General Updates and News

[ILoveHalifax]

This calls for a celebration!
Maybe we can get a nice new 2015 model built on that site.

It will be fun to speculate on possibilities for the site.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Our fears are well founded. Minister Kousoulis will be recommending demolition of the Dennis: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scoti...g-in-halifax-facing-demolition-1.2644588

I'm compelled enough on this one to take action. Any suggestions for what I/we can do?

Kousoulis seems to have made up his mind, in reaction to the recommendation (which I find very dubious) that the building be torn down. But he also seems responsive to criticism. I emailed him about this last week and his assistant actually emailed me back and asked for my phone number, saying the minister would like to speak with me about it. He never did call me, but it seems that he does in fact receive and consider messages received by his office.

I think if enough people contact him directly, as well as local politicians including the mayor/councillor, to lobby the province on the building's behalf, there is a chance to turn things around or at least start a discussion about other options--whether dismantling and rebuilding the facade, or selling to a private developer who intends to make use of the structure. Who else in government would be in a position to do something about this?

I know in some cities, when developers have proposed destroying valuable buildings, city councils have passed emergency heritage legislation--wonder if that's possible here. (I also wonder if the building is in any way protected by the Barrington HCD--page 47 of this doc discusses the Birks site and the rear of the Dennus as part of the HCD.

If the province really wants to, of course, they can run roughshod over anything the city does. But if enough people are pissed off/in opposition to demolition, they may reconsider.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

This calls for a celebration!
Maybe we can get a nice new 2015 model built on that site.

It will be fun to speculate on possibilities for the site.

Since it's a government-owned site and they've expressed no intention to release it to the private sector or rebuild, I expect fuck all will happen with it. The building needs to be saved.

[xanaxanax]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

write letters, protest.
chain yourself to the building?

Is there anyone besides Kousoulis someone should write to as well

[JET]

Originally Posted by mcmcclassic

The block of former crack houses on Victoria Rd. are being demolished as of today. Bulldozer is onsite and has knocked one down already.

That is very good news; I wonder if anything is planned for there?

[JET]

Re the Dennis Building; it's not hard to find an engineer to say that an old building cannot be saved; it takes some effeort and interest to find someone that is able to say that they save old buildings like the Dennis all the time. I was in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and saw some nicely restored old buildings. I was also in Havana and it is amazing the old buildings that they have renovated and restored.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

Is there anyone besides Kousoulis someone could write to as well

Off-hand guesses? Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, Minister of Communities, Culture and heritage; Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism (tourism being key there, in respect to the city's historic character). Plus premier and deputy premier.

All found here.

I'd also recommend engaging Kousoulis on Twitter. He already got a (polite but forceful) dogpile today from a number of folks--more can't hurt.


The thing is, the Progressive Conservatives issued a press release a couple of weeks ago saying that Nova Scotians can't afford "another $47,000 winter" (i.e., heating the building while vacant). They encouraged the current gov to "make up its mind" about the building.

So Kousoulis is now saying the building should be demolished by autumn--basically, I think the government is fearful that the PCs will make it an issue of taxpayer responsibility if it's still standing, vacant, by winter, so they'd rather tear it down to keep up optics than give it the attention it deserves. It's goddamn sickening.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Off-hand guesses? Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, Minister of Communities, Culture and heritage; Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism (tourism being key there, in respect to the city's historic character). Plus premier and deputy premier.

All found here.

I'd also recommend engaging Kousoulis on Twitter. He already got a (polite but forceful) dogpile today from a number of folks--more can't hurt.


The thing is, the Progressive Conservatives issued a press release a couple of weeks ago saying that Nova Scotians can't afford "another $47,000 winter" (i.e., heating the building while vacant). They encouraged the current gov to "make up its mind" about the building.

So Kousoulis is now saying the building should be demolished by autumn--basically, I think the government is fearful that the PCs will make it an issue of taxpayer responsibility if it's still standing, vacant, by winter, so they'd rather tear it down to keep up optics than give it the attention it deserves. It's goddamn sickening.

There's also the Minister of Municipal Relations or whatever. The problem, is that he's actually from rural Nova Scotia so probably doesn't give a crap about downtown Halifax.

I honestly don't see the point of issuing a press release about demolishing the thing without having a clear idea of what to do with the land.

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER GOV OWNED BROWN SITE DOWNTOWN.

No one should support this action until the Province commits to invest in the land or sell it to a developer who would probably be thrilled to build something there while also saving part of the structure.

[teddifax]

Drove up Kempt Road last week and just in the area of the T4G Building (old Worldwide Furniture), there is a crane in place. What is going up there?

[Dmajackson]

Rendering of the proposed Daffodil Place Expansion at South & Wellington.

Stadd Report (See Attachment "E" on Page 20)

[kph06]

Originally Posted by teddifax

Drove up Kempt Road last week and just in the area of the T4G Building (old Worldwide Furniture), there is a crane in place. What is going up there?

New Halifax Audi dealership.

[bluenoser]

Scotia Square food court gets a makeover
THE CHRONICLE HERALD
Published May 29, 2014 - 4:26pm
Last Updated May 29, 2014 - 4:30pm

Scotia Square renovation to feature new flooring, lighting and TVs

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1210968-scotia-square-food-court-gets-a-makeover
An artist’s rendering of the new Scotia Sqaure food court. Being called The Mix by owner Crombie REIT, the food court will be getting a $3 million makeover designed by Architecture49 of Halifax. (CONTRIBUTED)

As former Scotia Square favourite Ray’s Lebanese Cuisine gets ready to reopen at its new Burnside location, the owner of the downtown Halifax mall says its $3-million food court makeover is underway.

...

The renovation, which includes upgraded finishes, flooring, lighting and TVs, was designed by Architecture49 of Halifax, Crombie REIT said in a news release issued Thursday.

...

The company said the food court will remain open as work continues through the summer and into the fall, and is the third phase of the company’s redevelopment plan launched in 2012 with the renovation of Barrington Tower and later Barrington Place. Work on the parkade at Scotia Square is also nearing completion, according to the release.

The company’s “overall master plan … has the potential to add up to one million square feet of upgraded mixed-use space to the existing two-million-square-foot complex,” the release said.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1210968-scotia-square-food-court-gets-a-makeover

Looks pretty good, although I don't know why Ray's couldn't have been a part of this.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by bluenoser

Looks pretty good, although I don't know why Ray's couldn't have been a part of this.

He could have been if he had been willing to pay twice the rent had had been paying.

[xanaxanax]

Halifax Forum talk, build expansions, build a new facility, build a new facilitates in new locations possibly shannon park and or windsor park and make the old Halifax Forum surplus land. The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scoti...close-under-new-arena-proposal-1.2659592

[Jonovision]

A lot of progress made this week on the retail at Brunswick.

[hokus83]

Is there a recap anywhere of the city talk yesterday of art centre, stadium, forum, rail transit, new cop shop ect... did they end up covering all of that? I hadn't seen anything online of it

[bluenoser]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

A lot of progress made this week on the retail at Brunswick.

Wow, IMO they've already improved that side of the street by about 700%.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

A lot of progress made this week on the retail at Brunswick.

That is remarkable. I looked for a similar perspective in Google Street View and I was amazed at the difference.

This was posted before, but here is the link showing the work being done to the three apartment towers - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/Case19058.pdf. I wish the massive blank concrete wall along Cogswell could be improved.

[mcmcclassic]

Work is well underway on a new interchange between exits 5 and 6 on the 103(I always hated that particular stretch of highway).

It'll be nice having an exit but I find these help fuel even more suburban sprawl (ex. exit 2A on the 101).

[mcmcclassic]

I had a talk with Mayor Savage about development in Halifax and got a chance to shamelessly promote SSP Halifax too. He hadn't heard of the forum and was super interested in it (I rhymed off a few of our active threads for reference).

Anyone who comes in contact with the Mayor at all (aka Councillor Mason) should mention SSP to him again when relevant. I bet Savage would actually contribute if he remembered to.