General Updates and News

[Saul Goode]

As you may know, Prince Albert Road in Dartmouth has been closed between Hawthorne and Sinclair all week, with traffic detoured to Sinclair.

In a feat of absolute planning genius, HRM has also chosen today to start installation of another batch of Samerrhoids™ on Sinclair.

The results have been predictable - well, to everyone but HRM, I guess.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

As you may know, Prince Albert Road in Dartmouth has been closed between Hawthorne and Sinclair all week, with traffic detoured to Sinclair.

In a feat of absolute planning genius, HRM has also chosen today to start installation of another batch of Samerrhoids™ on Sinclair.

The results have been predictable - well, to everyone but HRM, I guess.

Why has the City closed Prince Albert?

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Why has the City closed Prince Albert?

Don't know. I've heard radio announcements every morning that it'll be closed, but they never say why.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Samerrhoids™

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Don't know. I've heard radio announcements every morning that it'll be closed, but they never say why.

Apparently Halifax Water closed the street for a sewer and water hookup for a house near the paddling clubs.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Apparently Halifax Water closed the street for a sewer and water hookup for a house near the paddling clubs.

I assumed it was probably sewer/water work of some kind. I wonder why they didn't just say so.

[Empire]

I personally think that converting office space in the central core is not a good planning approach. Typically, this type of conversion is very expensive so the net result will not alleviate the housing need in the medium price range. Downtown office vacancy rate is approx. 18%.

Perhaps we need a recruitment plan to bring in corporations to occupy existing office space in the financial center. If downtown office space is converted to residential, future corporate interest could be limited as the only options for space might be in the suburbs. I would be interested to see an HRM transit plan that focuses on moving people from downtown to go to work in the suburbs.

CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot...pers-convert-offices-apartment-1.7192817

[rdaner]

Originally Posted by Empire

I personally think that converting office space in the central core is not a good planning approach. Typically, this type of conversion is very expensive so the net result will not alleviate the housing need in the medium price range. Downtown office vacancy rate is approx. 18%.

Perhaps we need a recruitment plan to bring in corporations to occupy existing office space in the financial center. If downtown office space is converted to residential, future corporate interest could be limited as the only options for space might be in the suburbs. I would be interested to see an HRM transit plan that focuses on moving people from downtown to go to work in the suburbs.

CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot...pers-convert-offices-apartment-1.7192817

Though I understand your concern I wouldn't be concerned as it is a limited number of buildings.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by rdaner

Though I understand your concern I wouldn't be concerned as it is a limited number of buildings.

Converting the RBC building and BMO building breaks up the group of bank/ commercial buildings the define the small finincial core. One aspect of densifing downtown with residential units is to bring people closer to work. There is a better chance of leasing existing office space then having a new build as there is no space remaining it this area. Cogswell is an opportunity for commercial development but the current focus is residential.

[Keith P.]

The biggest problem with converting office buildings to residential is the typical lack of indoor parking. There are only so many well-to-do people willing to use a bicycle as their main mode of personal transport.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The biggest problem with converting office buildings to residential is the typical lack of indoor parking. There are only so many well-to-do people willing to use a bicycle as their main mode of personal transport.

Could be a long bike ride to your office in Bayer's Lake or Bedford.

[Jreeb]

Also with office to residential conversions, the office building needs to have the right floor plate size. Too big of a floor plate with a small core results in a lot of inefficient space for a multi-res building. You'd end up with really slim units and wide hallways. You could mitigate this by putting storage lockers on every floor but still is inefficient. With larger/slim units your rent on a PSF basis is on the lower side.

[Colin May]

Long detailed article on office conversions in Toronto and includes vacancy rate by building and the owners (primarily pension funds through REITS). I read the article while on way home from the city ...https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-downtown-toronto-office-buildings-vacancy/
Only available to subscribers.
If your employer has a pension plan you may (should) be interested.
Quote : " While some towers are chock-full of tenants, one-third of the biggest office buildings in the core of Canada’s most important financial district are at least one-fifth empty, with some grappling with even larger voids of up to 50 per cent."

[mleblanc]

Halifax has unanimously passed the proposed Housing Accelerator Fund zoning reforms. Hopefully this sparks some desperately needed change.


Source

[ArchAficionado]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

Halifax has unanimously passed the proposed Housing Accelerator Fund zoning reforms. Hopefully this sparks some desperately needed change.


Source

Great, great news! Thank god those NIMBYs didn't get into the heads of the councilors. I watched a bit of the hearings and man some of those people have some painful, misguided opinions. One guy (not going to name and shame) was like "i'm not a nimby" then proceeded to go on the most unhinged nimby tirade about multi unit buildings in his neighborhood.

It always irks me (as a young hardworking professional who is years behind where his similarly educated parents and grandparents were at the same stage of life, economically speaking) how those anti-development folk are always a sea of grey or no hair. Those who want no change to their neighborhoods over time are unabashedly emanating a f- you, got mine attitude. God forbid I own a condo a quarter as nice as your house for 4x the inflation-adjusted purchase price. (note this is not a boomer hate post, moreso a frustration for those who check-out from all socio-economic challenges in the world once they no longer are affected by said challenges personally).

[Keith P.]

Hopefully the “desperately needed change” is throwing each and every one of these useless tools to the curb in the fall elections.

[Colin May]

None of them mentioned the elephant in the room - out of control immigration under the Justin Trudeau regime. When you see a photo of refugees sleeping on a sidewalk you know we have a serious problem. The new federal fund will not accelerate the construction of one unit in HRM. for all the obvious reasons mentioned in many press reports.
I eagerly await the arrival of thousands of skilled trades personnel.... if I live long enough.

[HarbingerDe]

Originally Posted by Colin May

None of them mentioned the elephant in the room - out of control immigration under the Justin Trudeau regime. When you see a photo of refugees sleeping on a sidewalk you know we have a serious problem. The new federal fund will not accelerate the construction of one unit in HRM. for all the obvious reasons mentioned in many press reports.
I eagerly await the arrival of thousands of skilled trades personnel.... if I live long enough.

Numerous representatives from REITs and real-estate development companies literally showed up to state their support for the bylaw amendments and point out how it will actually improve output in some cases.

An interesting example was one developer pointing out that the change from defining height in meters to defining it in stories will allow them to get the maximum story count without having to jam the HVAC and other utilities into an unnecessarily small intermediary between the floors - he claimed this substantially complexified and slowed the construction of some of their developments.

It's the small wins. No the crisis is not solved. Yes, our population growth is outpacing completions (even if we doubled them...), but it's a meaningful step in the right direction.

[Colin May]

This is not a small win. There will not be sufficient skilled trades to deal with this national housing crisis. None of the proposed projects will move forward at a faster pace. Our home will soon be in a designated Heritage district and will result in higher property prices and reduce affordability for couples who want to have a family.
I am not interested in the number of 'units'. I am interested in the number of homes for families. Families will increasingly choose to live outside the centre and I foresee a dramatic increase in home building for families outside the HRM boundaries, an increase that is visible from Highway 102 in the Enfield area.
I notice certain people talk about 'sprawl' without defining the line where 'sprawl' begins.
Unless immigration levels are reduced to a much lower level the national housing crisis will continue.

[HarbingerDe]

Originally Posted by Colin May

This is not a small win. There will not be sufficient skilled trades to deal with this national housing crisis.

I already described one example of how specific legislation in this bylaw amendment will allow faster construction with the existing pool of skilled trade labour. That is by definition a small win.

Originally Posted by Colin May

None of the proposed projects will move forward at a faster pace.

Yes, some will. The HAF amendments allow construction itself to occur faster in some specific, admittedly perhaps limited, scenarios. In addition to faster construction, there is now much more 'as of right' permitted housing. Thousands more units can now be built with much less red tape. We don't need a public engagement session and council vote for every 9 story building that a developer wants to put up on a major arterial roadway... This helps solve that.

Originally Posted by Colin May

Our home will soon be in a designated Heritage district and will result in higher property prices and reduce affordability for couples who want to have a family.

I'm not really a fan of the new heritage districts either. We have enough of them. But it was likely a necessary concession to get the amendment passed in the first place, and so much additional density is permitted elsewhere that I'm not bothered.

Heritage districts are not really the thing hurting young families ability to buy a home. The fact that there are no homes to buy in the first place is the reason! And the incredibly scarce homes that do exist on the peninsula cost millions of dollars. We need more supply. Simple as that.

Originally Posted by Colin May

I am not interested in the number of 'units'.

Clearly.

Originally Posted by Colin May

I am interested in the number of homes for families.

To be frank, this is a nonsensical statement. You're simply projecting your own personal idea of what a home is onto the rest of society and becoming grumpy that not everyone else agrees.

Let me guess... To you, a home is a single-family detached house, not exceeding 2 stories, and not occupying more than 50% of the lot area? Well, the peninsula is pretty much maxed out on those. There is literally not any room to build any more of them, and each one built contributes very little to the desperately needed housing stock.

As a young person, I would much rather pay $350,000 for a condo in a 4plex than never have the opportunity to own a home at all (or literally go homeless), which seems to be what you're advocating for.

Originally Posted by Colin May

Families will increasingly choose to live outside the centre and I foresee a dramatic increase in home building for families outside the HRM boundaries, an increase that is visible from Highway 102 in the Enfield area.

Dramatically increasing the number of available housing units in the city center will cause people to choose to live outside of the city center? To be frank, nothing you say makes a lick of sense; you must have been one of the highly informedly citizens who made an anti-HAF statement at the public hearing.

Originally Posted by Colin May

Unless immigration levels are reduced to a much lower level the national housing crisis will continue.

The municipal government can not stop people from entering Halifax. Nor can they forcibly remove people from Halifax.

The municipal government CAN amend zoning bylaws to allow for the creation of more homes in the places where people are trying to live.