General Updates and News

[Drybrain]

Gladstone is a chintzy looking piece of trash. Doyle Block is going to be an absolute crime. Chedrawe is making the city uglier one development at a time, and I'd prefer him to just go away. It pains me to think of how he might squander the chance to do something great with that under-used chunk of Almon Street.

(Maybe he's a nice guy and all, but as a developer, forget it.)

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Apparently Chedrawe has assembled approx. 4 acres of land on Almon St. (former Acadia bus terminal and Metro Self Storage sites) and is planning a development "bigger" than his Gladstone development. Hopefully he's learning more about healthy development as he goes along (Doyle's not particularly promising). I like the urban nature of the semi-detached and detached houses in the Gladstone development, but feel it really turned the parking garage exit on Clifton into a blank wall and decreased the viability of that street to develop into a healthier part of the neighbourhood. With sidewalks and luxuries like that.

May 30 2014 purchased 6017 St Albans, 6027 St Albans, 6040 Almon, 6034 Almon for $3.95 million

Nov 30 2015 purchased 6070 Almon and 6100 Almon for $6.6 million

I found the recent purchase on PVSC - the DTT was due to be paid today.

If you don't like his designs I'll repeat what I wrote re SGR/Doyle block : Contact him and express your opinions or ask to meet with him.
Why are people so afraid to speak to a person they disagree with ?

[Hali87]

Many of us have contacted him and as far as I know no one has gotten a response.

[Colin May]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Many of us have contacted him and as far as I know no one has gotten a response.

That sounds like a story a journalist may be eager to pursue. Contact CBC News and also CTV. This is Halifax - be bold !!

[Aya_Akai]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Gladstone is a chintzy looking piece of trash. Doyle Block is going to be an absolute crime. Chedrawe is making the city uglier one development at a time, and I'd prefer him to just go away. It pains me to think of how he might squander the chance to do something great with that under-used chunk of Almon Street.

(Maybe he's a nice guy and all, but as a developer, forget it.)

I know a family member of his, and to his immediate family he's a great guy.. if you're outside of that circle.. acquaintance or more distant family, or even worse.. random member of the public trying to contact regarding a development.. you'd better watch out cause he really couldn't care any less about you

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by Colin May

May 30 2014 purchased 6017 St Albans, 6027 St Albans, 6040 Almon, 6034 Almon for $3.95 million

Nov 30 2015 purchased 6070 Almon and 6100 Almon for $6.6 million

I found the recent purchase on PVSC - the DTT was due to be paid today.

If you don't like his designs I'll repeat what I wrote re SGR/Doyle block : Contact him and express your opinions or ask to meet with him.
Why are people so afraid to speak to a person they disagree with ?

Heh, I worked in 6100 Almon several years ago. There were rumours back then that someone had bought or was about to buy the building. That all represents a parcel the size of a couple city blocks. I'd rather wait and see what he proposes here before I pan a development that hasn't even been designed yet.

[portapetey]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1326944-doyle-street-changes-slowing-project-developer

[Drybrain]

Mason's comments in that article are completely correct: Chedrawe saying that he needs ten storeys to make preservation of the BMO building economical is probably nonsense, given some of the much more ambitious restoration projects going on (Green Lantern, for one). Chedrawe has owned these buildings for many years, and he's putting up a seven-storey high-end commercial/residential project. Are his profit margins really so slim he can't renovate one old building? Give me a break. People will believe him though.

That's pretty typical for Chedrawe and a number of other local developers, who have a history of going to the press to complain about red tape and development restrictions, and generally getting a very sympathetic ear. Chedrawe and Jim Spatz of Southwest Properties were also vocally against HRM by Design, trying to convince people that it was a terrible burden for developers. I think it's part of the reason people seem to have this idea that Halifax is especially or uniquely anti-development--though there's a very good chance that if he tried to pull something like the Doyle Block in another city, he'd face much stiffer opposition from locals and City Hall.

Anyway.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Mason's comments in that article are completely correct: Chedrawe saying that he needs ten storeys to make preservation of the BMO building economical is probably nonsense, given some of the much more ambitious restoration projects going on (Green Lantern, for one). Chedrawe has owned these buildings for many years, and he's putting up a seven-storey high-end commercial/residential project. Are his profit margins really so slim he can't renovate one old building? Give me a break. People will believe him though.

That's pretty typical for Chedrawe and a number of other local developers, who have a history of going to the press to complain about red tape and development restrictions, and generally getting a very sympathetic ear. Chedrawe and Jim Spatz of Southwest Properties were also vocally against HRM by Design, trying to convince people that it was a terrible burden for developers. I think it's part of the reason people seem to have this idea that Halifax is especially or uniquely anti-development--though there's a very good chance that if he tried to pull something like the Doyle Block in another city, he'd face much stiffer opposition from locals and City Hall.

Anyway.

You could be right, but Chedrawe is definitely right about the pointlessness of view planes in this direction.

For me, I think the best way to preserve the BMO, and actually to make it more grand, would be for it to be incorporated into a larger tower development. It would be podium for a higher tower. Would be great here.

Until some mayor or provincial government comes along who has the guts to finally take on, and reign in, the idiotic view planes, we will have worse developments, and developers will still have an excuse to hide behind.

[ILoveHalifax]

Amazing how some people in planning have the idea that the developers are all filthy rich and have no right to determine their profit.
Just a note the guys who were going to build the twisted sisters are or have been in deep financial trouble.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

You could be right, but Chedrawe is definitely right about the pointlessness of view planes in this direction.

Definitely agree with that. I would have no problem if a ten or 12-storey building went up here.

I don't think, however, that he's bulldozing BMO because of height restrictions--he just doesn't wish to preserve the building, and he gets a dig in at the height restrictions in the process.

I know I'm getting ranty, but it's really infuriating.

We have second-rate developers constantly bending the ear of an uncritical, unsophisticated local business press with frequent complaints about how they're just trying to do business, but City Hall and its tangles of red tape stifle them. Sometimes these complaints are justified, sometimes they're exaggerations or outright lies, and either way, there's little examination of it in the media.

I'm no fan of the Heritage Trust or other single-issue obstructionist types either, but in reality, these days, they're not nearly as powerful as the development lobby. Yet developers have somehow successfully painted themselves as the underdogs, despite winning a lot more than they lose.

To be clear, I know we have many good developers, but they're pretty much all guilty of this.

[Keith P.]

Sorry, but I think this is all misdirected. The BMO building isn't particularly worthy of saving IMO. The two old dormered brick structures at the other end of the block would have a much stronger argument for saving, it seems to me.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Sorry, but I think this is all misdirected. The BMO building isn't particularly worthy of saving IMO. The two old dormered brick structures at the other end of the block would have a much stronger argument for saving, it seems to me.

That's interesting. I think they're both worth keeping, but if I had to choose, BMO would be the one...

[Jonovision]

Update for the Scotia Square expansion.

[Phalanx]

There was another piece in the CH the other day talking about some of the history of the Doyle Block http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1328940-block-a-reminder-of-residential-history

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

There was another piece in the CH the other day talking about some of the history of the Doyle Block http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1328940-block-a-reminder-of-residential-history

The historical facts are interesting but the commentary around the old infirmary and parking lots being the two "pillars" of Spring Garden Road is pretty dubious. There was nothing particularly amazing about 90's-era Spring Garden before the infirmary was closed down, and without any evidence there isn't much reason to believe that the infirmary was driving fur coat sales at Mills circa 1995 or whatever. He dismisses the library as a similar asset to the area without any explanation. Strange.

[bluenoser]

Merry Christmas, SSP Halifax forumers!

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by someone123

The historical facts are interesting but the commentary around the old infirmary and parking lots being the two "pillars" of Spring Garden Road is pretty dubious. There was nothing particularly amazing about 90's-era Spring Garden before the infirmary was closed down, and without any evidence there isn't much reason to believe that the infirmary was driving fur coat sales at Mills circa 1995 or whatever. He dismisses the library as a similar asset to the area without any explanation. Strange.

Yeah, I'd love to see statistics that indicate shopping traffic is down because of fewer parking spots and the library...

Spring Garden Rd is packed every time I drive down. Heck, even with Christmas being yesterday there were still a handful of stores open and plenty of people milling about.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by curnhalio

Yeah, I'd love to see statistics that indicate shopping traffic is down because of fewer parking spots and the library...

I am having trouble finding new counts but the DHBC used to publish pedestrian counts for areas like Barrington Street. Generally speaking the counts went up every year, and foot traffic used to be much lighter than it is today. Rents along both Barrington and Spring Garden have increased a lot.

I find it frustrating how the local media in Halifax tend to conflate reminiscing about the past with statements of how busy or commercially successful these areas are. I think what a lot of these authors mean is that they miss the way things were because they like to drive, want easy parking, and maybe the older stores catered more to them specifically. Expensive parking and business turnover don't tend to be caused by urban decay. They've been writing these articles for years and years regardless of what's actually been happening on the ground.

Spring Garden used to be mostly mom and pop stores, fast food, etc. in the 90's. I'm not sure there were any Lululemon, Urban Outfitters, or even MEC type businesses downtown by the late 90's.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by bluenoser

Merry Christmas, SSP Halifax forumers!

Merry.. erm, Boxing Day to everyone?