General Updates and News

[Keith P.]

After endless delays and years of poor communication on what was going on, the new SJAM school on Russell St in the North End is finally opening next week:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7094075

While the interior spaces look modern albeit somewhat small and cramped, they are at least new for the moment though one must wonder how long they will stay looking that way. A library was not something we ever had decades ago when I was attending the original version and they way our schedules worked we had no time to visit such a place anyway. I can only wonder what rationale sees a need to fund that. Not saying its bad but I have a hard time getting my head around free time during the daily schedule for kids of that age. Maybe it is a glorified lunchroom, who knows. The exterior is really quite ugly and cheap-looking IMO. The most impressive part of the video was young Ms. Frankie LeGallie speaking to the reporter. I don't know how old she is but she did an outstanding job with her comments for apparently being so young.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

Interesting to see brick making a comeback in the city.

The Robie-fronting building at Richmond Yards has brick going on it, and some of the recent mid-szied project proposals around the city are in brick.

The brick however is probably going to be sourced from Ontario or Quebec as Shaw has shut down the brick making Kiln in Lantz. Out of the Brick business, which was well over 100 years old. My Brother in law oversaw the Kiln shutdown. Just too friggin expensive for the scale of output.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

... A library was not something we ever had decades ago... Not saying its bad but I have a hard time getting my head around free time during the daily schedule for kids of that age.

Interesting - I went to elementary school in the 80s in rural NS. We had a library. That's where we went to do research if we had to make presentations on things... I think we also had classtime there where we learned the Dewey Decimal system and how to find things in a library. I regularly took out books to read at home. I was a reader though. Our community didn't have a public library, but there was a traveling bookmobile organized by the public library in a nearby town - it used to park in our community regularly - my parents used to take us every time it was there to take out (and return) books.

[someone123]

Not sure if it's been posted here but if you look at these photos, you will see a small development under construction to the north of Velo. Maybe on the JJ Mart site?

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/29382102/5540-cunard-street-halifax-halifax?view=imagelist

This area is starting to be decently built up and there is a nice mix of larger and smaller developments. The Staples is looking more and more out of place.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by someone123

Not sure if it's been posted here but if you look at these photos, you will see a small development under construction to the north of Velo. Maybe on the JJ Mart site?

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/29382102/5540-cunard-street-halifax-halifax?view=imagelist

This area is starting to be decently built up and there is a nice mix of larger and smaller developments. The Staples is looking more and more out of place.

That is 2308 GOTTINGEN STREET

"12 Unit Addition to Existing Dwelling. Once the addition is complete, the building will have 14 residential units and a 1,000 SF retail space on Gottingen."

JJ MART (2320 GOTTINGEN STREET) is now vacant and has a small exterior renovation ongoing;

"Window replacement and siding only on the front and back."

And somehow stuck in between them the infamous Kit Kat Pizza is still operating.

HRM Building Permits Geolocated. Best source to identify smaller projects.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

That is 2308 GOTTINGEN STREET

"12 Unit Addition to Existing Dwelling. Once the addition is complete, the building will have 14 residential units and a 1,000 SF retail space on Gottingen."

JJ MART (2320 GOTTINGEN STREET) is now vacant and has a small exterior renovation ongoing;

"Window replacement and siding only on the front and back."

And somehow stuck in between them the infamous Kit Kat Pizza is still operating.

HRM Building Permits Geolocated. Best source to identify smaller projects.

That's funny, I went by there a few hours ago. I was surprised to see the building getting TLC--it's one I would have expected to be torn down or simoply deteriorate forever.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

That is 2308 GOTTINGEN STREET

"12 Unit Addition to Existing Dwelling. Once the addition is complete, the building will have 14 residential units and a 1,000 SF retail space on Gottingen."

Thanks. I was surprised how big the structure looked and figured the JJ Mart building had been torn down. The one next to Velo on the other side looks pretty good too, and there was even an empty house-sized lot on Maynard that got a new house. The block was half empty a decade or two ago and is now in really good shape.

There are a lot of these apartment additions around the city and they work well when there's a historic building with low lot coverage.

[Dmajackson]

I'm very curious about the group of permits that were just submitted this week for the north side of INGLIS STREET between Wellington Street and the elementary school.

5859 INGLIS STREET, HFX | ? Floors | 70 Units | RES | ? Value | 00053496 | DOP Submitted 02-25-2026.
5873 INGLIS STREET, HFX | ? Floors | 70 Units | RES | ? Value | 00053462 | DOP Submitted 02-25-2026.
5905 INGLIS STREET, HFX | ? Floors | 82 Units | RES | ? Value | 00053439 | DOP Submitted 02-25-2026.
5925 INGLIS STREET, HFX | ? Floors | 96 Units | RES | ? Value | 00053413 | DOP Submitted 02-25-2026.

Copied from HalifaxDevelopments.ca - "Permit Tracking"

They are all listed as separate student-housing buildings with lots between them so they don't connect.

[Keith P.]

Those are some rather valuable deep south end properties facing demolition. I’m sure the south-end elites will rise up against them.

[Haligonian88]

Building permit applications have been submitted for:

6-storey, 80-unit building at 41 Brule St

6-storey, 104-unit building at 1200-1206 Cole Harbour Road

4-storey, 46-unit shared housing and special care building close to the corner of Citation Dr. & St. George Blvd. Unit 55A Citation Drive - Shiraz 16 (near Voyageur Lakes)

[worldlyhaligonian]

Not sure it was ever posted (I assume this is up to date?), but the new 'Flow Towers' rendering for DT Dartmouth. Another win for the Dartmouth area.



Source: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/fil...nal%20Application%20Details_Redacted.pdf

Edit: this is clearly out of date, but likely a similar style with more height?

[Keith P.]

This is the site of the two derelict graffiti-disfigured buildings surrounded by an empty lot on Canal St that were discussed recently in the Development Rumors discussion as being ready for demolition. Surprised it took Fares 10 years to get this underway.

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Not sure it was ever posted (I assume this is up to date?), but the new 'Flow Towers' rendering for DT Dartmouth. Another win for the Dartmouth area.



Source: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/fil...nal%20Application%20Details_Redacted.pdf

Edit: this is clearly out of date, but likely a similar style with more height?

This was an older concept for the site from 2016. Now I believe it is a 30 storey tower with a 9 storey building next to it. But it has been caught up in arguments about park space and how it meets the canal. There is a sizable grade difference and the developer and city are at a bit of an impasse from what I understand as to how to treat that grade difference.

This was the most recent massing model that I am aware of: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/fil...uncils/230112hemdcc1011applicantpres.pdf

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This is the site of the two derelict graffiti-disfigured buildings surrounded by an empty lot on Canal St that were discussed recently in the Development Rumors discussion as being ready for demolition. Surprised it took Fares 10 years to get this underway.

IIRC, DJ posted a photo where they are already torn down. What a key site for revitalization!

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

This was an older concept for the site from 2016. Now I believe it is a 30 storey tower with a 9 storey building next to it. But it has been caught up in arguments about park space and how it meets the canal. There is a sizable grade difference and the developer and city are at a bit of an impasse from what I understand as to how to treat that grade difference.

This was the most recent massing model that I am aware of: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/fil...uncils/230112hemdcc1011applicantpres.pdf

Oooh, thanks, Jono! No wonder this one isn't going full steam yet. I hope that the impasse has been bridged.

I have to say, Dartmouth is at a tipping point that we could have never imagined back in 2006-08 when only the 'Founders Corner' was a development of interest. Unreal!

[ngunda]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This is the site of the two derelict graffiti-disfigured buildings surrounded by an empty lot on Canal St that were discussed recently in the Development Rumors discussion as being ready for demolition. Surprised it took Fares 10 years to get this underway.

It’s nearby, but this particular site is on the other side of Canal and has been empty for a decade.

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Oooh, thanks, Jono! No wonder this one isn't going full steam yet. I hope that the impasse has been bridged.

I have to say, Dartmouth is at a tipping point that we could have never imagined back in 2006-08 when only the 'Founders Corner' was a development of interest. Unreal!

Agreed! I never thought I'd see 3 cranes up in downtown dartmouth at the same time. Let alone all that is going up on Wyse Road.

It will take a lot of development though to truly tip the scale on the feel of downtown dartmouth. It is still quite dominated by surface parking lots. I would say you'd need to see at least 50% or 60% of those built on to make it start to feel like a nice urban environment.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

It will take a lot of development though to truly tip the scale on the feel of downtown dartmouth. It is still quite dominated by surface parking lots. I would say you'd need to see at least 50% or 60% of those built on to make it start to feel like a nice urban environment.

There are a few prominent lots that would make a big difference but don't seem to have active projects. I'm thinking of the one on King St by King's Wharf, the one next to Alderney, and the one on Portland Street at Victoria Rd.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Building permits submitted this week for;

2110 Robie Street (@ Williams) - 9 Floors - 34 Units

I didn't grab a photo but I noticed today that the site is now barricaded off and and excavator is starting to dig at 2110 ROBIE STREET. The building permit was issued for the site last year.

[connect2source]

Hoarding has been removed from the boat school expansion project and building looks to be complete.
Photos By Me: