Development Rumours

[bartekci]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

No, that's the other St. Pat's.

This site has a 90-metre limit, so this development should be fine. Not sure what the status is though.

Oh, hah! My bad. Well, that looks slick

[someone123]

It is better than I expected for that site. I like the irregular streets and little triangular park around there, and this will add a bit of "depth" to the area beyond the strip along Quinpool. Cities are more interesting when there's stuff to see along different paths.

[IanWatson]

It looks great. You can always count on Lydon Lynch to come up with a nice design.

My only disappointment is that it doesn't look like there's space for Canadian Tire. I'd heard rumours they were looking at integrating into whatever development went here. A replacement for the horrid existing Canadian Tire would be so nice, and it would open up redevelopment opportunity on the current site. Oh well.

[HaliKid]

Is there any news on a proposal for the St. Pats High site? Sad such a prominent piece of land is still undeveloped. Rendering looks quite solid

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by HaliKid

Is there any news on a proposal for the St. Pats High site? Sad such a prominent piece of land is still undeveloped. Rendering looks quite solid

It was reported in AllNS this morning that Banc Investments (Alec Halef) intends to start on it "in the next year or two", after completing Elevation (Robie) and Exchange (Joe Howe), with a target completion date of 2027.

It's a very substantial project at 800,000 sq ft, with four towers - two of which are 29 storeys.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

It looks great. You can always count on Lydon Lynch to come up with a nice design.

My only disappointment is that it doesn't look like there's space for Canadian Tire. I'd heard rumours they were looking at integrating into whatever development went here. A replacement for the horrid existing Canadian Tire would be so nice, and it would open up redevelopment opportunity on the current site. Oh well.

Couldn't agree more. That store has been an abomination since the day it opened.

[bluenoser]

Originally Posted by someone123

It is better than I expected for that site. I like the irregular streets and little triangular park around there, and this will add a bit of "depth" to the area beyond the strip along Quinpool. Cities are more interesting when there's stuff to see along different paths.

Agreed - this will add depth from Quinpool and I imagine from a number of other vantage points including the Commons.

Originally Posted by IanWatson

My only disappointment is that it doesn't look like there's space for Canadian Tire. I'd heard rumours they were looking at integrating into whatever development went here. A replacement for the horrid existing Canadian Tire would be so nice, and it would open up redevelopment opportunity on the current site. Oh well.

I would love to see something like this format, near downtown Calgary:

https://cmcglazing.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cmc-glazing_canadian-tire_1.jpg

[bluenoser]

And at the risk of digression but speaking of large urban format stores, I remain hopeful that the Barrington Superstore could one day be reimagined along these lines (also in Calgary, integrated with 2 condo towers):
https://goo.gl/maps/fcC94nWyuKDXmBLp7

[Phalanx]

There's also the urban format CT near the Eatons Centre in TO, which is an even better example, I think, with one floor at ground level, and one floor below ground level. One thing I'd like to see more of for larger urban format stores (and in general) is making better use of vertical space with more subterranean and above ground floor levels. You can still have large stores with small footprints. This requires more forethought from developers and cost considerations too, of course.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6557897,...XT283-HRv0Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[HaliKid]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

It was reported in AllNS this morning that Banc Investments (Alec Halef) intends to start on it "in the next year or two", after completing Elevation (Robie) and Exchange (Joe Howe), with a target completion date of 2027.

It's a very substantial project at 800,000 sq ft, with four towers - two of which are 29 storeys.

Thanks for the insight! Definitely substantial

[NorthernGreg]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

It was reported in AllNS this morning that Banc Investments (Alec Halef) intends to start on it "in the next year or two", after completing Elevation (Robie) and Exchange (Joe Howe), with a target completion date of 2027.

It's a very substantial project at 800,000 sq ft, with four towers - two of which are 29 storeys.

Do you know if this design has to go through any more approval processes from the city? I may have missed these renderings in the past, but this is the first I'm seeing of them - it looks very good for the most part.

Will this be a bigger project than Richmond Yards? St pats has the second tower, but I feel like the Richmond site is more spread with mid rise. Both are going to be great for the local communities I think

[someone123]

Originally Posted by NorthernGreg

Will this be a bigger project than Richmond Yards? St pats has the second tower, but I feel like the Richmond site is more spread with mid rise. Both are going to be great for the local communities I think

I believe Richmond Yards is around 1 million square feet.

[Keith P.]

I am trying to understand what I am looking at in that rendering for the St. Pat's High site. I assume the street shown is Quinpool Rd, but I can't understand what has happened to Windsor St. And the shadow ghost buildings in the backgrounds make zero sense in terms of the existing structures.

As an aside, I am perhaps the only person who actually likes the existing Canadian Tire store on Quinpool. Easy parking, and you do not need to pack a lunch to make your way around the store. That is the problem with their newer stores here in BL and DC, they are just too big. Hard to find what you are looking for, and not fun to shop in.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by someone123

I believe Richmond Yards is around 1 million square feet.

Yes, and with five towers (30, 13, 12, 10 and 8 storeys). Bigger for sure.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

As an aside, I am perhaps the only person who actually likes the existing Canadian Tire store on Quinpool. Easy parking, and you do not need to pack a lunch to make your way around the store. That is the problem with their newer stores here in BL and DC, they are just too big. Hard to find what you are looking for, and not fun to shop in.

I take your points, but I find it cramped, often messy and frequently out of stock. Aside from that, it's in a butt-ugly building, but that's not CT's fault.

As for the rendering - assuming you're referring to the one posted above - it shows the Windsor Street frontage (imagine you're looking at the old Windsor Street entrance to St. Pat's), looking southeast toward the Quinpool intersection, with the Parker Street offshoot just before that. The "the shadow ghost buildings in the background" suggest the Parkland development at the Willow Tree. There are lots of other views on the architect's website.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by NorthernGreg

Do you know if this design has to go through any more approval processes from the city?

My impression is that the process is streamlined as long as it meets the Centre Plan criteria, but I'm a rank amateur observer.

There are some professional planners on this board - perhaps one will chime in with the straight goods.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I am trying to understand what I am looking at in that rendering for the St. Pat's High site. I assume the street shown is Quinpool Rd, but I can't understand what has happened to Windsor St. And the shadow ghost buildings in the backgrounds make zero sense in terms of the existing structures...

Looks to me like the rendering is taken from an aerial perspective above the triangular park, looking south. I think the shadow building to the far right is the St. Vincent's Nursing Home building... the "camera" is hovering over Windsor and Parker streets, which converge at Quinpool in the left-hand side of the image - I think one of the ghost buildings there is the under-construction nursing home tower... Quinpool runs left-right in the image, beyond the St. Pats development.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Looks to me like the rendering is taken from an aerial perspective above the triangular park, looking south. I think the shadow building to the far right is the St. Vincent's Nursing Home building... the "camera" is hovering over Windsor and Parker streets, which converge at Quinpool in the left-hand side of the image - I think one of the ghost buildings there is the under-construction nursing home tower... Quinpool runs left-right in the image, beyond the St. Pats development.

'Zackly.

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

How much lower? There are nearby towers in the 20 storey range, and Windsor Street and Quinpool are main traffic arteries. One would think that this proposal would be ideal for this neighbourhood.

100% fully agree this is a perfect option

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

My impression is that the process is streamlined as long as it meets the Centre Plan criteria, but I'm a rank amateur observer.

There are some professional planners on this board - perhaps one will chime in with the straight goods.

Yes, this will be via site plan approval. Council has just done away with the Design Advisory Committee, so the site plan approval process will be entirely internal to HRM staff. It's basically as-of-right, though there are some nuanced differences between full as-of-right and site plan approval.