Development Rumours

[LikeCranes]

A few days ago I saw a post by Bruce Heatherington, former councillor, on FB saying that everything but the No Frills and Shoppers will be going from the current Dartmouth shopping centre and condos are slated for that spot.

Anyone else hear anything on that?

[Northend Guy]

Originally Posted by LikeCranes

A few days ago I saw a post by Bruce Heatherington, former councillor, on FB saying that everything but the No Frills and Shoppers will be going from the current Dartmouth shopping centre and condos are slated for that spot.

Anyone else hear anything on that?

I've heard something similar - I'd heard something about apartment towers going there. Not sure what the time frame is. Height-wise, I've heard they will be similar to some of the other ones we've been hearing about in the area, ~30 storeys.

[HfxGuy]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

TRIPLE EDIT: Actually, looking back at the very initial designs of Midtown North (Richmond Yards before its re-brand) it actually included these sites. I wonder what the story is there.

I believe this will indeed be part of the Richmond yards development and is looking like it will be between 6-7 stories. A nice blend down to street level imo. the development as a whole is still going to have a grand feel to it and will really lead the way for this entire area to be redeveloped over the next 10-15 years.

[someone123]

It seems there is a remarkable dearth of new proposals given the low vacancy rates and population growth. I wonder if this is a bad sign of things to come; it is not good for a city to add a lot of population in a time when the economy is troubled. The numbers may not work out for new construction with rampant inflation, rising interest rates, and indefinite rent control policies. This is in addition to whatever planning and development fee issues exist.

(The inflation is a way to "pay" for the covid policies, both stimulus/increased money supply and shutdowns. The world is likely just poorer now than it was in 2019.)

We may see a shift in Halifax from apartment to condo with very high condo prices, following the norm in many other cities. And people will argue that the government should build affordable housing but there isn't really any clear path to that and inflation will hurt there too. If there are shortages of materials, having the government bid against private developers will not necessarily yield much more housing.

But a lot of the factors driving this may only last a year or two. We might see inflation trend down for example, and supply chains gradually improve. I hope we will soon see the "Richmond Yards of 2022" or 2023, which should be larger in scale than projects planned in 2016.

[DigitalNinja]

Originally Posted by someone123

It seems there is a remarkable dearth of new proposals given the low vacancy rates and population growth. I wonder if this is a bad sign of things to come; it is not good for a city to add a lot of population in a time when the economy is troubled. The numbers may not work out for new construction with rampant inflation, rising interest rates, and indefinite rent control policies. This is in addition to whatever planning and development fee issues exist.

(The inflation is a way to "pay" for the covid policies, both stimulus/increased money supply and shutdowns. The world is likely just poorer now than it was in 2019.)

We may see a shift in Halifax from apartment to condo with very high condo prices, following the norm in many other cities. And people will argue that the government should build affordable housing but there isn't really any clear path to that and inflation will hurt there too. If there are shortages of materials, having the government bid against private developers will not necessarily yield much more housing.

But a lot of the factors driving this may only last a year or two. We might see inflation trend down for example, and supply chains gradually improve. I hope we will soon see the "Richmond Yards of 2022" or 2023, which should be larger in scale than projects planned in 2016.

I might be wrong but I believe that there is a large backlog of developments approved under the Centre Plan but haven't started construction yet. Could be just waiting for this?

[kph06]

Originally Posted by DigitalNinja

I might be wrong but I believe that there is a large backlog of developments approved under the Centre Plan but haven't started construction yet. Could be just waiting for this?

I think this is a big reason. Plus there was a slug that went in prior to the Centre Plan. When I think of the major developers, I feel like most have a number of projects in the queue, but realistically they can only take on a couple at a time.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kph06

I think this is a big reason. Plus there was a slug that went in prior to the Centre Plan. When I think of the major developers, I feel like most have a number of projects in the queue, but realistically they can only take on a couple at a time.

I have heard of some interesting ones in the pipeline like perhaps the Staples site owned by Southwest. But I think there may have been more "public reveals" of major projects back around 2014-2016 even though the city is growing faster now and housing prices are higher.

An exception is the 3x30 storey proposal by the bridge on the Dartmouth side. I can't really think of anything downtown. Eventually there will be new Cogswell related developments as well (maybe Cogswell-adjacent Crombie sites?). Hopefully one day a major Scotia Square do-over.

Perhaps some of it is psychological and there are just so many big new developments now that they don't feel as significant. Proposals like the King's Wharf tower under construction or the Williams St tower seem like just another development now but would have been a huge deal in 2012.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by kph06

When I think of the major developers, I feel like most have a number of projects in the queue, but realistically they can only take on a couple at a time.

In that vein, it would be great to see Promenade Robie South and Spring Garden West come to fruition. Together, they'd make four 30-storey towers in a single block.

Anyone here hearing any reliable scuttlebutt about them?

They're both ambitious projects. Promenade Robie South is particularly attractive to me.

[IanWatson]

It does seem to be the case that most major developers have an existing project queue that’s at least four or five major projects deep, and the labour and materials crunch is probably dragging on project timelines at the moment.

We’re probably hearing less about proposals too because Centre Plan has made them all as-of-right. No planning application page with drawings posted; the projects just “happen”.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

In that vein, it would be great to see Promenade Robie South and Spring Garden West come to fruition. Together, they'd make four 30-storey towers in a single block.

Anyone here hearing any reliable scuttlebutt about them?

They're both ambitious projects. Promenade Robie South is particularly attractive to me.

I think phase 1 of the Promenade development, moving the historic houses is beginning. I haven't seen myself, but heard that demolition prep for the future location of the homes to be saved has begun. I think will generally go (my speculation):

1. Demolish non-remarkable homes
2. Build common foundation
3. Slide historic homes to new common foundation
4. Begin work on hi-rise phase

[someone123]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

We’re probably hearing less about proposals too because Centre Plan has made them all as-of-right. No planning application page with drawings posted; the projects just “happen”.

I wonder if this by itself is a bit of a mistake and political problem. I think people react more strongly to surprising changes to their city than they do to changes that are communicated ahead of time, even if they dislike the change in any case.

In the urban core, contacting neighbours who will be directly impacted by construction noise and dust doesn't cut it either, since so many other people pass by and feel a sense of connection. This used to annoy me long ago since I would contact the downtown councillor (now no longer councillor) and they would say I didn't live downtown and wasn't a constituent, and then my councillor would say a downtown problem is not their problem.

We saw this play out with the Robie Street houses. In the long run if people feel it is a big problem then councillors will be pushed to modify the Centre Plan. And the modification may not make sense since it may be driven by anxiety/anger about change.

[JET]

Heard that St. Peter’s church on Maple /Ochterloney has sold for $17,000,000

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

Heard that St. Peter’s church on Maple /Ochterloney has sold for $17,000,000

I hadn't realized that it was no longer in use. Any idea how long ago it was closed?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I hadn't realized that it was no longer in use. Any idea how long ago it was closed?

Could not have been very long; I'm not sure it is closed in reality. I attended a funeral there a couple of years ago and it was in fine shape. A lovely church.

There has been considerable consolidation within the local Catholic operation. Individual parishes have been folded into an "Our Lady of Guadalupe" structure that has resulted in other churches under that umbrella being closed.

THIS DOCUMENT which is fairly recent makes me wonder if the original post is correct. The decision outlined states that St. Peter's is to be retained while others will be closed.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Hmmm... interesting.

Unless it's the old school property that is selling. I know the older building was being used for community functions, but don't know if the 'newer' building (built in the 1950s or '60s) is still being used as a school.

[Colin May]

No sale shown on PVSC, the sale may be agreed but closing date delayed. This project may be linked to the recent purchase of water lots in Dartmouth Cove and the application to infill with rock.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Colin May

No sale shown on PVSC, the sale may be agreed but closing date delayed.

It wouldn't appear on the PVSC website instantly. There's always a lag, and it's not only a function of the closing date. The sale price isn't posted until PVSC receives a copy of the deed transfer tax affidavit.

[someone123]

Colliers video for the Salvation Army site on Barrington:

• Video Link

Not sure what the height limit on this site is.

[Dmajackson]

A Titanic Experience is being proposed for the Seaport. It will include a restaurant, aquarium, hotel, and apartments all in a building built to represent the Titanic.

Titanic Experience project proposed for Port of Halifax - Saltwire.com (partial paywall)

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

A Titanic Experience is being proposed for the Seaport. It will include a restaurant, aquarium, hotel, and apartments all in a building built to represent the Titanic.

Titanic Experience project proposed for Port of Halifax - Saltwire.com (partial paywall)

Wow! Looks like the location currently occupied by the Waterfront Warehouse.

I don't know what to say - it seems a little bizarre. I'm not sure if an attraction based on a famous shipwreck where many people died is in the greatest of taste, but one can't deny its worldwide enduring fame.

Is this really going to happen?