General Updates and News

[JustinFromMontebello]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

They can't. Well, I mean they COULD, but it would require an amendment to the Downtown Halifax Plan. The last Council was very reluctant to amend the Downtown Halifax Plan, and the new Council appears to be like they would be even more reluctant to do so.

Is amending the plan the same thing as granting an individual exception for the property? Also, what is it that makes them reluctant to amend within downtown Halifax, they do so in Dartmouth, for example, all the time don't they?

Obviously I don't know a lot about Halifax's planning regime but am trying to learn.

[Keith P.]

If 6 floors on North and Oxford was verboten, how can a mind-boggling 7 floors be allowed here? Citadel Hill will crumble and the world may spin off its axis. THINK OF THE CHILDREN.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by JustinFromMontebello

Is amending the plan the same thing as granting an individual exception for the property? Also, what is it that makes them reluctant to amend within downtown Halifax, they do so in Dartmouth, for example, all the time don't they?

Plan amendments can be a specific change for one property, or a more general amendment that affects many properties. Linden Lea in Dartmouth was a plan amendment for a specific property. In the Blood Services property case, I would expect a request for the specific property. The Downtown Halifax Plan says 23 metres max on this site, so you'd probably apply to change that specific number on this specific site.

I think Council is reluctant to amend the Downtown Halifax Plan because it is very recent (2009). With areas like Dartmouth and the rest of the Peninsula, the plans are decades old. It's pretty easy to say, "well that plan is not really relevant to the realities of today, let's amend it" when a plan is 40 years old. It's much hard to say that when the plan is 7 years old, and some of the current Councillors helped write it.

Another reason Council could be reluctant is that the Downtown Halifax Plan is seen as already being pretty generous to developers. The process is streamlined (at least compared to other areas of HRM), and development rights (height, density) are at least in the realm of what's acceptable to developers (not that they wouldn't be happy with more). Basically, any amendment is asking Council to take political heat in order to be MORE generous to developers than they already are.

A third reason is that Council might not want to upset the certainty of the Downtown Halifax Plan. One of the selling points of that plan is that it's quite clear about what can be done on a property. This makes it so there's none of those long, draw out development approvals that used to plague downtown. If they grant an amendment to one developer, they risk planting the idea in the minds of other developers that they too can get an amendment, and we're back to the days of doing planning applications left, right, and centre.

[teddifax]

Maybe one developer can develop the entire block right up to the triangular end at the new roundabout at North Park - there had been a previous development proposed for that portion of the site. It this was enabled, even at 7 stories, this would result in a fair sized development.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by teddifax

Maybe one developer can develop the entire block right up to the triangular end at the new roundabout at North Park - there had been a previous development proposed for that portion of the site. It this was enabled, even at 7 stories, this would result in a fair sized development.

Well, that would require HRM to sell the Centennial Pool. Don't hold your breath.

[teddifax]

Darn, forgot about that building!!!

[teddifax]

New drawing for Park West Centre (where Canadian Tire was), with hopes that there will be a Mega Lawtons!!! This is owned by Crombie REIT, so it makes sense they increase the size of their Empire Properties (Lawtons).... Let's hope. Also hoping for a Giant Tiger there as well....

[DT Hfx]

Dmajackson's compilation list,
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=154160
reveals something fascinating. He has the metropolis divided into 3 sections: the Peninsula, Dartmouth and the Mainland. Well, in the past the mainland section always had the most projects on the go, as one would intuitively expect since it is such a large area.

But taking a quick count of the Green projects - the Peninsula now has 23, the mainland has 10 and Dartmouth has 1.

The points out in a dramatic way how the Peninsula is really taking off!
Thank you David for all the effort on this page.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by DT Hfx

Dmajackson's compilation list,
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=154160
reveals something fascinating. He has the metropolis divided into 3 sections: the Peninsula, Dartmouth and the Mainland. Well, in the past the mainland section always had the most projects on the go, as one would intuitively expect since it is such a large area.

But taking a quick count of the Green projects - the Peninsula now has 23, the mainland has 10 and Dartmouth has 1.

The points out in a dramatic way how the Peninsula is really taking off!
Thank you David for all the effort on this page.

Thanks for the link. (I wasn't able to find it when I looked yesterday).

[JustinFromMontebello]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Plan amendments can be a specific change...

That makes sense - thanks for taking the time to write that out.

[fenwick16]

A couple Federal projects have been announced recently:

$66 million for the new Willlow Park Armoury - source: http://globalnews.ca/news/3171839/new-ha...ow-park-receives-66m-in-federal-funding/



Also announced in the same source is funding to help restore the old North Park Armoury. This is good to hear since it is such an impressive heritage building. There is also a tender that went out today for this project that indicates that it could cost an additional $50 million to fully restore the building - https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-17-00765850

I am sure everyone is familiar with the old Amoury but here are a couple of pictures from the CBC. According to the Dec 2015 story there are significant problems to rectify - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-armoury-lead-1.3367872. Hopefully they will get rid of the green paint on the interior walls.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I am sure everyone is familiar with the old Amoury but here are a couple of pictures from the CBC. According to the Dec 2015 story there are significant problems to rectify - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-armoury-lead-1.3367872. Hopefully they will get rid of the green paint on the interior walls.

That's great to hear. Does anyone happen to know if there are any viable ideas kicking around as to what to use the building for, post-restoration?

[TheGreenBastard]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That's great to hear. Does anyone happen to know if there are any viable ideas kicking around as to what to use the building for, post-restoration?

If it's not being used by military I could see it as a north end farmers' market or something similar.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by TheGreenBastard

If it's not being used by military I could see it as a north end farmers' market or something similar.

Something like that would be great, but it's so large, and we already have so many farmers' markets.

Could also be:

Concert Hall
Sound-stage
Some sort of Artscape-esque live-work artist thing (Would require interior partitions)
Offices (ditto)

I think the potential for a major public building north of downtown, right on the Common, is exciting. Hopefully it doesn't end up sitting empty for years.

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That's great to hear. Does anyone happen to know if there are any viable ideas kicking around as to what to use the building for, post-restoration?

i believe it will still be an armory for reserve units.

I wrote a post on the history of the building and have included Plans of it.http://agbans.ca/2016/10/08/the-halifax-drill-hall/
i wonder if the Bowling Alleys still exist?

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

i believe it will still be an armory for reserve units.

I wrote a post on the history of the building and have included Plans of it.http://agbans.ca/2016/10/08/the-halifax-drill-hall/
i wonder if the Bowling Alleys still exist?

Ohhh. I guess that explains why the feds are so willing to splash out to repair it.

Well, one day perhaps...

[someone123]

Source

[portapetey]

Originally Posted by TheGreenBastard

If it's not being used by military I could see it as a north end farmers' market or something similar.

Don't we already have that at the Forum?

It's hard for me to think of the Armoury as being in the "North End" although I suppose it is. "North end of downtown" maybe?

[teddifax]

great shot, love to see it in colour...

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by portapetey

Don't we already have that at the Forum?

It's hard for me to think of the Armoury as being in the "North End" although I suppose it is. "North end of downtown" maybe?

I think of downtown's northern border as the Cogswell interchange. Everything North of this piece of infrastructure feels VERY different than the downtown to me: block pattern, building massing, relationships between buildings and streets, types of building tenants.

With respect to the armoury - I'd probably consider it central. In my mind, the north end doesn't start until the north side of Cunard St. If you ask others, they'd say the north end's southern border is North St.