General Updates and News

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Right now, we don't have museums, public spaces, or public uses, because its just a bunch of parking lots and former industrial brown sites. Government is not going to develop, so if we want these things, it will be private developers.

There's Alderney Gate/Landing and quite a bit of parkland surrounding that..

[Keith P.]

Parking lots, not parkland.

Given the mess that Alderney Landing turned out to be, I don't think we should look to govt to develop our downtown.

When the market demands it, those properties will be developed. That's why most municipal planning exercises are a foolish waste of effort. No sense planning for something that you cannot control or afford, and no sense having a plan that would turn away someone willing to invest 10s or 100s of millions of dollars on lots that have been empty for generations.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Parking lots, not parkland.

Given the mess that Alderney Landing turned out to be, I don't think we should look to govt to develop our downtown.

When the market demands it, those properties will be developed. That's why most municipal planning exercises are a foolish waste of effort. No sense planning for something that you cannot control or afford, and no sense having a plan that would turn away someone willing to invest 10s or 100s of millions of dollars on lots that have been empty for generations.

The block north of Alderney Landing was used by staff for free parking and in my recollection was part of collective agreements. The next block has belonged to CN since the railway arrived in Dartmouth.
Alderney Gate was developed by Micheal Zatzman in response to a call for proposals for a new library. I was at the council meeting the night the deal was approved. Joe Zatzman told Michael he was wrong to take on such a risk. The office space was mostly taken up by the City of Dartmouth because demand for space in Dartmouth was, and is, almost non-existent.
The politicians touted the project as a new start for downtown blah, blah, blah. The usual low brow desperate boosterism so common for the last 60+ years.
The history of Dartmouth development is the history of Burnside, everything else was well down the list as the city poured money into Burnside.
Just over 20 years ago I gathered together all the data for the property taxes generated in Burnside and compared it with taxes generated in downtown Dartmouth. Downtown had a smaller footprint, no investment by the city and generated more taxes per acre than Burnside.
If we want more people in the core we must attract more families - they spend more in the community than singles and seniors. They have been going to the burbs and RP+5 will do nothing to change the situation.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Colin May

If we want more people in the core we must attract more families - they spend more in the community than singles and seniors. They have been going to the burbs and RP+5 will do nothing to change the situation.

Yet, demographically there are less families, and they are coming from rural areas... a house in the burbs is normal to them.

To get people living downtown we need immigrant families who are used to urbanity... not those driving massive trucks who live in Sackville or wherever.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Yet, demographically there are less families, and they are coming from rural areas... a house in the burbs is normal to them.

To get people living downtown we need immigrant families who are used to urbanity... not those driving massive trucks who live in Sackville or wherever.

I think you *and* Colin are right... it's a combination of both.

I think you need more of everyone downtown. As for existing NS families, going forward, studies suggest that millenials are gravitate to urban cores, and are building their lives/families there. Generation Xers, who grew up in the burbs, are gravitating to urban core too. And now, Boomers-- who basically radically expanded and grew the burbs-- are returning to downtown areas,

However, we need to incentivize all of this, to push it forward.

And we definitely need many, many, many, more immigrant families and new Canadians to migrate and settle here; they create jobs (new Canadians much more likely to start own business and also import/export) and also live downtown (as that is what they're used to).

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

I think you *and* Colin are right... it's a combination of both.

I think you need more of everyone downtown. As for existing NS families, going forward, studies suggest that millenials are gravitate to urban cores, and are building their lives/families there. Generation Xers, who grew up in the burbs, are gravitating to urban core too. And now, Boomers-- who basically radically expanded and grew the burbs-- are returning to downtown areas,

However, we need to incentivize all of this, to push it forward.

And we definitely need many, many, many, more immigrant families and new Canadians to migrate and settle here; they create jobs (new Canadians much more likely to start own business and also import/export) and also live downtown (as that is what they're used to).

We need families in the core to sustain the schools. All new school construction in HRM has been in the old county, with the exception of Citadel High. School closures have been focussed in the regional centre. Planning staff have been well aware of the issue but have ignored schools because they view education as a 'provincial issue'.
If we want to attract people to the urban core we need modern schools in park like settings and, as a community focus, daycare and recreation space.

I went to a campus with 3 schools for students aged 11-18. Each school had a gym and 2 had a pool. Outside were extensive sports fields - the campus was designed in 1953 and the first school opened in 1956. What we have in the urban core is bush league by comparison.
Businesses looking to expand look for first class public schools, good cultural life, recreation and quick links to the rest of the world.
One of these days the province and HRM will wake up and decide to build a world class and iconic public school ( wander around the net looking at public architecture and you find amazing buildings)

Imagine HRM buying Brightwood and putting this building on the site :
http://www.pmdevereux.com/Projects/All-Projects/Monkseaton-High-School.aspx


or this one : http://www.worldbuildingsdirectory.com/project.cfm?id=5025
How fast would people move into the urban core

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Colin May

We need families in the core to sustain the schools. All new school construction in HRM has been in the old county, with the exception of Citadel High. School closures have been focussed in the regional centre. Planning staff have been well aware of the issue but have ignored schools because they view education as a 'provincial issue'.
If we want to attract people to the urban core we need modern schools in park like settings and, as a community focus, daycare and recreation space.

*strongly* agree with this. New and excellent schools are a *major* concern for young families. Very much need a better strategy on this, to focus on rehabilitating some schools in the core and building newer/bigger ones.

[Keith P.]

Once Gloria leaves Council, Brightwood may have a chance to get re-purposed but until then she will not allow anything there to change. I think the club would welcome the opportunity to move.

The problem with our schools is that they are built based upon bare-bones Dept of Education designs using low-bid contractors. The only schools that have come close to being something special were the short-lived P3 projects of the late 1990s which were unfortunately boondoggles thanks to govt ineptitude in writing and negotiating contracts.

A block away from Brightwood, millions were recently spent on Dartmouth High to build a precast concrete box that they painted to make it not look like bare concrete. I can well imagine how awful it will look in a few years.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Colin May

There is one property a few blocks from the waterfront that has been empty for almost 50 years. Zoned for 84 units of townhouses for more than a decade and the owner has done nothing.
What should HRM do to ensure their planning policy for the area is complied with ? (The policy seeks to increase the number of families in the area)

Is this the area to which you are referring? (Park Ave, King St, Edward St block) http://binged.it/1sxFDtV

I remember houses being there way back, and all being torn down with the blocks being left vacant. Could see foundations there in the '80s, but now it's all overgrown.

Always wondered what happened - why they would just tear down a couple of blocks of houses and then just leave the area vacant.

This would be a prime downtown development location, right next to the park and a 2 minute walk to the ferry.

Empty lots like this are why I believe land such as the old city hall location should not be handed over for private development at this time. Eventually the surrounding neighborhood will be built up (when is anybody's guess) and the residents should have prime waterfront space available for the enjoyment of the public. Give it away now and it's gone forever.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Is this the area to which you are referring? (Park Ave, King St, Edward St block) http://binged.it/1sxFDtV

I remember houses being there way back, and all being torn down with the blocks being left vacant. Could see foundations there in the '80s, but now it's all overgrown.

Always wondered what happened - why they would just tear down a couple of blocks of houses and then just leave the area vacant.

This would be a prime downtown development location, right next to the park and a 2 minute walk to the ferry.

Empty lots like this are why I believe land such as the old city hall location should not be handed over for private development at this time. Eventually the surrounding neighborhood will be built up (when is anybody's guess) and the residents should have prime waterfront space available for the enjoyment of the public. Give it away now and it's gone forever.

Yes. A few foundations are still visible.
HRM has it as an 'opportunity' site It is 2.1 acres and zoned for 42 units per acre. Grossly under assessed but I called the provincial assessment people more than 5 years ago when it was on the roll at less than $400,000 and my 2500 sg ft lot was assessed at $50,000. I argued that as the site was suitable for 19 lots the property was worth at least $950,000. The assessment went up but was appealed , it is now at $989,900 f - really worth at least $2 million.
The developer was from Toronto with a home in Bedford and back in 1989 I was in a meeting with him and John Savage and staff trying to push him to develop the site for families but all he wanted was apartments, no interest in owner occupied. He tried to change the downtown plan to allow two tall apartment buildings but planners and residents successfully argued for sticking to the plan. If HRM had sense they would expropriate and call for proposals for townhouse development - the tax loss from under assessment and no development is substantial.
The city just seems unwilling to push the envelope. The tax revenue loss from not being aggressive in pushing development on empty lots combined with the tax revenue loss from grossly under assessed properties is in the millions.

The land at the bridge belongs to the Murphy family in Charlottetown, owner of all Timmies in PEI see this article : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-inv...icle6966097/?page=all#dashboard/follows/

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by Colin May

The land at the bridge belongs to the Murphy family in Charlottetown, owner of all Timmies in PEI see this article : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-inv...icle6966097/?page=all#dashboard/follows/

So the rumor I've heard that the owner wants to build a hotel on the site checks out. That would be one of the 40 he wishes to own by 2030. I would prefer a hotel to a vacant lot at this point.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by curnhalio

So the rumor I've heard that the owner wants to build a hotel on the site checks out. That would be one of the 40 he wishes to own by 2030. I would prefer a hotel to a vacant lot at this point.

The smaller lots are zoned for residential and the larger lots on Wyse are commercial. There are at least 2 other hotels planned for downtown Halifax and the market prefers Halifax.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Colin May

Yes. A few foundations are still visible.
HRM has it as an 'opportunity' site It is 2.1 acres and zoned for 42 units per acre. Grossly under assessed but I called the provincial assessment people more than 5 years ago when it was on the roll at less than $400,000 and my 2500 sg ft lot was assessed at $50,000. I argued that as the site was suitable for 19 lots the property was worth at least $950,000. The assessment went up but was appealed , it is now at $989,900 f - really worth at least $2 million.
The developer was from Toronto with a home in Bedford and back in 1989 I was in a meeting with him and John Savage and staff trying to push him to develop the site for families but all he wanted was apartments, no interest in owner occupied. He tried to change the downtown plan to allow two tall apartment buildings but planners and residents successfully argued for sticking to the plan. If HRM had sense they would expropriate and call for proposals for townhouse development - the tax loss from under assessment and no development is substantial.
The city just seems unwilling to push the envelope. The tax revenue loss from not being aggressive in pushing development on empty lots combined with the tax revenue loss from grossly under assessed properties is in the millions.

The land at the bridge belongs to the Murphy family in Charlottetown, owner of all Timmies in PEI see this article : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-inv...icle6966097/?page=all#dashboard/follows/

Thanks Colin. Now I have "the rest of the story". Hopefully something will be done with it some day - that would actually be a REALLY nice neighborhood to build in - I like it there a lot. :twocents:

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Thanks Colin. Now I have "the rest of the story". Hopefully something will be done with it some day - that would actually be a REALLY nice neighborhood to build in - I like it there a lot. :twocents:

The neighbourhood is changing as the 30 somethings move in with kids or planning to have kids. " The more the merrier " I say. Where there is life there is hope , and seeing new life gives us hope for the future.
Joel Plaskett lives across the road from the property which we have always called 'Dell Holdings'.

I am reading 'Austerity Britain, 1945-1951' by David Kynaston and the early pages deal with urban planning for new housing and new town/city centres. It is available as an e-book and I recommend it to everyone interested in the density debate and the role of tall buildings versus suburbia.
Planners should definitely study how the debate was framed before the end of WWII and understand the social context of the time when housing, healthcare and education were undergoing vast changes. A bit like reading a personal history.
here is a review : http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/may/20/historybooks.features

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by Colin May

The smaller lots are zoned for residential and the larger lots on Wyse are commercial. There are at least 2 other hotels planned for downtown Halifax and the market prefers Halifax.

I've always thought it would be a perfect spot for a townhouse style development. Maybe even built to look like brownstones. The Wyse Rd lots can have a mid-rise building with commercial on the ground floor. A hotel could certainly work into that, but there is already the Holiday Inn right there and a number of hotels in downtown Dartmouth. So, if this guy can't ever build his hotel, is anything EVER going to be built there?

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Thanks Colin. Now I have "the rest of the story". Hopefully something will be done with it some day - that would actually be a REALLY nice neighborhood to build in - I like it there a lot. :twocents:

The City of Dartmouth sold to Dell Holdings the part of Park Avenue which abuts the their property and Dartmouth Common some time in the late 1970s and the boundary is now about 15 feet from the metal fence.
The property is best viewed at http://www.viewpoint.ca/

[counterfactual]

Mattress entrepreneur forced to find other work to stay in Halifax

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scoti...-other-work-to-stay-in-halifax-1.2625617

'They call me the mattress man,' says Chen Qing, who graduated from Saint Mary's University

An international student from China, who started a $200,000 business selling mattresses out of his Halifax apartment, says he's been told by the government that if he wants to be a permanent resident he'll have to work for somebody else.

Chen Qing moved to Canada in 2009. While studying business at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, he went from selling his possessions online to operating a mattress and furniture showroom out of a penthouse on South Street.

Qing said it all started with two movie tickets he won.

"I didn't have a girlfriend at the time. I was thinking I should probably sell it instead of going to the movie," he told Stephanie Domet on Mainstreet.

"Pretty much most Chinese students [in Halifax], they buy their mattress from me," he said. "They call me the mattress man."

Qing now carries mattresses from 10 suppliers and runs a showroom called Hometown Furniture and Mattress Ltd. out of a penthouse unit. He said he sold approximately 384 mattresses last year.

Immigration woes

Qing graduated from Saint Mary's University in January. He said he likes Halifax and wants to stay to continue to grow his business.

But he soon found out if he wants to be a permanent resident he needs to get a full-time job — and work for someone else, not himself.

"I can't apply based on my own company," Qing said. "I was quite surprised actually."

The irony is Hometown Furniture and Mattress Ltd. is doing so well, Qing has hired a Canadian sales representative to work with him.

Qing said there's no path in Nova Scotia to encourage young international students to apply for permanent residency as an entrepreneur.

This is a prototypical immigration story. A young immigrant has come to Halifax, and started TWO businesses, meeting a neglected need in the marketplace-- that is, selling to immigrant/student communities. And not only is he making money, but he's creating jobs-- he's hired an entire sales team.

But neither NS or the Canadian Government have a means for him to apply for permanent residency. Instead, he needs to work for someone else to apply.

Ludicrous. Idiotic. Brainless. Hopeless.

[Ziobrop]

not sure if there is thread for the Halifax Apartments retail expansion on Brunswick St (Couldnt find it if there was)
But Steel was going up on friday.

[Jonovision]

Another pic from today.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

This is a prototypical immigration story. A young immigrant has come to Halifax, and started TWO businesses, meeting a neglected need in the marketplace-- that is, selling to immigrant/student communities. And not only is he making money, but he's creating jobs-- he's hired an entire sales team.

But neither NS or the Canadian Government have a means for him to apply for permanent residency. Instead, he needs to work for someone else to apply.

Ludicrous. Idiotic. Brainless. Hopeless.

Here is an example of an employer attempting to get around efforts by the governments of Nova Scotia to ensure Nova Scotians and other Canadian residents were employed in the offshore oil and gas exploration off Nova Scotia in the 1980s.
A Canadian company was bringing a rig over from the North Sea to drill on the Scotian Shelf. My job was to ensure all companies involved in the offshore had a succession plan to replace foreigners with Nova Scotians and other Canadian residents - the requirement was part of the conditions to obtain a permit for offshore exploration.
I met with a Canadian from Calgary and he told me that the rig would be 100% Canadian within a few weeks. This had never been done before so I asked how this was going to be achieved. He told me that he was meeting with Flora MacDonald in Ottawa the next day and all the rig crew were to become landed immigrants and thus his company would meet the requirements of the permit. He was less than happy when I told him that would not happen and Nova Scotia would make sure they fulfilled the same obligations that applied to all other companies. He seemed to think that the feds and Flora called all the shots so I reminded him that jurisidiction in the offshore was shared by the two governments and that now that Mulroney was PM the federal government would consult with the province before making any decision on his request. And off he went to Ottawa and he didn't get what he thought was a slam dunk. In dealing with US, European and Canadian companies I can tell you that the Canadians were the worst and the Yanks were the best - Rowan couldn't get enough Nova Scotians and they employed them around the world. Sedco built rigs in Halifax and hired Nova Scotians who gained promotion to senior positions and worked all over the world.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. The young man should be allowed to run his business and become a citizen of Nova Scotia.