Development Rumours

[dtown]

well the article says they are moving to the old RIM building in Bedford, but also to Scotia Square. Im just not sure where in Scotia Square they are going to fit all the new people.

[JET]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

Well I would hope that if it's an ocean research centre you would need boats (thus a dock) and then an office to do the data crunching. I would think that from a logistics perspective it would be better to have one facility that provides both dock a boat and provide provisions and then the office/research component close by?

BIO has boats, makes sense to me that the other folks could also locate by BIO and use their docks, and maybe the same boats. Fisheries research was on the Halifax waterfront for years, but i don't recall that they needed boats or docks related to their research.
Dal has an Oceanography department located on the Dal campus. Sounds like a lot of hoooey to me.

[JET]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Well actually the reason that it's a good choice because it's on the water and already has docking facilities that can be used for ocean-going research vessels.

It's that very reason that BIO is at the water as well. Their labs are at the facility and they have the ability to transport research items to and from the ocean directly at their facility.

I hope it works out for them.

I thought that BIO was moving all their research to their current and new buildings, and wouldn't be where the coast guard has been located.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

I thought that BIO was moving all their research to their current and new buildings, and wouldn't be where the coast guard has been located.

I wasn't aware of their move. Was going by past information of BIO based on a workterm there in the nineties. Admittedly, I haven't kept up on the goings-on there since.

At that time, the ocean-going aspect was integral to their research activities, but this was before massive cuts by the feds to DFO and other scientific research across the country.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by JET

BIO has boats, makes sense to me that the other folks could also locate by BIO and use their docks, and maybe the same boats. Fisheries research was on the Halifax waterfront for years, but i don't recall that they needed boats or docks related to their research.
Dal has an Oceanography department located on the Dal campus. Sounds like a lot of hoooey to me.

When we met with WDCC we didn't get to talk about the Dartmouth site they just purchased. So I honestly don't remember what they told us about the project - I seem to recall it was very little because we were more focused on a bunch of the urban realm projects that Waterfront had planned along the boardwalk.

[visualman57]

Originally Posted by dtown

well the article says they are moving to the old RIM building in Bedford, but also to Scotia Square. Im just not sure where in Scotia Square they are going to fit all the new people.

I know there was a refit to the Duke Tower after NSP left, perhaps that is what they plan to occupy. The new additions to Scotia Square would be too small for the number of people moving.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by dtown

well the article says they are moving to the old RIM building in Bedford, but also to Scotia Square. Im just not sure where in Scotia Square they are going to fit all the new people.

Stupid RIM building keeps sucking good businesses out of downtown, including IBM, which is partnering with Dal on analytics.

Yet instead of being near Dal, it's out in lalaland where no student could ever access the place.

Very dumb.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by curnhalio

http://www.unitedgulf.ca/communities/future/10-list/29-halifax-west-high-school-site-redevelopment

Site work was underway here this morning, I don't know if it has hit anyone's radar here.

United Gulf?

Are these guys going to do anything about the Tex Park site?

In December, 2013, they said they'd have a plan in "the next year to 18 months".

http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/874994/...-site-re-examining-twisted-sisters-plan/

It's now 1 year and 3 months.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

[someone123]

The United Gulf/TexPark story is kind of interesting. That was one of the first of what was in retrospect a handful of major downtown developments, but it's just about the last one out of the gate. Several lots next to the former TexPark site are going to be developed first.

I hope United Gulf's plans are to either develop something in the ~20 storey range in keeping with HRMbyDesign or sell off the site. The lot is quickly going to look like more and more of a sore thumb along an otherwise nicely developed street.

[DigitalNinja]

I thought that United Gulf had some big lawsuit against them due to one of the condo towers that they put up? Maybe I'm thinking of some other company though...

It would be nice to hear something on the Tex Park site! One of the few remaining vacant lots in downtown. It will be nice to have all of the vacant lots complete!

[hokus83]

Originally Posted by DigitalNinja

I thought that United Gulf had some big lawsuit against them due to one of the condo towers that they put up? Maybe I'm thinking of some other company though...

It would be nice to hear something on the Tex Park site! One of the few remaining vacant lots in downtown. It will be nice to have all of the vacant lots complete!

Few meaning a few dozen? there's at least 20+ off the top of my head without even looking at a map

[someone123]

The developer that worked on 5505 Falkland has stated that they're now looking at doing another rental building somewhere in the downtown area.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by hokus83

Few meaning a few dozen? there's at least 20+ off the top of my head without even looking at a map

That's probably an accurate number. I wonder when something will happen at the "sands of salter" lot... it sucked that the approved development was shut down.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by dtown

I know that there was those 2 planned expansions to Scotia Square, (one on Barrington and one on the corner of Albemarle and Duke) now that Aliant is pulling out of the Maritime Centre, anyone know if either of these spaces is where they plan to go?

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1276716-bell-aliant-unplugs-at-maritime-centre

Although I don't know if this space is being taken by Bell Aliant it will likely hasten the construction as leasable space is absorbed. The two projects will add an additional 144,000 square feet to Scotia Square:
1) Barrington Street addition with 24,000 square feet - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/7.1130411drc.pdf - was approved by the Design Review Committee on April 11, 2013 - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/130411.pdf
2) Duke and Albemarle Street addition called the Westhill on Duke - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/Case18354.pdf and http://www.halifaxdevelopments.com/images/westhill-leasing-package.pdf - with 120,000 square feet was approved by the Design Review Committee on March 14, 2013 - http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/drc/documents/130314.pdf.

I have mixed feelings about seeing Scotia Square expanded, however both projects will add glass additions to what are currently mostly concrete/brick exteriors.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

The developer that worked on 5505 Falkland has stated that they're now looking at doing another rental building somewhere in the downtown area.

Who's the developer? 5505 was a great shot of new residents for Gottingen, but the building design itself was awful. Curious about the rest of their portfolio.

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by someone123

The developer that worked on 5505 Falkland has stated that they're now looking at doing another rental building somewhere in the downtown area.

I hear the units are very nice, but hopefully the new building has a better curb appeal.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by someone123

The developer that worked on 5505 Falkland has stated that they're now looking at doing another rental building somewhere in the downtown area.

I heard that too - hope they put a little more effort into the exterior.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I heard that too - hope they put a little more effort into the exterior.

Less faux stone would be a good start.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Who's the developer? 5505 was a great shot of new residents for Gottingen, but the building design itself was awful. Curious about the rest of their portfolio.

Not sure what the company is called (maybe they are just numbered companies?). I believe the builders are Sayed and Joe Arab.

It is worth noting that many developers' projects have varied tremendously over time depending on budgets and what architects were involved. I also think the quality level has tended to go up over time.

I am not a huge fan of the exterior appearance of 5505 Falkland but when you consider it in the context of where and when it was built I think it is one of the more significant developments of the past decade. It was, along with maybe Theatre Lofts, one of the first medium-sized private projects on Gottingen Street. It has also managed to attract some great ground floor tenants.

[Jonovision]

I was poking around this evening and found this massing model buried in the development application for the Barrington Street addition on Scotia Square. I knew a mixed use building was planned for the parkade on Brunswick but I didn't expect it to be that big given what we saw in the Cogswell renderings.