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Originally Posted by someone123
It's really unfortunately how little residential infill has been built in the old downtown area. The city has only moderate demand for office space but the HRM promotes suburban office parks while developers propose more and more office towers downtown that will not be built. Meanwhile people actually would move downtown but there are very few residential offerings aside from some small conversions -- zero new residential towers. I don't believe that there is demand for King's Wharf in Dartmouth but that nobody would move into a residential highrise downtown.
The goal should be to get 5,000-10,000 new people to move to the old downtown area in the next 5-10 years. This would be great for the tax base, great for businesses, great for residents, and would even increase demand for office space somewhat since the area would be more convenient for living in and working in.
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It is unfortunate; but I see a few things changing in the next few years and the seeds of these changes are being sewed now...
Firstly - the population growth of HRM has been no less than impressive. As I've harped on about in other threads, we WILL blow past 425,000 before the end of the regional plan in 2026. So that realization alone will probably prompt a revisit of the plan way earlier than HRM had probably planned.
NC will also be a shot in the arm for the downtown (I suspect). But because the office demand dt is low, I suspect the only projects that will move forward will be residential (for the most part). Which is fine; because it brings the people first - which is what will bring demand for the businesses to return to the core. This, Hollis, Trillium, Roy and a few others will bring probably somewhere between 500 to 1500 new people downtown. Good start.
Once downtown gets the 'shot in the arm' and the confidence level increases, I suspect that you'll start seeing more interest in doing residential for the short term - until office demand returns. I'm guessing 5 to 8 year time span, but could be shorter if economic circumstances change quickly.
The other thing which I think you'll start to see over the next few years (partly because of the population increase and demographic shift) is a greater demand for townhousing and apartment style units. Most of the boomers will want out of their homes but won't move right into seniors care because they won't need it right away. So they will do like many people I know are doing with retirement - sell the house, get a condo (no yard work) and then travel.
Another thing which may come about over the next few years is a number of high rise seniors facilities being built. The demand is going to go up - so why not have one or two in downtown? Pretty central - but then again I'm probably thinking like a gen x'er and it might not be a good place for them.
Big changes like what you are hoping take time. But the seeds are being sewed, it's just a matter of standing up to groups like STV and HT and getting the projects going. I've coined the idea that Halifax could be the 'Vancouver of the east' - very sustainable, walkable and dense downtown. Halifax may not be like Vancouver in the sense of having lots of huge towers, but we can still have a very dense downtown core and surrounding areas which promote more walkable development.