General Updates and News

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by alps

Anyone know what that large building going up at Stadacona is?

This is Junior Ranks which will be residences and a new fleet club (link below has a rendering);


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[Ziobrop]

I noticed the dumpster and the hording was gone last week.
I suspect they never got the permit to close the sidewalk. Also a metro transit bus hit it one night, so I suspect the city had enough..

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by JET

Sort of have to wonder why they need a dumpster; since it's an empty shell, a small garbage can should suffice.

Queue the bi-weekly Cat9 joke.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I wouldn't say "scary" (but then i don't really scare easily) but there's definitely a certain.. sketchiness around the Nova Centre site and Barrington, mostly because parts of the streets/sidewalks have been taken up as part of the site. I'm not positive that plywood would help this at all but mitigating the dust and noise would definitely be a plus for neighbours.

I see what you mean about the sidewalk. I noticed around "The Maple" site yesterday that, yes, the missing sidewalk is definitely a pain. However, IMHO it's kind of nice to be able to look in and see what's going on - it's too bad they weren't able to keep the sidewalk open for people to get a better view. I wouldn't call it scary, necessarily, unless perhaps somebody suffers from acrophobia...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

I noticed the dumpster and the hording was gone last week.
I suspect they never got the permit to close the sidewalk. Also a metro transit bus hit it one night, so I suspect the city had enough..

The story I read said they did have a permit and that HRM lowered the boom anyway. I suspect there are a couple of sides to this one. Not sure how you solve an issue like this where you have a landlocked site on a busy narrow street.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The story I read said they did have a permit and that HRM lowered the boom anyway. I suspect there are a couple of sides to this one. Not sure how you solve an issue like this where you have a landlocked site on a busy narrow street.

Once/night you drive up a dump truck and use one of those conveyors and fill up and drive off. But only if the Moes know how to drive.

[alps]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

It's a barracks/mess for junior ranks, I believe.

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

This is Junior Ranks which will be residences and a new fleet club (link below has a rendering);


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

Thanks

[teddifax]

Crane is being assembled on old Halifax West High School site today.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That seems like a funny problem for a library to have. One would imagine they'd have built it a bit more robustly to deal with that.



Same with the Khyber. In that case, there HAS been a lot of deferred maintenance, and the building no doubt is in rough shape. And I'm worried about the long-term future of the building if the current fundraising effort and Neptune partnership somehow falls through. But it's not like the city's going to bring in the dozers in six months and auction off the lot to the highest bidder or something.

http://newscotlandclothing.ca/products/joel-plaskett-new-scotland-khyber-tee-100-canadian-made

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by JET

http://newscotlandclothing.ca/products/joel-plaskett-new-scotland-khyber-tee-100-canadian-made

Cool. Plaskett's also doing a benefit concert at the Shore Club in Hubbards in September.

[musicman]

Saw a bunch of dark blue crane sections coming from Haltern today. Looks to be a shinny new flat top. Hopefully it sticks around here.

[Dmajackson]

Beginning this week, and continuing until the end of September, Argyle Street will be closed from Thursday night - Sunday as part of pilot project to see what the street should look like following the opening of the Nova Centre in 2017.

DowntownHalifax.ca - Argyle Streetscaping Pilot Project

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Beginning this week, and continuing until the end of September, Argyle Street will be closed from Thursday night - Sunday as part of pilot project to see what the street should look like following the opening of the Nova Centre in 2017.

DowntownHalifax.ca - Argyle Streetscaping Pilot Project

That should be interesting. The street is kind of a pain to drive down on the weekend as it is, so this should make it better for everybody. Hopefully it pays off for the businesses there.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That should be interesting. The street is kind of a pain to drive down on the weekend as it is, so this should make it better for everybody. Hopefully it pays off for the businesses there.

I suspect the businesses will start screaming when they realize people in or wanting cabs cannot get to them and deliveries get obstructed.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I suspect the businesses will start screaming when they realize people in or wanting cabs cannot get to them and deliveries get obstructed.

I'm assuming that the DHBC collaborated with the businesses involved, but admittedly I don't know much about their function.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I'm assuming that the DHBC collaborated with the businesses involved, but admittedly I don't know much about their function.

I actually think it makes sense to permit cars on the street at all times, but make them share space with pedestrians. A true woonerf/shared street.

But I don't think it should be a huge deal for deliveries. The street will be closed only two-and-a-half days a week, and as for cabs, no one will have to walk more than half a block to get a cab, to the nearest cross-street.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I suspect the businesses will start screaming when they realize people in or wanting cabs cannot get to them and deliveries get obstructed.

Yeah, I think deliveries would probably be allowed (likely early morning delivery truck access on weekdays). Makes sense.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I actually think it makes sense to permit cars on the street at all times, but make them share space with pedestrians. A true woonerf/shared street.

Does that actually work well? I would think that cars trying to drive through a mass of drunk people on a Saturday night could be a recipe for disaster.

Not challenging your idea, just asking a question.

[OldDartmouthMark]

From the CH:

Halifax council tangles with condo assessments

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1300613-halifax-council-tangles-with-condo-assessments


Also:

Council OKs land-use amendment for Burnside office space

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1300686-council-oks-land-use-amendment-for-burnside-office-space

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Does that actually work well? I would think that cars trying to drive through a mass of drunk people on a Saturday night could be a recipe for disaster.

Not challenging your idea, just asking a question.

There are a number of places where this works--the key is designing the space so that it's obvious that cars must proceed with caution. One way is to lower the speed limit to, say, 20 km/h, but it should be obvious to a driver on the street that this is a slow-go zone. Removing lane markings and curbs and permitting pedestrians to spill out all over the place has the same effect.

Throw a bunch of people together in different transit modes, and they'll figure it out intuitively. I think even drink (most people, after all, aren't going to be falling down all over the place wasted.) If the street is narrow and there's a high volume of pedestrians, cars to slow. Kensington Market is a good example of this, though its streets aren't officially "shared." Pike Place in Seattle is a good example, and surely there must be drunk people there.