Official Sydney and Area Projects Thread

[Smevo]

Originally Posted by brucester4

Chernin has been promising to build something there since at least 2018, I just don't feel he is serious about the project. Something more than a parking lot and beer garden should be there by now.

Welcome brucester4! What you say is somewhat true, and this isn't the first proposal he's had for this area. As previously mentioned, his projects are notoriously slow to start, for various reasons (scale, market conditions, council, NIMBY's, etc.) I'm not sure I'd say he isn't serious about developing this lot, though, as he's not making any money on it being a parking lot. This lot has a very long history of proposals that didn't happen.

The first was Harbourview Apartments ~ 1996 (I think that was the name) - 13 Storeys. This one was a simple case of market conditions not being favourable at the time.

One former proposal, The Dorchester Condos ~2004 - 12 Storeys - $10M, was ready to go to council for approval and permits, and would have broken ground immediately upon receiving those with enough purchase interest to make it a successful build, but got killed by NIMBY's, mostly from the Northend, who wanted to protect the view from the centreline of Dorchester St, and other viewcones, all of which were introduced after word of Chernin's proposal being ready reached the streets. Hence the Northend Secondary Planning Strategy in the MPS. This lot had previously been in the Downtown Waterfront Zone (DWZ), which has no height restrictions.

Chernin's response was to lower the height and expand the project, Spanish Gates ~2008 - 8 Storeys, multiple buildings (condos, hotel, office, parking garage) - $44M, but market conditions shifted and the damage of the last minute viewcones had been done. People were skeptical of this proposal because of the failure of the previous one to be built. People started questioning Chernin's ability to have a successful development, as if he hadn't developed anything before in the city.

That all went silent until the library entered the discussion, and market conditions had improved.

The problem with this one is council has been dragging their heels when it comes to the library. The province claimed they didn't get the initial funding request, and when the accessibility design code update resulted in changes to the design, increasing the square footage, council wouldn't even find out how much it would cost because they were scared that the other levels of government wouldn't fund their part of the library build, even though the vote wasn't on approving the new cost of the library, as that wasn't known yet. Most wouldn't entertain the thought of this being a phased development, where whatever was ready first (office, hotel, apartments, library) would be built first.

Chernin has his faults, that's no secret, but council really dropped the ball since having the library on the waterfront was first mentioned. I'll admit there were times I thought Chernin went too quiet on the rest of this proposal. But with the library not funded, and the development not being phased (for whatever reason), there were other aspects obviously at play. There was another proposed building, not on the waterfront, that thought about including the library in their proposal as well, though ultimately decided against it. That was probably for the better considering how things went.

[Smevo]

I watched the part of the council session about HRDL's proposal, and all I can say is yikes!

So, HRDL put forward an alternate proposal that didn't include the library, after council voted against an extension of the proposal that did include the library.
Mayor MacDougall mentioned that council wanted a new proposal from HRDL for the property, without the library, based on discussion in council, though no motion was put forward.
The motion being voted on this time was to put out an RFP for the CBRM owned land, although it was brought up that the last RFP only had one respondent (they kept calling it an exclusivity agreement, but that's not really what it is if a general RFP was put out that only one developer responds to).
The conversation at the previous council meeting led HRDL to believe that another proposal would be entertained - confirmed by CAO and the developer. HRDL asked the CAO if they could give them a new proposal sans library that would be considered by council, which the CAO brought to an in-camera session that turned into the motion for RFP in this session because council didn't want to discuss the proposal out of view of the public (about the only part I agree with in the circumstances). All of the dealings between developer and staff were confirmed as normal with many business groups in the area, and that staff doesn't make decisions but brings those to council, as was done in this case. There was actually no discussion on the proposal itself, and no presentation made, only questions asked about whether the previous council session had led the developer to believe another proposal would be entertained, which was confirmed repeatedly.
Mayor MacDougall mentioned an email written to council asking to consider a new proposal from HRDL, sent prior to the expiration date of the previous agreement. However, she did not mention when the email was sent beyond it being sent before the expiration date.
HRDL proposal was for a commercial and residential development on HRDL and CBRM land, the latter to be purchased by HRDL at market price.
Prior to the initial agreement, HRDL had approval and permits for an apartment building on their land (different from the ones listed in my last post), but scrapped the plans for this when CBRM asked for proposals that would include the library.
Deputy mayor MacMullin's stance didn't surprise me in the least. She was one of the most vocal ones against the old agreement. Councillor Gordon MacDonald did surprise me though, as he was the one wanting the library proposal to go ahead when it was voted down last time, and voted no when council was asked if they would allow the developer (in the gallery) to answer questions, and tried to prevent further questions from being asked of the developer.

Honestly, I agree with sending out RFPs to see which developers are interested and what comes back. However, with the description of events provided during this council session, and the fighting and interruptions that happened at this council session, they definitely don't look very good on this one in my opinion. The only redeeming thing I saw from this was that they tried to respectfully slap HRDL in the face, not realizing that there's no way to do that respectfully.

I would like to say this is my last post ranting on council's decisions regarding this property, but I have a feeling this drama will be playing out for a while to come.

I have a feeling council will be walking back to HRDL with their tail between their legs on this one, though I hope, for their sake, that I'm wrong. Even if they do get proposals, the HRDL land will remain vacant unless Chernin changes his mind and decides to deal with this council again.

I know one news outlet that won't be touching this, as she's notoriously anti-Chernin (actually anti-downtown development beyond kiosks - she's even been vocally against the NSCC development, both placement and scale), and that's the Cape Breton Spectator. She's probably jumping for joy hearing all this news.

[brucester4]

Smevo, Thanks for the detailed history of that site. I have been getting free parking there since 2007, so I have interest in following what is happening there. There was a major improvement made to the parking lot and boardwalk in the area a few years ago and then the beer garden was put there shortly after. You didn't mention his proposal in 2016, which seemed ready to go as well and nothing ever happened.

https://capebretonspectator.com/2016/11/30/chernin-waterfront-building-cbrm/

[Smevo]

Originally Posted by brucester4

Smevo, Thanks for the detailed history of that site. I have been getting free parking there since 2007, so I have interest in following what is happening there. There was a major improvement made to the parking lot and boardwalk in the area a few years ago and then the beer garden was put there shortly after. You didn't mention his proposal in 2016, which seemed ready to go as well and nothing ever happened.

https://capebretonspectator.com/2016/11/30/chernin-waterfront-building-cbrm/

Yeah, for some reason I forgot about that one. That's the one he mentioned during the council session that was ready to build with everything in place, but which he scrapped when council put out the RFP for a development to include the library.

[Smevo]

On the opposite spectrum of the development that's discussed above...

Provincial housing plan may not be enough for the CBRM, say some experts

A ~2 minute video article trying to show what's needed in the area for affordable housing.

[Smevo]

Google Earth Pro imagery from September shows footings in the ground for the first building at Churchill Crossing in Membertou. I can't remember offhand what this first building was supposed to be.

It's also showing some clearing done for the Novazone development outside Westmount, of which Membertou is also a stakeholder.

[Smevo]

Late posting this, but it's good to see there will still be a use for this building when the new complex opens in the industrial park, assuming the PC's are moving forward with that contract.


Urgent Treatment Centre To Hold Public Education Session


Link to article about it opening by CTV.

I'm not sure about the structure of the NS healthcare system anymore, but there are several of these in Alberta, and (properly staffed) they are a good supplement to the emergency healthcare services in the actual hospitals, and properly used can help emergency departments focus on more critical emergencies by allowing less urgent concerns to be handled at the urgent care center (as the article says, non life-threatening).


A couple of NSCC updates

NSCC Waterfront Campus Photo Update Nov.1, 2021

Posting these in reverse order of the linked webpage, to show the progress.

September 16, 2021


October 11, 2021


November 1, 2021




They've also started the building on the other side of the Esplanade, running along Falmouth between Charlotte St and the Esplanade.
NSCC New Construction Corner of Charlotte & Falmouth

[Smevo]

Not directly development related, but big news for a Sydney-based company nonetheless.

Sydney-based OTS collaborates with major player in world energy and infrastructure sector


OTS (Sydney-based, with offices in Sydney, Fort MacMurray, Calgary, and Houston) has partnered with EnerMech of Aberdeen, Scotland. OTS already does

...pre-commissioning, commissioning, and start-up services for the energy, mining and utility sectors.

OTS also has recent MOU's with Svante, Enbridge, and Cross River Infrastructure Partners with an eye on carbon capture projects.

[Smevo]

CBRM council receptive to Port of Sydney's waterfront project ideas



Cool project proposed by the Port totalling ~$7.7M that would likely breathe life into an underutilized area of the waterfront, from locals and tourists alike. The breakdown from the council agenda is:
Fisherman's Cove - ~$5.227M
Urban Market - ~$800K
South Dock Sinkhole Repair - ~$1.62M

[Smevo]

Group wants to turn Sydney's Centennial Arena into green sports facility



Tomorrow's Legends (local non-profit focused on youth sports) is partnering with Breton Green Solutions (local solar power company based in River Ryan) on a proposal to transform this arena to include regulation sized courts for basketball and volleyball, and a multipurpose media and tech centre, powered by cost-effective green energy and with a seating capacity around 500.

[Taeolas]

My cousin in law shared this facebook post showing the construction status of the new NSCC campus in Sydney.

As the Construction Manager, we are constructing the new Nova Scotia Community College campus with state-of-the-art learning and community spaces. Once completed, the new campus will accelerate the College’s strategy to expand the physical capacity of the campus.

Not sure if this link will work; but the FB link is public.

[Smevo]

Sweet. Progress is coming along nicely. All of the currently planned buildings have at least foundation work done. The future plan is for expansion to the south (past the house with all the construction trucks parked beside it), including residences. There's also the possibility of reclaiming land from the harbour if needed, but I doubt they'll be doing that with the room they already have to expand.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Sorry if this has already been answered, but what will be happening with the old building?

[Smevo]

Very good question. I'm not entirely sure, though I think the province may have been leasing the land from CBU, so they may have a plan to renovate and expand into the old Marconi Campus with their diploma program. Either that, or NSCC may still use it as a satellite for some of their programs that are less "attractive" to do in a downtown setting. I'm not totally sure of the offerings, but I know some of the labs might potentially work better in their current setting than downtown, so the related programs may stay at a satellite campus.

This is all pure speculation mind you. CBU has a lot of land available to expand as it is.

[Smevo]

Trees come down for flood mitigation project in Sydney's Baille Ard Trail


Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously, something major needs to be done. I didn't need to read the report to know that the downstream ponds, diversion, and widening of the outlet to Muggah Creek would have a negligible effect. It seems like CBCL did the proper research and analyses to help CBRM make their ultimate decision, but I'm not totally convinced that there wasn't a better option or combination of options. I didn't do the research though, so that's really just speculation and definitely not and educated opinion. I did read the report, which the article has a link to (well, to the list of studies done for CBRM on many topics, you have to scroll to 2019 for this one), but I definitely didn't expect they'd waste any time exploring downstream options, as any local knows downstream isn't the cause of the issue.

It does appear that, even though this is the most disruptive option to the Baille Ard Trail system, they tried to be as sensitive as they could be within this option to respect the old growth forest and spirit of the trail system, even if it does become a more sterile groomed trail than it is now.

[Smevo]

'I have lost all my hope': Sydney restaurateur fears business closure inevitable after immigration application failed


I really hope this gets sorted out for him, and the lawyers who gave the bad advice either get reprimanded (if intentional or negligent), or have at least learned how to not have this happen again (if unintentional).

$50K for CBRM boundary review study, outside consultant worries some councillors


As long as they don't come back with the 3 district proposal that came out a couple of weeks ago, an "outside" consultant might be a good idea, but they must have some actual knowledge of the area.

[Smevo]

Ambitious housing plan revealed for former horse racing track in Sydney


CBU bought this site two years ago with the intention of addressing the rise in need for student housing. The plan includes 430 residential units, which will consist of a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartment buildings including rental and affordable housing, as well as some commercial and what looks to be a decent sized park from the render.

[Dengler Avenue]

Student housing in Sydney? Which school?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Student housing in Sydney? Which school?

CBU (Cape Breton University).

[Smevo]

The pedway is being installed over the Esplanade at the NSCC project. It's Sydney's first downtown pedway (there's one between Health Park and CBRH, and one or two on the current NSCC campus beside CBU, but those are outside of downtown).

Derek Mombourquette, MLA for the area, had pictures on his Facebook page. The Esplanade is closed on this block for three days during the installation.