General Updates and News

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

The Staples stands out in this one as being inappropriate for the location.

I know the Staples has been a whipping boy for many here from the day it was built, replacing the former gas station and used car lot that once occupied the site. But when I look at that picture it really doesn't stand out at all. What does stand out is the lack of any new development in nearly a century along both Cogswell and North Park. As main connector streets one would think they would be prime areas for new larger/taller buildings instead of the old 2-storey wood-frame/vinyl siding ones that have their front doors 6 feet from the curb.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I agree that the Staples doesn't seem all that inappropriate to me, other than the building style, which looks like it would be more at home in Bayers Lake. However, when you consider that it is a 'business supply' store located right next to the business-heavy downtown, it actually seems like it's a good location.

As far as the older wooden residential structures, it doesn't surprise me that they still exist, as in the aerial view you can see that they are on the border of a long established residential area and were separated from the downtown by a street that was meant to be part of a major transportation expressway through the downtown. I don't know if they realized it at the time they were building it, but that project literally divided up the downtown for many years.

Maybe once Cogswell is reconfigured there will be some development there - hopefully we will get to see it some time within the next decade...

[kph06]

The Kempt/Robie Storage Inn

[kph06]

I don't think this has a thread, but demolition is underway for the building at Cogswell and Gottingen across from Staples.

[kph06]

Another one I thought there was a thread for but can't find. The Bayers Lake Outpatient Centre has a crane going up. It looks like the one from Harbour Isle, I had thought it would go to 7077 Quinpool, this was a surprise site. The building is low, so it will be a short, wide setup most likely.

[atbw]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

The old Credit Union office building on Spring Garden is being converted into apartments and will be called The Muse.

http://themuseonspringgarden.com/

It doesn't look like any significant changes to the exterior aside from the entrance so they might not need to go to the DRC for approval. The website being up makes me think they are going to start anytime.

I wonder if we'll see a trend of vacant office space being converted to residential? I imagine it's a good deal of work, what with the additional plumbing required for many more kitchens and individual bathrooms, but there's a non-zero amount of companies downsizing with folks loving working from home.

[Good Baklava]

Originally Posted by atbw

I wonder if we'll see a trend of vacant office space being converted to residential? I imagine it's a good deal of work, what with the additional plumbing required for many more kitchens and individual bathrooms, but there's a non-zero amount of companies downsizing with folks loving working from home.

I know the trend has existed for a bit in the U.K., although the media there often covers it in an unfavourable light. I’ve never really looked into it though.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by atbw

I wonder if we'll see a trend of vacant office space being converted to residential? I imagine it's a good deal of work, what with the additional plumbing required for many more kitchens and individual bathrooms, but there's a non-zero amount of companies downsizing with folks loving working from home.

I think you'll see some try it. We've had a few limited examples over the years with the now-Hotel Hollis previously being an office building, and the former Canada Permanent building being turned into apartments. The issue would be, of course, is why anyone would want to live DT if their job wasn't there any more. Some would I suppose, but it strikes me as a very limited market. Certainly nobody with kids would want to.

[Citizen_Bane]

The three unit townhouse on May Street recently acquired by Steele/Colonial Honda is now down. Kudos to Steele I suppose on assembling such a massive lot in the centre of a quickly growing city.

[Good Baklava]

Originally Posted by Citizen_Bane

The three unit townhouse on May Street recently acquired by Steele/Colonial Honda is now down. Kudos to Steele I suppose on assembling such a massive lot in the centre of a quickly growing city.

Certainly demolished my expectations for the future of the area. I do wonder what Steele has in mind for the site. Will we see something proposed in 5-10 years? Will he develop the site himself or sell it off? Maybe growth will hit a lull and we’re stuck with it for 15-20 years.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Good Baklava

Certainly demolished my expectations for the future of the area. I do wonder what Steele has in mind for the site. Will we see something proposed in 5-10 years? Will he develop the site himself or sell it off? Maybe growth will hit a lull and we’re stuck with it for 15-20 years.

This might be good from a financial perspective for the car dealer but there's no way it's good from a neighbourhood development perspective. I don't think it would be allowed in most comparable cities these days.

[OldDartmouthMark]

While I do understand the concern about the dealership buying neighbourhood houses to tear down and expand their business - I know it's not the direction that urban planners would like the neighbourhood to take, part of this reminds me of the stories of people building houses next to pig farms, then complaining about the smell of pig poop and wanting to have the farm shut down.

I do know that this car dealership has been in this location for something like 45 years - it's been part of the landscape for as long as many of the forum members have been around, I'm sure. My understanding is that it continues to be a very successful business, which is likely why Steele bought it from the previous owners a few years ago.

Now it seems like some people feel that they no longer have a right to operate their business in that part of town because it's not what people want to have there. It seems a little hypocritical to me, as if a developer were to purchase the property and somebody complained about their plans, the comments would fly about how the developer has a right to advance their business and make money from the project, and the term "NIMBY" would be all over the place. However, since it's a "car" related business, it seems like it's absolutely OK to want to shut them down.

IMHO, not wanting the dealership to continue their successful business in that location seems as NIMBY as anything...

Not intending to offend by my comments, and as always I welcome the discussion.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Now it seems like some people feel that they no longer have a right to operate their business in that part of town because it's not what people want to have there.

But this is expansion, not just continuation of an existing operation. They took a street that used to be lined with rowhouses on both sides and tore down half of them then replaced them with a new industrial/commercial use that is out of keeping with the rest of the area. I am pretty sure they've even stated they plan on eventually redeveloping. Part of the problem may be a tax system that makes it practical to tear buildings down and hang onto land for many years in the hope of eventual profit.

This is a city where developers get fought tooth and nail over whether they put up a hotel vs. apartment building on a given site.

There's no incompatibility between having a car dealer and being in the city either. It's the large and expanding surface lot that is the problem.

[kph06]

I remember reading an interview with Rob Steele at the time of the Honda purchase and the further land acquisition in those blocks was more for land banking. I don't think his long term plan was to keep the Honda dealership there. At the time he mentioned a future vision of residential there. He's also talked about a desire to have car dealerships leave Kempt Road. Until there is an alternative space, Steele and O'Regan's will continue to invest in new dealerships to keep competitive with each other and fulfill manufacturer obligations on dealership standards.

[kph06]

"Save our City" on Twitter which is a newer account highlighting demolitions in the city has noted that Killam is tearing down a house on Carlton to make way for a staging area for the tower behind Spring Garden Place across the street.


Source: Original Tweet

[Good Baklava]

The “save our city” group doesn’t seem to have much knowledge on their topics of advocacy. They call the parking lot a gentrifying development but if anything it slows gentrification by making the corner an undesirable asphalt wasteland. In fact, heritage buildings are frequently blamed precipitating gentrification. A more accurate description would be to characterize the demolition and land banking as a symptom of gentrification. I oppose the demolition of the houses, just not for the wrong reasons.

It would be nice to have a database of lost structures with the stories behind them. It could be a good story-mapping project.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

But this is expansion, not just continuation of an existing operation. They took a street that used to be lined with rowhouses on both sides and tore down half of them then replaced them with a new industrial/commercial use that is out of keeping with the rest of the area. I am pretty sure they've even stated they plan on eventually redeveloping. Part of the problem may be a tax system that makes it practical to tear buildings down and hang onto land for many years in the hope of eventual profit.

This is a city where developers get fought tooth and nail over whether they put up a hotel vs. apartment building on a given site.

There's no incompatibility between having a car dealer and being in the city either. It's the large and expanding surface lot that is the problem.

Well, don't tell that to HRM Council or the Planning Dept. If you look at the Centre Plan, that is one of the very few uses that is disallowed everywhere in its area. You can have a grow-op or a cannabis lounge (a use that is prohibited provincially/federally), but not a car dealership. It is quite absurd.

May St is an area that would have taken a great many years to become improved enough to be desirable. The homes there were always low-end even when they were new and have not improved much since. I think it is likely that Steele will relocate the dealership at some point and then development of the site will happen if the bubble has not burst. Perhaps a future Centre Plan amendment will require that to provide no vehicle parking whatsoever and only allow bicycle owners there, who knows.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Good Baklava

The “save our city” group doesn’t seem to have much knowledge on their topics of advocacy. They call the parking lot a gentrifying development but if anything it slows gentrification by making the corner an undesirable asphalt wasteland. In fact, heritage buildings are frequently blamed precipitating gentrification. A more accurate description would be to characterize the demolition and land banking as a symptom of gentrification. I oppose the demolition of the houses, just not for the wrong reasons.

It would be nice to have a database of lost structures with the stories behind them. It could be a good story-mapping project.

When I first saw the account I was hoping it was going to be similar to HalifaxHistory.ca (I think that was the address), which now appears to be defunct. It was active in the early 2000s and had lots of great information and also followed likely demolitions/developments. Although stagnant for many years now, it was a cool reminder of how much has changed in 15-20 years.

[atbw]

Originally Posted by someone123

There's no incompatibility between having a car dealer and being in the city either. It's the large and expanding surface lot that is the problem.

Not a fully fair comparison as the population scale is completely different, but dealerships in South Korea are more like a standalone showroom. There was a 5-storey BMW dealership where I lived. Not that I expect that right away, as I'm not even sure such things are anywhere outside maybe Toronto or Vancouver, but there's definitely a more efficient use of space here.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by atbw

Not a fully fair comparison as the population scale is completely different, but dealerships in South Korea are more like a standalone showroom. There was a 5-storey BMW dealership where I lived. Not that I expect that right away, as I'm not even sure such things are anywhere outside maybe Toronto or Vancouver, but there's definitely a more efficient use of space here.

I don't even think they're that common in Toronto. There are a few showroom-type dealerships in what remains of the industrial eastern edge of downtown. But even those take up entire city blocks and have some surface parking.

The smallest I recall is this Ford dealership on the first floor of a condo building.

I don't really understand the car-selling business, but it does seem pretty wild to keep your entire inventory on site, on some of the most expensive land in the city.