General Updates and News

[Jonovision]

Articles this week in both the Metro and Chronicle stating that the Barrington Street Addition to Scotia Square will begin construction next month.

The large bus shelter for the LINK buses has already been removed.

This should do a lot for this wasteland of an area.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

Articles this week in both the Metro and Chronicle stating that the Barrington Street Addition to Scotia Square will begin construction next month.

The large bus shelter for the LINK buses has already been removed.

This should do a lot for this wasteland of an area.

This will be an incredible improvement, especially having indoor waiting area for buses. What a brutal wasteland for riders right now...

[JET]

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/edmonton-towers

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by JET

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/edmonton-towers

Edmonton has had a real spate of downtown development lately (similar to Halifax) after years of stagnation (ditto).

Unfortunately, most of the development has been half-baked in the design phase, and even moreso in the execution. The Quarters redevelopment, the "Brewery District", the "Ice District," and this kind of thing posted above. It's a bit of a shit show. Halifax's developments are generally smaller, but better, and that's a direct result of superior planning.

[Nouvellecosse]

Can anyone tell me what's happening with this?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Can anyone tell me what's happening with this?


http://i.imgur.com/WJ2Rr9m.jpg

(source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scoti...-building-could-be-redeveloped-1.3074575 )

Crews are gutting the 152-year-old Dennis Building to remove mould and asbestos. The exterior is so deteriorated, officials have put up scaffolding around the downtown Halifax building to protect pedestrians in case a brick or stone breaks loose and falls.

[macgregor]

Councillor Mason's newsletter told us the good news that a tender was awarded for the demolition of Eliza Ritchie Hall starting this month. An information session was held Sept 24.

http://www.dal.ca/dept/facilities/news-e...s_centre__construction_update_no__2.html

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

(source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scoti...-building-could-be-redeveloped-1.3074575 )

Crews are gutting the 152-year-old Dennis Building to remove mould and asbestos. The exterior is so deteriorated, officials have put up scaffolding around the downtown Halifax building to protect pedestrians in case a brick or stone breaks loose and falls.

"The province is especially interested in parking for provincial politicians and staff at Province House across from the Dennis Building."

I wish there was some way I could strangle them. Legally, of course. I don't want to go to jail or anything.

[Nouvellecosse]

What we really need is for the facade to be incorporated into a nice 12 story office tower. That parking space that's fronting Barrington has been bothering me for over 15 years.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

"The province is especially interested in parking for provincial politicians and staff at Province House across from the Dennis Building."

I wish there was some way I could strangle them. Legally, of course. I don't want to go to jail or anything.

I guess they think that tax-payers should spend millions in construction costs for free parking spots instead of them paying for a parking spot like other downtown office workers .

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I guess they think that tax-payers should spend millions in construction costs for free parking spots instead of them paying for a parking spot like other downtown office workers .

This will really grind your gears: unless it has changed, traditionally a Minister would have 3 or more parking spots, all paid for by the taxpayer: one at the location of the Department for which they are responsible (or at each department if they had more than one portfolio); one at Province House; and one at their constituency office. Plus of course a Ministerial car, also provided by their department.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This will really grind your gears: unless it has changed, traditionally a Minister would have 3 or more parking spots, all paid for by the taxpayer: one at the location of the Department for which they are responsible (or at each department if they had more than one portfolio); one at Province House; and one at their constituency office. Plus of course a Ministerial car, also provided by their department.

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

"The province is especially interested in parking for provincial politicians and staff at Province House across from the Dennis Building."

I wish there was some way I could strangle them. Legally, of course. I don't want to go to jail or anything.

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I guess they think that tax-payers should spend millions in construction costs for free parking spots instead of them paying for a parking spot like other downtown office workers .

Incredibly annoying, useless, and yet, so predictable. Did I mention how much I loathe Nova Scotia provincial governments? Of all stripes?

Ignorant, lazy, corrupt, cheap, dumb, low-brow, entitled, anti-Halifax, anti-youth, anti-creativity, anti-innovation, anti-change, anti-downtown, anti-any-useful-idea, and pro-anything-to-help-themselves. Literally, all the same too. Every party.

Did I miss anything?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

"The province is especially interested in parking for provincial politicians and staff at Province House across from the Dennis Building."

I wish there was some way I could strangle them. Legally, of course. I don't want to go to jail or anything.

They are talking about including parking in a redevelopment, not surface parking. Presumably this would also replace the parking spots just north of Province House.

We could debate whether or not politicians should be getting so many free spots but I think a redevelopment of this site with buildings and underground parking is clearly much better for the area than the status quo. I'm also happy that they're talking about saving at least the Dennis facade and partnering with a developer to do a mixed-use development. It would be a big mistake to develop this as a government office block and have the building rear or lobby fronting onto Barrington.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by someone123

They are talking about including parking in a redevelopment, not surface parking. Presumably this would also replace the parking spots just north of Province House.

We could debate whether or not politicians should be getting so many free spots but I think a redevelopment of this site with buildings and underground parking is clearly much better for the area than the status quo. I'm also happy that they're talking about saving at least the Dennis facade and partnering with a developer to do a mixed-use development. It would be a big mistake to develop this as a government office block and have the building rear or lobby fronting onto Barrington.

I certainly agree a re-development is preferable to the status quo. But why are you so sure they're *not* talking about surface parking? Here's the direct quote:

The province is especially interested in parking for provincial politicians and staff at Province House across from the Dennis Building.

They're interested in parking "...across from the Dennis Building..."

That doesn't sound like parking underneath a new development that includes the Dennis. That sounds to me like a surface parking lot "across" from the Dennis. As in, on surface land across from the Dennis building.

Surely, we can't expect these lazy idiots to actually climb a set of stairs or take an elevator to get to their personalized and taxpayer subsidized parking spots?! That would be a bridge (or parking spot?) too far.

[someone123]

I think it's just poorly worded. There is already surface parking on the northern grounds of Province House (around the Boer War statue) and around the Dennis Building itself.

I'm having trouble finding the document but there have been a few plans to improve the northern part of the Province House block, the Dennis Building site (which would have underground parking added), and Granville Street itself. It's a pretty nice concept; hopefully it will happen soon.

[Nouvellecosse]

What it sounded like to me was that they wanted to see the actual building redeveloped (they mentioned a boutique hotel possibility) and for the empty land around the building as government parking. Would be nice to be pleasantly surprised, but I'd day the safest option with the provincial government is to err on the side of assuming the worst.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think it's just poorly worded. There is already surface parking on the northern grounds of Province House (around the Boer War statue) and around the Dennis Building itself.

I'm having trouble finding the document but there have been a few plans to improve the northern part of the Province House block, the Dennis Building site (which would have underground parking added), and Granville Street itself. It's a pretty nice concept; hopefully it will happen soon.

I think I know the document you're referring to-- the Joint-Public-Lands-Plan, for both SGR and the Province House / Granville / Grand Parade corridors.

Tim Bousquet references the Plan here, and actually uses a diagram from it:

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/how-downtown-gets-planned-and-then-ignored/Content?oid=3601921

The Plan used to be available on the old HRM website, but then shortly after the link was posted on here, and discussed, the document seemed to disappear.

You can more easily find evidence of its existence on other sites:

http://www.apala.ca/grand-parade.php

The Plan actually won a national planning award:

http://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/the-grande-paradeprovince-house-joint-public-lands-plan

Naturally, since it was something that involved investing in downtown Halifax, nothing was ever done on it.

And HRM planning staff have scrubbed the website to erase its existence, so people can't raise it. Because it only proposed bad things: new ideas and change.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

What it sounded like to me was that they wanted to see the actual building redeveloped (they mentioned a boutique hotel possibility) and for the empty land around the building as government parking. Would be nice to be pleasantly surprised, but I'd day the safest option with the provincial government is to err on the side of assuming the worst.

That's where I am at. While we see the Dennis as merely being a component of a larger and density-adding development that would fill up the entire Birk/Dennis sit, including the parking lot, I got the sense from the article that they just want someone to re-development/re-use the shell that the Dennis has become under the lazy/cheap/shoddy maintenance of Provincial Governments, and then use the remaining lands for super-convenient parking for politicians.

It's not even a "safe" thing to do -- to assume the very worst of NS provincial governments. It's basically a matter of practical commonsense: assume corruption, laziness, stupidity. You will rarely be surprised.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

I think I know the document you're referring to-- the Joint-Public-Lands-Plan, for both SGR and the Province House / Granville / Grand Parade corridors.

Tim Bousquet references the Plan here, and actually uses a diagram from it:

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/how-downtown-gets-planned-and-then-ignored/Content?oid=3601921

The Plan used to be available on the old HRM website, but then shortly after the link was posted on here, and discussed, the document seemed to disappear.

You can more easily find evidence of its existence on other sites:

http://www.apala.ca/grand-parade.php

The Plan actually won a national planning award:

http://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/the-grande-paradeprovince-house-joint-public-lands-plan

Naturally, since it was something that involved investing in downtown Halifax, nothing was ever done on it.

And HRM planning staff have scrubbed the website to erase its existence, so people can't raise it. Because it only proposed bad things: new ideas and change.

Now, now. It is still on HRM's website, you just need to know how to find it:

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/070227cow4.pdf

You might also find this of interest:

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/070227cow5ii.pdf

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Now, now. It is still on HRM's website, you just need to know how to find it:

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/070227cow4.pdf

You might also find this of interest:

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/070227cow5ii.pdf

Yeah, there are Halifax Gov documents that reference the Joint Public Lands Plan. And that doc you link to has excerpts from it, but the actual Plan document, if I recall, was 20+ pages, full color, with multiple renderings. It was a pretty impressive document.