Development Rumours

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

What stands out to me from all of this is that one organization can say a building is unsalvageable or not economically viable while another may consider it very attractive to carry on maintaining or sympathetically redevelop the same property (even though profit margins may be a bit smaller). I don't put a lot of stock into single opinions that tend to be repeated as fact by the media, nor do I tend to believe reports that heritage requirements will grind all development in the city to a halt (a particularly weak argument when so few development sites have heritage buildings on them).

Well, some property owners may be willing to take suboptimal returns or even lose money for years in anticipation of a big payoff some years into the future. Others want the best return possible as soon as possible. That does not mean all heritage properties are worth saving from an economic case perspective.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

ANS is reporting that 13 companies have submitted bits to redevelop the Dennis Building, Hansard Building (Acadian Recorder), and the empty lot surrounding them. HTNS is one bidder along with a mix of developers, some of whom have a track record of good heritage developments (e.g. Starfish and Steve Caryi, who is working on the NFB Building) and others less so. It sounds like there may be some diverse and creative proposals for the properties. The redevelopment might include improvements to Granville Street and an extension of the pedestrian mall.

One deficiency of the RFP, in my opinion, is that the province is not requiring that the upper 3 storeys of the Dennis Building be saved. Those floors may be built out of brick but they are an interesting component of the building, along with the copper cornice. They are an indication of how the city grew and evolved over time. Knocking those floors off would be like knocking the top brick levels off of Morse's Teas/Jerusalem Warehouse, or the silly proposal to cut the Champlain Building down from 6 floors to 4. Hopefully the winner will preserve at least the entire facade.

Earlier ANS also reported that the new owner of the Waverley Inn intends to keep operating it. A few weeks ago they suggested that the obvious outcome would be for the building to be knocked down and replaced by something new. This is a landmark that has been operating as a hotel since the 1870's and has had guests like Oscar Wilde, P. T. Barnum, and George Vanderbilt. In almost any other city it would be a protected heritage property.

What stands out to me from all of this is that one organization can say a building is unsalvageable or not economically viable while another may consider it very attractive to carry on maintaining or sympathetically redevelop the same property (even though profit margins may be a bit smaller). I don't put a lot of stock into single opinions that tend to be repeated as fact by the media, nor do I tend to believe reports that heritage requirements will grind all development in the city to a halt (a particularly weak argument when so few development sites have heritage buildings on them).

That's great news! Thanks for sharing it with us.

I also appreciate your thoughtful commentary. I agree 100%.

[planarchy]

Interesting list. Surprised to see Drake Hotel Properties in the list, owners of the Drake in Toronto.

[teddifax]

I must be missing something here, where is this list?
\

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by planarchy

Interesting list. Surprised to see Drake Hotel Properties in the list, owners of the Drake in Toronto.

That's exactly the kind of thing that would make sense for this building (though the Drake is much smaller than this property).

I'll be extremely disappointed if nepotism, patronage, or cheapness results in the selection of an inferior bidder.

[teddifax]

Where was the list shown, can it be reposted?

[gm_scott]

Originally Posted by teddifax

Where was the list shown, can it be reposted?

Probably not since it was ANS who posted it in the first place.

[planarchy]

Originally Posted by gm_scott

Probably not since it was ANS who posted it in the first place.

This list is public - here are those who made submissions - although it is an expression of interest only at this point -

Armour Group

ComVest

Donegal Consulting Limited

Heritage Trust

Starfish Properties

Armco Capital

BANC Group

Dexel Developments Limited

Drake Hotel Properties

Sonco Group Inc

Universal Realty Group

Justin LoRusso

North Star Immigration Law Inc.

[teddifax]

I am hoping for the best for this one... It would be nice to see something fantastic for this site, given a lot of thought and a great design.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That's exactly the kind of thing that would make sense for this building (though the Drake is much smaller than this property).

I'll be extremely disappointed if nepotism, patronage, or cheapness results in the selection of an inferior bidder.

This has got to be one of the biggest development sites downtown in terms of visibility, impact on important public spaces, and the potential for improvement over what's there currently.

I'm hoping the winning proposal will of course preserve the two buildings as much as possible but also feature interesting facades along Barrington with unique and "warm" materials, not just glass, spandrel, or grey concrete. One of Barrington's best features is how eclectic its masonry architecture is. Even if you just look at the George-Prince block you will find that nearly every building has its own unique styles and materials. And this is after half of the block has been torn down or ruined one way or the other.

Here's what the parking lot side looked like in 1915:


Source

Note the tiny commercial building wedged in next to the 7 storey one.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That's exactly the kind of thing that would make sense for this building (though the Drake is much smaller than this property).

I'll be extremely disappointed if nepotism, patronage, or cheapness results in the selection of an inferior bidder.

Has there been a single RFP involving the Provincial Government competition where this hasn't seeped in?

Patronage, nepotism, and croynism is basically how the NS Provincial Government has operated since time immemorial.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by planarchy

This list is public - here are those who made submissions - although it is an expression of interest only at this point -

Armour Group

ComVest

Donegal Consulting Limited

Heritage Trust

Starfish Properties

Armco Capital

BANC Group

Dexel Developments Limited

Drake Hotel Properties

Sonco Group Inc

Universal Realty Group

Justin LoRusso

North Star Immigration Law Inc.

It might be nice to see an out-of-town developer get a hold of this (provided they have a good proposal) just to inject some new energy or ideas into the local development scene.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Another view:


https://novascotia.ca/archives/NSIS/archives.asp?ID=492

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It might be nice to see an out-of-town developer get a hold of this (provided they have a good proposal) just to inject some new energy or ideas into the local development scene.

The one that really catches my eye here is the Drake Hotels one. I think that they would be the one most likely to not take a facade-ism approach to the Dennis, plus I think the boutique style of hotels is something that is under-served in Halifax. I think that Drake Hotels could do something really really interesting here.

[kph06]

Looking at Enqor Development's Website, the proposal below looks to be in the works. Looks like a tower behind Bearly's which they recently bought.

[Jonovision]

South Barrington is booming. Another new proposal that caught my eye in the HRM office in Scotia Square.

It is replacing the mid century office building at 1190 Barrington Street fronting on Cornwallis Park.

1190 Barrington by Jonovision23, on Flickr

1190 Barrington2 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

1190 Barrington3 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

Current Site:

20161014_142346 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

[Keith P.]

The existing building at 1190 Barrington has a certain charm; it was for many years the home of Imperial Oil's offices after they moved out of the old building on Upper Water St that housed O'Carroll's and is now part of Waterside Place. It always seemed well-kept and had a certain charm, but when Imperial moved out it seemed to go into decline. While it is not looking particularly run-down, it does look dated, and the new structure is larger and no doubt more efficient. But I will miss this one.

[kph06]

I always liked that building. I'd be disappointed to see it go. The new proposal already looks out of date.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by kph06

I always liked that building. I'd be disappointed to see it go. The new proposal already looks out of date.

I don't mind the old building, but I wouldn't be too bothered to see it knocked down. This proposal is just atrocious, however. Looks like the architect opened the 1993 drawer and pulled out the first thing.

[portapetey]

Yeah, another "mishmash" proposal. Can't our developers just pick a look for a building and go with it, instead of trying to squeeze 6 different styles into one?