General Updates and News

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Even then, an NFB-style project using the facade and building a new rear portion to the building could have been done, I guess, but yeah, sometimes a building really does get so far gone than it's unsalvageable.

Too bad, it was very unique.

Yeah, you can't save 'em all. Sometimes you have no choice when safety becomes an issue. Though I will say I've seen some pretty questionable structures brought back from the dead.

I can't think of any other buildings from the era in Halifax that had that style of 2-storey glass store frontage. Would have been cool to have been able to keep them around. It's encouraging that the facaded building will at least be able to function as an independent shop.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Yeah, you can't save 'em all. Sometimes you have no choice when safety becomes an issue. Though I will say I've seen some pretty questionable structures brought back from the dead.

I can't think of any other buildings from the era in Halifax that had that style of 2-storey glass store frontage. Would have been cool to have been able to keep them around. It's encouraging that the facaded building will at least be able to function as an independent shop.

Oh yeah. I really doubt there are any truly unfixable structures in Halifax at this moment, or anything even close, really.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

Here's the rendering (from the TD thread):

It's too bad the Kelly Building was lost, and it's too bad the remaining building was so heavily facaded, but at least the end result is better than that. Ugh.

I'm afraid we'll see something like that at the Dennis/Hansard site, which would be really terrible. This kind of facadism is like pinning the corpse of the old building to the new one. It does neither any favours.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

You know what? I was mistaken. I was thinking of the Kelly's Building next door. That was the one with the collapsed ceiling. The businesses that were in this one I had patronized a few times and while their spaces were not in great shape, they were functional. I would presume that at some point the new space will also house a retail operation of some sort.

Mistaken? Hmm.. " mis·tak·en / məˈstākən/ adjective:

wrong in one's opinion or judgment "

Well, OK, if you say so; there's a first time for everything, I guess.

It was good of Mark to accept your apology.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

Here's the rendering (from the TD thread):

Except that the rendering dates from 2010. At that point the building had been demolished for 4 years. There would be no "preservation" of it. It was gone and landfilled by then. It would be, to use Mark's phrase, a Disneyfied re-creation of what somebody thought it would have been like. I'm not sure how that is any better or worse than what eventually was built.

[portapetey]

Oh, you two.

[KnoxfordGuy]

when will the gravel lot across the street from The Maple be built on? Any projects down the line?

[musicman]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

when will the gravel lot across the street from The Maple be built on? Any projects down the line?

The gravel lot across the street has had numerous proposals over the last bunch of years. It has been a resounding ****show from the moment the city sold the lot to the yahoos that now own it.

[Phalanx]

Plans for Dartmouth Sportsplex makeover unveiled
A $23-million makeover of Dartmouth Sportsplex will include a double gymnasium, new front entrance and lobby, new community spaces, refurbished racquetball courts, new fitness-cardio rooms, and improvements to the swimming pool and slides.

Full Story (and image)

[OldDartmouthMark]

Six ‘prominent parties’ submit bids for Halifax’s Waverley Inn

Uh-oh...

There are no shortage of bids for Halifax’s Waverley Inn, with Louie Lawen’s Dexel Developments among the developers currently vying for ownership of the historic downtown property.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

when will the gravel lot across the street from The Maple be built on? Any projects down the line?

That's the TexPark lot. Years ago, the city using it's usually clueless approach to RFPs, rather than choosing a bid from a reputable and serious developer instead chose a bid from UG, which offered a little more money compared to others. It's been a clown show since, first they fought for years to develop the "Twisted Sisters" development only to let the DA expire.

And then they proposed the "Skye Tower", which never going to happen, because it would have gutted HRMxD only a year or so after it was enacted.

I don't think they've ever been serious about building anything there.

The City has the right to buyback the property from UG; it should do it promptly, but on stuff like this, the municipality rarely shows any backbone.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Six ‘prominent parties’ submit bids for Halifax’s Waverley Inn

Uh-oh...

God, I hope Starfish or Ghosn get it. I have no doubt that Dexel will just rip it down, as they seem to be doing their very best to tear down as much of the Old South Suburb HCD as they can already. The timing of this is just the worst. Another few months and the HCD will be in place, which won't be a bulletproof protection, but certainly better than this.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

God, I hope Starfish or Ghosn get it. I have no doubt that Dexel will just rip it down, as they seem to be doing their very best to tear down as much of the Old South Suburb HCD as they can already. The timing of this is just the worst. Another few months and the HCD will be in place, which won't be a bulletproof protection, but certainly better than this.

I'm curious - can't the city intervene if this is the case, given that the HCD is in the works but just not ready to be put into place yet? I'm talking about a hold on development until everybody knows what the rules will be for sure.

Is Waye Mason still on this forum? I'd love for him to chime in on it.

As it looks we stand to lose a lot of significant structures in the future heritage conservation district from an attempt to get in 'under the wire'. It seems shameful that such a loophole would even exist given the future plan for the neighborhood.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I'm curious - can't the city intervene if this is the case, given that the HCD is in the works but just not ready to be put into place yet? I'm talking about a hold on development until everybody knows what the rules will be for sure.

Is Waye Mason still on this forum? I'd love for him to chime in on it.

As it looks we stand to lose a lot of significant structures in the future heritage conservation district from an attempt to get in 'under the wire'. It seems shameful that such a loophole would even exist given the future plan for the neighborhood.

Council talked about these kinds of interim control measures a few weeks ago out relation to the Colonial Honda expansion. The takeaway was that councillors who fancy themselves friends of business and development think it's not the city's place to implement those kinds of restrictions (though zillions of other cities do, to hell their betterment), so it probably wouldn't pass a council vote.

The best thing to do is probably write an email to Waye and Seamus McGreal, the city's chief heritage planner (and maybe chief planner Jacob Ritchie) and ask them to do something already: https://www.halifax.ca/heritage-properties/

Designating this building heritage won't anger any property developers, since no one owns it yet. The city should just do it. We're seeing like a 1970s pace of historic demolition. It's completely pathetic, and at this point we can't just blame developers: city councillors (all of them) and planners have big-time dropped the ball on this.

[JET]

Maybe the office where development and demolition applications are given should just close for awhile until heritage protection with some teeth can be put in place. That seems to be the argument up to now: "Well they had all their applications and approvals in order." Just stop!

[Dmajackson]

The former Nauss bicycle shop at 2533 Agricola Street has some fencing up and an "addition to commercial building" permit in the window. The applicant is listed as Ecohomes & North Woods . Anybody have an idea of what may be going on?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

The former Nauss bicycle shop at 2533 Agricola Street has some fencing up and an "addition to commercial building" permit in the window. The applicant is listed as Ecohomes & Northwood. Anybody have an idea of what may be going on?

I thought that was going to be the location of the hipster Agricola St distillery, but I don't think Northwood is going into the booze business.

[Dmajackson]

There is finally some public information on the building going up at 5540 Kaye Street at the Hydrostone Market. The building will be 5-storeys (3 spa / 2 office) with a residential penthouse. A development agreement has to be issued to permit the residential unit.


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[someone123]

Kind of interesting that they did a DA for this when it is relatively small and close to what could be built as of right.

It is hard to tell from the elevation drawings but if it turns out well it'll be a neat little project. I like the use of a fairly narrow lot. There are a lot of spaces like this around the peninsula that are underused and could be filled with small-footprint buildings.

Not all of the new buildings around the Hydrostone market turned out great but it's definitely more of a medium density neighbourhood than it used to be. As recently as 10 years ago or so it was more like a semi-suburban area with a nice landmark.

[Drybrain]

When I moved to the hydrostone last year I was a bit wary that it might be a bit too suburban (and it certainly is placid, let's say) but it is filling out quite nicely. The peninsula's overall urbanity is slowly moving outward, and this area especially will probably become noticeably denser and more city-ish over the next few years.