General Updates and News

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The stone would be pockmarked with holes from the reinforcing bars they added some years ago so I wonder if it has any value now.

There seems to be numerous companies that can restore marble, however, whether or not it would be economically feasible is another question. If it could be restored at a reasonable price, then I wonder why the marble can't be reinstalled with all new fasteners at a reasonable price.

Looking at the Ralston Building site, it looks like a company could restore the building and still have a substantial amount of land to build some new on.

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

A lot of work happening on the Ralston Building. My understanding is they are removing the stone cladding to prepare the building for sale.

Let's hope it doesn't remain with this ugly corrugated metal for long.

20170330_124822 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

oh dear god.
i didnt think the metal they put on could get worse - but yep, it did.
sadly if they feds sell it - whoever buys it will likely keep it clad in siding and rent it out.

[musicman]

Speechless. Wow.

[Colin May]

When asked why metal siding was being affixed to a registered federal building Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied "Because it's 1977"

[robotropolis]

What do you all think about the patio season being shut down on Argyle for street improvements? It seems like a darn shame to me. Not sure why they couldn't do this in the spring and fall. (PS I wasn't on board with any previous crybabying about the Nova Centre but this does seem wrong).

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by robotropolis

What do you all think about the patio season being shut down on Argyle for street improvements? It seems like a darn shame to me. Not sure why they couldn't do this in the spring and fall. (PS I wasn't on board with any previous crybabying about the Nova Centre but this does seem wrong).

I'm assuming it's just a matter of timing - Nova Centre construction obstacles on Argyle probably out of the way before they can start/finish.

Hopefully there's some type of compensation package on this one.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

A lot of work happening on the Ralston Building. My understanding is they are removing the stone cladding to prepare the building for sale.

Let's hope it doesn't remain with this ugly corrugated metal for long.

20170330_124822 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

DFO called. They want their siding back.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

I'm assuming it's just a matter of timing - Nova Centre construction obstacles on Argyle probably out of the way before they can start/finish.

Hopefully there's some type of compensation package on this one.

I'd say the compensation is the expense the city is going to make this street a unique attraction.

Timing is a tough one with the shorter construction season here. The fall is probably off the table as that's when cruise ship season is in full swing and the university's are back.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kph06

I'd say the compensation is the expense the city is going to make this street a unique attraction.

I don't have a crystal ball but based on similar transformations in other cities, and what Argyle used to be like, I think there is going to be a night-and-day improvement for the better. When it is all done I doubt many people will really pine for downtown Halifax circa 2004.

The media like to cast businesses as victims when it comes to construction but that view often doesn't make sense.

If you're a building owner, you're likely to eventually profit from improvements made to the area. If you're a tenant, you have some freedom to move around or you might be able to negotiate a lower rate from your landlord (if it really is so bad you will go out of business, they will want to keep you because renting out during construction is hard).

The complaints about rising market lease rates are similar. Businesses lock in their rates for years; the increases don't come out of nowhere. Sometimes you have to move.

I think a lot of the complaints are based on unrealistic expectations that developed during a long period of stagnation downtown.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think a lot of the complaints are based on unrealistic expectations that developed during a long period of stagnation downtown.

And, I think many of the complaints are from people who think Argyle came into its own ten or more years ago, and any deviation from that is necessarily bad. Like, it's too bad about the Shoe Shop, but it wasn't a good restaurant by any means. The Syperek empire, such as it is, could very much use a refresh.

And anyway, the Shoe Shop is going to be taken over by Toothy Moose, so clearly some businesses are feeling optimistic.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I think the outcome will be net positive. Unfortunately there will be some growing pains but in 3 or 4 years we'll probably look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.

[Phalanx]

Don't get me wrong, I think the streetscaping will be a huge net positive, it just extends the major disruptions in the area by another season without any 'recovery time' in between.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out, and would like to see some of the other streetscaping plans that were in the works over the last couple of years actually come to fruition (Spring Garden and Quinpool in particular)

[robotropolis]

I agree that it will be a long term net positive to have the street revamped but the timing just seems horrible after waiting so long for the nova centre to be finished.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I can appreciate that, and do feel bad for the business owners. If the Nova Centre is a success and actually improves the area, then hopefully we will be able to look back and see that it was a painful but necessary step in the evolution of the downtown.

[Jonovision]

Just in case we miss it in its current state.

20170405_162738 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[Jonovision]

New infill development at 54 Wentworth St in downtown Dartmouth. Abbot Brown is the architect. They are rehabilitating the old Bell building and adding a few floors to create Bell Lofts.

Bell Lofts by Jonovision23, on Flickr From the architects instagram account.

This little model is on display at the Nova Scotia Association of Architects office on Barrington and Bishop.

20170406_155023 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[someone123]

I hope there's a solution for maximizing the availability of patio space along Argyle when the streetscape work is done.

The forecast for Halifax says +12 and sunny Monday. I bet the patios won't be open, and the public gardens probably won't be open either. The reality of Halifax weather is that there are a lot of one-off nice days in the winter, spring, and fall, and also crappy days in the middle of the relatively short summer season. It is not like some other cities where it is +30 or -30 for months on end, or where you can reliably predict what it will be like on a given day of the year.

Here in Vancouver there are a lot of patios open year-round. The winters are milder but the more important differences are that the patios are often better-designed and that people enjoy sitting outside even in single digits. Covered patios are nice in rain or snow. In Vancouver, the year-round patios are covered, have heaters, windbreaks, and often give out blankets (personally, I find that kind of gross, but some people like it).

If Bier Markt does open in the Nova Centre or Maple maybe they'll build an example of a really good patio, and people in Halifax will learn to love them for a much greater portion of the year.

Another minor observation is that maybe bad weather will have less of an impact on downtown businesses since there will be more of a local population. If it's snowing you're not going to bother driving downtown from Bedford to go out to dinner, but you'll still walk a couple blocks. A lot of Barrington business owners complain that shoppers disappear over the winter months.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

New infill development at 54 Wentworth St in downtown Dartmouth. Abbot Brown is the architect. They are rehabilitating the old Bell building and adding a few floors to create Bell Lofts.

I really like medium-sized projects like this, which are somewhat vertical with a small footprint. I don't have anything against highrises but I think you need these too to make interesting urban neighbourhoods. It's good to see that there are a bunch of projects like this on the go.

I also like to see interesting modern designs rather than bland pseudo-traditional architecture (reconstructions or historic styles can look great but are more expensive to do properly; instead of cheaping out, developers should choose a modern style).

[Drybrain]

That Bell Lofts thing looks great. A thousand percent better than the typical condo or apartment development right now. Is that a for sure thing, or more hypothetical?

[stevencourchene]

What buliding is the bell buliding on wentworth street in down town Dartmouth?