Development Rumours

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by someone123

Not directly development-related, but Andy Fillmore has left his new position at Dal and moved on to VP of planning and development at the WDC.

That explains why I didn't get the job...makes sense though. He will be good in the role!

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by kph06

I found this on the Ekistics Website. It says its a Young Avenue development, but I can't see it being Young Avenue. I think it is more likely to be for the Young Street site at Windsor, recently bought by the Ramia's (I think). Anyways, not a bad proposal:

The shape of the residential tower is just "so so" in my opinion. Personally, I don't think that they should build a wide mid-rise building. The Central Plan proposed an 85 meter height limit for that site which would allow for a slender 26 - 30 storey residential tower.

I like the office building design though.

Thanks for finding and posting the renderings.

[Duff]

I really hope that is planned for Young Street. It would probably be impossible to get that anywhere on Young Ave, so lets hope all of our assumptions are correct.

[Peter_johnns]

Originally Posted by

[B

Suggestions for Halifax:[/B]
Ocean Sciences Museum (located at BIO)
Fisheries Museum (in addition to the one in Lunenburg)
Marine Industry Museum (Shipbuilding - offshore oil/gas)
================================
Battle of Atlantic Place (proposed)

I can't help but think HMCS Sackville should be a permanent fixture in Saint John. After all it was build in Saint John, not Halifax. After hundreds of years of extensive ship building it would be nice for SJ to have something to show for it, other than the unused dry-dock. Clearly this will not happen, but they did give Digby back their lighthouse lol

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Peter_johnns

I can't help but think HMCS Sackville should be a permanent fixture in Saint John. After all it was build in Saint John, not Halifax. After hundreds of years of extensive ship building it would be nice for SJ to have something to show for it, other than the unused dry-dock. Clearly this will not happen, but they did give Digby back their lighthouse lol

I believe Saint John is certainly not more likely than Halifax to come up with the money required for this project.

[cormiermax]

It'll stay in Halifax, as Halifax was the main wartime port and the Sackville better represents the war rather than shipbuilding history.

[someone123]

Yes, it's a naval memorial.

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

That explains why I didn't get the job...makes sense though. He will be good in the role!

Ah, too bad. Hopefully you'll find something good soon! HRM is supposedly trying to hire a lot of planners...

[Dmajackson]

HAC Report - Demolition of 120 Ochterlonely Street

I haven't look at the building in detail in person but looking at the photos from both parties (developer and HRM) I think it might be time to demolish the building. I don't see anything unique that screams restoration or importance and it appears the public opinion is split 50/50 on the matter.

[Keith P.]

I cannot believe that this vinyl-sided dump is a heritage property. It looks like a slum in a box. If permission is not granted to demolish this, I foresee an unexpected and mysterious fire in its future.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I cannot believe that this vinyl-sided dump is a heritage property. It looks like a slum in a box. If permission is not granted to demolish this, I foresee an unexpected and mysterious fire in its future.

the issue is more the dumps to either side that have the same ownership.
120 could be restored, if there was a will, there is no will;
I'm torn, my house is 1/2 block away and is about the only original house on the street that has the original trim, all the similar houses are encased in vinyl, and are stripped of all the old trim. sad

[ILoveHalifax]

I would say we have reached the ultimate in heritage when vinyl siding is something to be preserved.

[JET]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I would say we have reached the ultimate in heritage when vinyl siding is something to be preserved.

it is possible to save the heritage, without saving the vinyl
http://halforbes.com/5677.html
the before and after photos are amazing

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by JET

it is possible to save the heritage, without saving the vinyl
http://halforbes.com/5677.html
the before and after photos are amazing

Yeah, the vinyl replaced a superior cladding in the past. It's like these rowhouses in Baltimore, covered up by tacky cladding in previous decades, now being renovated to reveal what's underneath. Re-cladding this house with clapboard and fixing up the trim would make a world of difference.

Having said that, no, I don't think this house is worth rushing to the barricades to save. But the vinyl siding doesn't undo the heritage value it once had.

[Drybrain]

According to this, the building with Strange Adventures will indeed be demolished rather than renovated.

It's getting pretty damn depressing watching the city's largely visionless development community continue to cannibalize our built environment, especially as every other city in the country seems to be learning how to build alongside what it has, not raze everything to the ground every time they want to build something new. Pathetic. Where's our Paul Oberman?

[someone123]

I think we should wait and see what the actual plans are before drawing conclusions. Different articles seem to be throwing random terms around.

Hopefully this one won't be torn down. We are already probably down to 1/3 or 1/4 of the old brick Victorian commercial buildings that the city once had. There was a time when the upper blocks around Sackville were mostly buildings like this one.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think we should wait and see what the actual plans are before drawing conclusions. Different articles seem to be throwing random terms around.

Hopefully this one won't be torn down. We are already probably down to 1/3 or 1/4 of the old brick Victorian commercial buildings that the city once had. There was a time when the upper blocks around Sackville were mostly buildings like this one.

Exactly. That's why I can't help but be so negative on it. (I've got a pessimistic disposition, admittedly.) Objections to the slow whittling down of what we have left is usually seen as standing in the way of progress, rather than concern for good city building.

As usual, part of the problem is Heritage Trust's ineffectiveness. I'm starting to think the city needs a new heritage-advocacy group that'll actually be A: effective, and B: development friendly.

[someone123]

Yeah, heritage advocates in Halifax haven't been very effective. I think part of the problem is that the issue got co-opted by NIMBYs, and another problem is that they don't seem to understand the economics of development very well. The real question is how to get the incentives right. The incentives for private developers right now are better than they used to be but they still don't quite line up with public interests. This doesn't have to be the case.

You could turn this building into a "positive" for the developer by granting a density bonus if and only if they preserve the facade of the bottom floors. The HT's plan of limiting heights everywhere to remove the incentive to build didn't work, because the limits were unrealistic and because one of the problems of old buildings is the high cost of maintaining them. If there's no new investment coming in, there's no money to maintain the buildings.

We've had a lot of cases of developers responding positively to public input, so if there's some constructive (so showing up at a last-minute council vote and screaming at them is out, although HbD doesn't allow for that anymore anyway), early input from the public maybe they will change their plans to preserve part of this old building. Or maybe that's the plan right now and these articles just haven't been clear. I am not sure who the owner is or how to contact them.

[alps]

Yikes, that's definitely the nicest building on the whole block! Really hope it won't be outright replaced.

[Empire]

This building is such a Halifax classic. It is very similar in style to the Imperial Oil Bldg. at Waterside. This is a building that would be tagged as having heritage merit if we had a system that worked.

I wonder if they have applied for a demolition permit? Applying for a demolition permit just means paying the fee and you have it. When you apply for a building permit there are any number of regulations you have to meet but getting a demolition permit is probably the only area where there is no red tape...."Only in Halifax"

Demolition threat:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...rGUiBnSBD5DxR2VjxXswCQ&cbp=12,95.56,,0,0

Imperial Oil Bldg:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...wbvgo1N4UPzLNGKWB0aTQ&cbp=12,282.11,,0,0

[scooby074]

Too bad, thats a classy building. Well other than the fact it has a sex shop jammed into it (giggity).

Again, it shows how Heritage is a failure.