is; regular single family, condos, low cost, or public housing?


I'm always interested in what people think good is.

To clarify (I know a bit about this project) each unit is being sold as a condo. There is a single lane that will lead to a shared parking lot, and each unit has a garage on the back end as well. Pleasantville is pre-zoned, so this is the sort of development that the planning team wanted in this area. Across the street is an apartment building, also what was wanted. Earlier this year, bidding occurred for 17 individual building lots on Charter Ave (for single family detached units, obviously). Bidding also occurred for "Block 6", which is a 2.3 Acre site north of the aforementioned building lots which is zoned Apartment Medium Density. So should be more Pleasantville development coming down the pipe.

In other news, Star of the Sea looks AWESOME! I am a huge fan.

[jeddy1989]

ANNNDDD the hilton is back on the radar! (along with a few other things)

Other Projects Before Council

The capital city's Planning and Housing Standing Committee is recommending council approve the rezoning of land at New Gower and Springdale Streets from Residential Downtown to Commercial Central Office space to accommodate a proposed hotel development.



After an architect for Kingslake Projects met with local residents, a number of revisions were made to the proposed design. Residents were concerned that the hotel would not fit in with local residential properties and that it was too high.


While no changes have been made to the hotel's 12-storey height, it has been moved away from adjacent residential properties, and rotated so that it avoids windows and instead faces the side wall of an adjoining townhouse development. The landscape buffer has been increased and the parking lot has been reduced to 112 spaces. The exterior design has also been completed changed.

The City of St. John's will look to amend its taxi by-law after receiving a formal application for the purchase of five accessible licenses. The city began promoting the use of accessible taxis for people with mobility issues for some time, but it was only recently that the city received a formal application. The by-law must now be amended in order to actually issue the licenses.

St. John's City Council will consider approval of a new design for the redevelopment of the old Star of the Sea property on Henry Street. The old building was torn down to make way for a new development, but a revised design plan was submitted in late July. The Heritage Advisory Committee is recommending approval of the new plans.


The capital city's Heritage Advisory Committee is strongly urging council to reject an application to demolish the old Breakwater Books Building on Water Street. KMK Development is looking to tear down the building, which the committee says is an important heritage structure. The committee also says the building is structurally sound and is close to the War Memorial and a number of other important heritage buildings.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=26338&latest=1

Busy Council Agenda

With yesterday's statutory holiday, the weekly St. John's City Council council meeting will instead take place this afternoon.


Council has a resolution that will be brought forth for consideration regarding the provincial government's use of herbicide for brush cutting along public highways. Also up for discussion is a five-storey apartment building on LeMarchant Road, and construction of a new fence on Harbour Drive, which would include a partnership with the St. John's Port Authority.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=26335&latest=1

[statbass]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

ANNNDDD the hilton is back on the radar! (along with a few other things)

Other Projects Before Council


http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=26338&latest=1

Busy Council Agenda


http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=26335&latest=1

Awesome! It's not hard to tell that everyone is out of the summertime mode and back into work mode with the all proposals back on the radar. It's hard to let summer go, especially this one, but now we can look forward to all the proposals coming down the pipe. Here's to another busy fall filled with development and proposals..... BTW, I can't wait to see the new design of the Hilton hotel.

[SignalHillHiker]

"The Heritage Advisory Committee is recommending approval of the new plans."

Awesome.

I am loving all of this fantastic news! I LOVE ST. JOHN'S!

[codyLawrenceDylan14]

I Love St.john's too! it is a great city. And hopefully it will be an exiting Fall.

I really like the new rendering for star of the sea too. It would be good to see it a few stories taller though .

[MrChills]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

This is the view of the new hotel from Freshwater Road. It's not very attractive, obviously. There is, however, a beautiful view of it along Prince Philip Drive, nothing but greenery with the hotel poking out above it all.

Thanks for raising my blood pressure!

Kenmount Rd has to be the worst part of St. John's and they continue to add and add and add and add.. What a nightmare for traffic, it's like a war zone.

[MrChills]

Originally Posted by rthomasd

According to the City Council agenda for Sept 4th, there's a new design for the Star of the Sea site. pictures attached.

WOW!

This is the best residential proposal I've seen for the city, I like everything about it. What a change from the original.

If the finished product looks as good as this proposal I think it might go a long way in changing some attitudes of the naysayers (perhaps I am being very optimistic here) that you can build something new and retain the historic charm of the city.

There are so many dodgy areas of the downtown / centre city that should be bought up a developer, demolished and replaced with buildings like this to add some real density to the inner city core

[MrChills]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

CBC News coverage of the new harbour fence.

And, since it's local and not national news, they interviewed passers-by who can speak English with all of their teeth.

That's awesome and so true.

[Ayreonaut]

I don't know what I'd do at night without my tripod. I mean, I used to get by with garbage cans, newspaper boxes and car roofs, but I just use the tripod so often now...

Anyway, today I had a field course in geography. Sometimes they go a ways outside the city and do topographical studies; it changes with whoever's teaching the course. This year it was the head of the department, and I was stoked when he said we be look at urban and regional planning issues. After three hours of walking around taking photos of drainage ditches in Southlands I wanted to just peace off and walk back to town. So boring! Oh well, the paper should be easy for me, and the only resource we need is the city website.

[Townie709]

The new Star of the Sea condo proposal looks amazing! I have to agree with MrChills, it is the best looking residential proposal i've seen in the city. This project shows that we can have beautiful, modern developments that fit in perfectly with the heritage areas! I have to say, I was not a fan of the oversized red brick barn they had perviously proposed!

Great to hear that hilton is back on the radar, and glad they didn't decrease the height! Looking forward to seeing the re-design. Hopefully it looks a little bit flashier than before. I didn't mind the previous proposal, it just looked a little bland..

The propsed fence along harbor drive seems like an awesome idea! Although some may will say its a bit pricy, Anything is better than the aluminum railings/ chain link fence that is there now

And thank you for all the awesome pictures you post, SignalHillHiker! They are spectacular and much appriciated!

Lots of exciting things happening is St. John's!

[Copes]

Originally Posted by MrChills

WOW!

This is the best residential proposal I've seen for the city, I like everything about it. What a change from the original.

If the finished product looks as good as this proposal I think it might go a long way in changing some attitudes of the naysayers (perhaps I am being very optimistic here) that you can build something new and retain the historic charm of the city.

There are so many dodgy areas of the downtown / centre city that should be bought up a developer, demolished and replaced with buildings like this to add some real density to the inner city core

Yes to everything you said, especially the bold part. Bluedrop Building was a start, but the Star of the Sea proposal cements it in my mind. I had to see it done to believe it, but St. John's heritage CAN be properly represented in a modern looking proposal! Old, rundown buildings do not need to be kept around simply to "preserve heritage". Heritage can be updated and upgraded while still being maintained.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Ayreonaut

I don't know what I'd do at night without my tripod. I mean, I used to get by with garbage cans, newspaper boxes and car roofs, but I just use the tripod so often now...

Anyway, today I had a field course in geography. Sometimes they go a ways outside the city and do topographical studies; it changes with whoever's teaching the course. This year it was the head of the department, and I was stoked when he said we be look at urban and regional planning issues. After three hours of walking around taking photos of drainage ditches in Southlands I wanted to just peace off and walk back to town. So boring! Oh well, the paper should be easy for me, and the only resource we need is the city website.

Bahaha... I love when teachers are so into something they go on and on and on and spend an hour making points that could have been covered in five minutes of bullet notes.

I had a teacher like that in college. Everything he said turned into a story from his youth. And it wasn't related in any way to what he was trying to teach us. By the end of the hour, my head was spinning and I thought this must be what Alzheimer's feels like.

And as for the tripod... yes, yes, yes. I'm sold. I still look like I don't know what I'm doing trying to use it, and I don't, but it's so much easier than praying there's a flat, hard surface facing the perfect angle, lol.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Copes

Yes to everything you said, especially the bold part. Bluedrop Building was a start, but the Star of the Sea proposal cements it in my mind. I had to see it done to believe it, but St. John's heritage CAN be properly represented in a modern looking proposal! Old, rundown buildings do not need to be kept around simply to "preserve heritage". Heritage can be updated and upgraded while still being maintained.

I agree as well... to an extent. I still want to preserve lots of heritage buildings, as many as we possibly can. I especially want to preserve the fascades of water street. If they want to do MIX Condos-style updates, but keep the fascades... fine. Gotta compromise. But tearing down a block of heritage buildings for another Atlantic Place or parking garage is not acceptable.

I also want to preserve the rowhouses. Pretty much everything from the crest of the first hill to downtown... I'd like to maintain as much of it as we can. And if it's run-down and ratty, then that means we can't and we have to be slightly more open to letting it go... but still, not allowing developers to just put whatever they want there.

We've gotta be smart about it because we can always tear down buildings and build new ones, but we can't replace the heritage once we lose it.