Development Rumours

[BravoZulu]

Originally Posted by someone123

Southwest is planning to build a 20-storey residential building on the Staples site at Gottingen and Cogswell once the current lease for the building runs out.

Fantastic news! Development in this area really has the potential to bridge the gap between downtown and the northend and make it all feel like it is continuous. Hopefully there isn't too much time left on the lease.

I would imagine they can do all the planning now and have the development approved before hand and then be ready to break gound the minute the lease expires though right?

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by resetcbu1

Maybe staples could move into one of the vacant store fronts along Barrington st , I'm sure the do ok with all the office activities in the area

Scotia Square seems like a logical place for it.

[Keith P.]

Whatever happened to the proposal for the former church site just down the hill from Staples? I can't even remember the name or anything about it. Was I dreaming?

[hoser111]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Whatever happened to the proposal for the former church site just down the hill from Staples? I can't even remember the name or anything about it. Was I dreaming?

It is(was?) called Trinity, 18 floors. I believe it is Metledge behind it but I expect he's going to have his hands full with the Fenwick redevelopment shortly.

[someone123]

Yeah, my understanding is that he put Trinity on hold until after Fenwick is done, so it is maybe 5 years off.

I'm a little worried that something similar will happen with Southwest and the Bank of Canada proposal, although at least that site isn't entirely a parking lot.

[alps]

Fantastic news!! That project will be such a huge opportunity to improve both streets. I also hate how prominent the Staples sign is from Citadel when looking toward the bridge.

The store isn't very old. I remember it being built around 1995 (was an Irving station before that I think.)

[Jstaleness]

As long as Propeller is left alone I am good. Staples could use a smaller footprint store anyway. They aren't the big "we carry everything" brand they used to be.

[resetcbu1]

Then if only they could bulldoze most of north to North st and redevelop the true urban core would be most impressive

[bluenoser]

^^ This is great news! I also wonder about Southwest's plans, though - they seem to have a lot on the go right now and I'd still rather see Bank of Canada and the Cunard Block go ahead before this one... In any case, good to hear. This can/will make for a much better 'grand entrance' to Gottingen St.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by resetcbu1

Then if only they could bulldoze most of north to North st and redevelop the true urban core would be most impressive

Haha, good luck.

Also, I think this would be horrible. Bulldoze Gottingen, Brunswick, Creighton, Maynard, Agricola, etc? This is in many ways one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Halifax and there are not really many others like it in Canada (or probably even North America). Let's not bulldoze the North End.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Haha, good luck.

Also, I think this would be horrible. Bulldoze Gottingen, Brunswick, Creighton, Maynard, Agricola, etc? This is in many ways one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Halifax and there are not really many others like it in Canada (or probably even North America). Let's not bulldoze the North End.

Yeah. We already bulldozed too much of it as it is. (Like, where the Staples is right now.)

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Yeah. We already bulldozed too much of it as it is. (Like, where the Staples is right now.)

Yes, we all still pine for the old gas station/used car lot that was there since forever.

[resetcbu1]

I actually meant uniacke square and the surrounding slums more than the well maintained heritage homes and unique churches.... I would say slums and housing projects occupy 2\3 of the area up to north st ...... If you would miss that, give your head a shake..... If it falls off hive it a boot.

[someone123]

I am not sure which neighbourhoods specifically you are talking about when you say areas "up to North Street". Many of the streets west of Gottingen (e.g. Bauer) are actually quite nice and the rest is very mixed; some blocks will be half slum but then other properties are well-kept and valuable. Brunswick for example used to be pretty much all run down and now it is mixed.

I think the neighbourhood will be quite nice in a few years, particularly if areas like Uniacke Square are appropriately redeveloped. Some good redevelopment would go a long way in terms of creating some goodwill in the neighbourhood and showing that the "locals vs. gentrifiers" perspective is largely false. There's no reason why the neighbourhood as a whole can't work better for both new and current residents; so much land and so many buildings there are not being managed properly and aren't really benefiting anybody.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

I am not sure which neighbourhoods specifically you are talking about when you say areas "up to North Street". Many of the streets west of Gottingen (e.g. Bauer) are actually quite nice and the rest is very mixed; some blocks will be half slum but then other properties are well-kept and valuable. Brunswick for example used to be pretty much all run down and now it is mixed.

Agreed. Some of the most attractive and densely built housing stock in the city is in that area. I'm not gonna tally up what's on every block, but I'd bet over half that land area (like, east of Robie/Commons, above Cogswell, below North) is decently or very well-kept 19th century houses, plus the Gottingen/Agricola main streets. Then there are some slummy bits, but they shouldn't be knocked down--those run-down houses are slowly being bought up, renovated, and restored to better-than-ever shape.

There ARE a lot of unfortunate warehouses, autobody shops, and that awful O'Regan's car dealership, but even that stuff is getting slowly filled in.

Uniacke Square is a pretty small part of that whole area, and anyway, we can't just knock it down without a plan in place for the people who live there.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by someone123

Southwest is planning to build a 20-storey residential building on the Staples site at Gottingen and Cogswell once the current lease for the building runs out.

Looks like huge changes are in store for this area over the next 5-10 years.

Source?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Source?

This was in Allnovascotia.

[Jringe01]

Originally Posted by hollistreet

Yes. There is a Staples on the ground floor of an office building on University Ave. in Toronto.

Also at Gare Centrale and Place Dupuis in Montreal

[Fischbob]

They also have a smaller-format Staples store (mainly stationery, pens, etc.) at the Faubourg Sainte-Catherine near Concordia University in Montreal. It's totally doable.

I always shake my head whenever I encounter the Cogswell Staples while exploring Halifax in Google/Bing Maps. Redeveloping that site would be a HUGE step toward reconnecting Downtown and the North End.

[resetcbu1]

Originally Posted by someone123

I am not sure which neighbourhoods specifically you are talking about when you say areas "up to North Street". Many of the streets west of Gottingen (e.g. Bauer) are actually quite nice and the rest is very mixed; some blocks will be half slum but then other properties are well-kept and valuable. Brunswick for example used to be pretty much all run down and now it is mixed.

I think the neighbourhood will be quite nice in a few years, particularly if areas like Uniacke Square are appropriately redeveloped. Some good redevelopment would go a long way in terms of creating some goodwill in the neighbourhood and showing that the "locals vs. gentrifiers" perspective is largely false. There's no reason why the neighbourhood as a whole can't work better for both new and current residents; so much land and so many buildings there are not being managed properly and aren't really benefiting anybody.

My bad .... I meant between Gottingen and brunswick from North Park to North. I admit I haven't been down there in years because I have been here in Calgary for the last decade and when I do get home I don't find my self in this area too often,but I did at one point live on Brunswick and from my memories it was awful but I agree that west of Gottigen has been well restored with nice old houses and new row houses that fit in the area very well.