[Dartmouth] M District FGN (21 Mic Mac Blvd) | ? m | ^40 Floors | Approved

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I don't know if the grocery chains will want to refit that space given there is both a Sobeys and a Superstore a short distance away. I think the only hope for that is if a new entrant comes to the area.

I think that's right, and Loblaw already abandoned that space once when they opened the Superstore on Braemar Drive. If anything, a new grocer tenant would likely have to be an independent.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

I think that's right, and Loblaw already abandoned that space once when they opened the Superstore on Braemar Drive. If anything, a new grocer tenant would likely have to be an independent.

A second gateway grocery store would be interesting in that space

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

A second gateway grocery store would be interesting in that space

Actually, I think it would be great for competition if Metro moved in, but they've shown no interest in expanding into Atlantic Canada.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

I think that's right, and Loblaw already abandoned that space once when they opened the Superstore on Braemar Drive. If anything, a new grocer tenant would likely have to be an independent.

A Pete's there would be nice

[OldDartmouthMark]

Maybe a T&T Supermarket? (owned by Loblaws)

[Mr. Hunt]

Well, they're doing something with the space. Grabbed this pic yesterday:

[alps]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hunt

Well, they're doing something with the space. Grabbed this pic yesterday:

CBC reported on this yesterday:

IWK plans to open new mental health and addictions clinic at Mic Mac Mall
About 40 people will work at the clinic located in former Winners location

Jean Laroche · CBC News · Posted: Jul 04, 2024 3:40 PM ADT | Last Updated: July 4

Children and youth who need help for an addiction or mental health issue could have access to a new clinic in Dartmouth by the fall.

An IWK Health Centre staff of roughly 40 people will provide mental health and addictions services in Mic Mac Mall in an expanded space that used to be home to a Winners store.

Maureen Brennan, who oversees those services, said patients will have access to a multidisciplinary team.

"We'll be offering a full suite of services by a large variety of mental health and addictions clinicians that include psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, youth care workers, recreation therapists, and child and adolescent psychiatrists," Brennan said in an interview Thursday.

The clinic will provide individual treatment and group therapy for children, youth, parents and caregivers, she said.

Locating a clinic in a mall is a first for the IWK, but Brennan said the Dartmouth location was chosen for its ease of access.

"It makes sense that we locate clinics across all of HRM so that families will not have to come downtown to the IWK Health Centre to look for parking," she said.

"It's very accessible, lots of parking and it's a real opportunity for us to create a therapeutic and trauma-informed space in a new way."

Staff will be made up of clinicians and support personnel from other IWK clinics in Halifax, Bedford, Lower Sackville and Dartmouth, and include new or just-hired employees.

There are no plans to close any of the other sites, Brennan said.

"We'll be looking at a few of those clinicians out of each of those offices and we'll be recruiting into those new positions."

The hospital first started looking for new space in June 2020 when it issued a public tender. Brennan said when that proved unsuccessful, the hospital hired a leasing agent to conduct the search that eventually led to the Mic Mac Mall site.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot...c-mental-health-and-addictions-1.7254210

[OldDartmouthMark]

I have to say that I never would have guessed that one, but the idea behind giving people an alternative to having to come into the congested downtown for services is solid.

Thanks for posting this.

[Keith P.]

Yes, it is a solid concept. It is a sad commentary, though, that they have taken 4 years to slog through the procurement process to get to this point. Inexcusable.

I am a bit confused (perhaps due to ignorance on my part) why these services would be limited to the IWK’s young clientele though. Drug addiction is a scourge but it spans all ages and treatment would be useful for all those affected.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I would guess that, as with other IWK services, it is uniquely targeted to youth and children.

I also agree that there needs to be in increase in mental health services for adults as well. It is inexcusable how these services were slowly dismantled over the past 30 years to the point where they are now only a shell of the the previous system. It should be no surprise, especially given the state of affairs people are dealing with in current society, that we are in the midst of a widespread mental health crisis at the moment. It didn't happen overnight.

[ArchAficionado]

Great to see more expansion of health services in the suburban areas. Halifax needs more of everything in that respect, and hopefully in the longer term there will be full service hospitals at strategic points within the municipality (e.g. expansion of Bayer's Lake clinic to full hospital).

Is there any update on when the residential projects proposed here are likely to spin up?

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Yes, it is a solid concept. It is a sad commentary, though, that they have taken 4 years to slog through the procurement process to get to this point. Inexcusable.

I am a bit confused (perhaps due to ignorance on my part) why these services would be limited to the IWK’s young clientele though. Drug addiction is a scourge but it spans all ages and treatment would be useful for all those affected.

There are adult addiction and mental health services, they have always been separate from children services.

[MastClimberPro]

The picture above seems to be a different development than the refit of the Winners space. If I'm not mistaken, the picture is some sort of addition/renovation to the former Kent out-building on the mall grounds, which was subsequently converted to Irving offices if memory serves.

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by MastClimberPro

The picture above seems to be a different development than the refit of the Winners space. If I'm not mistaken, the picture is some sort of addition/renovation to the former Kent out-building on the mall grounds, which was subsequently converted to Irving offices if memory serves.

No, that's definitely the main mall building. The west side entrance is visible at the far left of the photo; a bigger giveaway is the green glass skylights which are a signature feature of the mall.

[MastClimberPro]

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

No, that's definitely the main mall building. The west side entrance is visible at the far left of the photo; a bigger giveaway is the green glass skylights which are a signature feature of the mall.

I stand corrected. Good catch.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by MastClimberPro

The picture above seems to be a different development than the refit of the Winners space. If I'm not mistaken, the picture is some sort of addition/renovation to the former Kent out-building on the mall grounds, which was subsequently converted to Irving offices if memory serves.

I don't think it's the kent/irving building. Definitely looks like the old Winners/Homesense to me. I remember when it was grocery store, actually, lol.

[ns_kid]

The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported -- to no one's great surprise -- that Hudson's Bay is apparently in its death spiral. According to the WSJ, HBC has filed for creditor protection, although a spokesperson dismissed this as a "rumour."

It's been observed in this thread before that the HBC store at MicMac has shown signs of neglect for years. The store's exterior has never been updated since it opened as Simpson's in 1973; the interior hasn't been refreshed in many years. The store's signage was not replaced when the chain dropped "The Bay" branding over 20 years ago. Retail observers are suggesting many of the 80+ remaining HBC locations are likely to close in the coming days. It's hard to imagine that this neglected Dartmouth store will survive.

It's a far cry from the days when HBC -- and predecessors Simpson's and Simpsons-Sears -- was the dominant retail player in Halifax. HBC has been called Canada's oldest retailer, around 355 years, although it was British-owned until 1970 and became American-owned in 2003.

[terrynorthend]

HBC is a relic of an era. They never flexed to new realities of the 21st century, trying instead to live and trade on their reputation and history.
They missed a big opportunity with e-commerce. They shuttered Zellers, when the Walmarts and Targets of the landscape were surging. They kept the tired mid-tier department store format going on life support, rather than pivoting to something like Simons.
Their time has passed.

Originally Posted by ns_kid

The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported -- to no one's great surprise -- that Hudson's Bay is apparently in its death spiral. According to the WSJ, HBC has filed for creditor protection, although a spokesperson dismissed this as a "rumour."

It's been observed in this thread before that the HBC store at MicMac has shown signs of neglect for years. The store's exterior has never been updated since it opened as Simpson's in 1973; the interior hasn't been refreshed in many years. The store's signage was not replaced when the chain dropped "The Bay" branding over 20 years ago. Retail observers are suggesting many of the 80+ remaining HBC locations are likely to close in the coming days. It's hard to imagine that this neglected Dartmouth store will survive.

It's a far cry from the days when HBC -- and predecessors Simpson's and Simpsons-Sears -- was the dominant retail player in Halifax. HBC has been called Canada's oldest retailer, around 355 years, although it was British-owned until 1970 and became American-owned in 2003.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

HBC is a relic of an era. They never flexed to new realities of the 21st century, trying instead to live and trade on their reputation and history.
They missed a big opportunity with e-commerce. They shuttered Zellers, when the Walmarts and Targets of the landscape were surging. They kept the tired mid-tier department store format going on life support, rather than pivoting to something like Simons.
Their time has passed.

I agree. If any legacy Canadian retailer had the chance to compete with Walmart, it was the lower-cost Zellers model. I've always believed that the mismanagement and gutting of Zellers was a colossal blunder. It's interesting to contemplate how or if things might have been different had Zellers succeeded in acquiring HBC, as they set out to do in 1978.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

I agree. If any legacy Canadian retailer had the chance to compete with Walmart, it was the lower-cost Zellers model. I've always believed that the mismanagement and gutting of Zellers was a colossal blunder. It's interesting to contemplate how or if things might have been different had Zellers succeeded in acquiring HBC, as they set out to do in 1978.

That is an interesting observation but I would argue the missed opportunity was Sears. I worked at Sears Canada for 24 years up until 2007.I have been on the Road in the Building supply Business ever since so I now service and sell to Home Depot, KENT , Home Hardware. Many of those stores leaders, when finding out I am an old Sears guy, have mentioned that Sears COULD have been Amazon.
They had the Logistics nailed down as well as organic brands that dominated their sectors. Weatherbeater, Kenmore, Craftsman. They just did not see the Internet changes even though they knew Youtube was killing the home Service business. SEARS was the Boomers preferred store while the next generations started living on Laptops and phones.