General Updates and News

[Keith P.]

Re. the renderings for the Agricola site: I cannot place it into perspective. Nothing in those pics looks anything like what currently surrounds that lot. Is the rendering with the raised driveway (a neat trick, since the lot is flat) supposed to be the Agricola entrance?

As for govt offices moving, that is the folly of supposedly saving money by tendering for space every 5 years. I know one department that moved out of one building to expensively-refitted new space, then moved back from whence they came after 5 years. Ridiculous.

[halifaxboyns]

Keith you are exactly right - it doesn't really save money at all.
We here at COC are in the unique position that administration has two buildings it owns outright; well three technical: Old City Hall (mostly for city council and the mayor and clerks office); The Administration Building (City Manager's office, records, various offices) and then the Municipal Building (12 stories; all other city offices and council chambers).

Unfortunately the Muni (as we like to call it) is pretty much full and since it was built in the 80's; needs renovating. So they were moving people all over to gut each floor and bring it up to today's standards.

Unfortunately; even with the renovation - we're still leasing office space because administration has grown so big (over 14,000). There is a heritage building down Stephen Ave (near the Olympic Plaza) called the Public Building which we also own that has city staff in (our offices were there for my group a while back). I miss that building - it had the only elevators that had operators in Western Canada. Unfortunately; when they'd take a break - you were left waiting.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Re. the renderings for the Agricola site: I cannot place it into perspective. Nothing in those pics looks anything like what currently surrounds that lot. Is the rendering with the raised driveway (a neat trick, since the lot is flat) supposed to be the Agricola entrance?

I can't read the renderings either... not enough context to be able to guess as to whether or not the urban design moves are appropriate

[halifaxboyns]

Assuming that the condos/townhouses are on the non-commercial street side; the 'driveway lip' would be Maynard Street. So the first image is looking at the building from Maynard, the second and third from Agricola and the fourth further down Maynard Street towards Buddy Daye Street. If my memory is correct the driveway lip is actually an existing condition because the grade of Maynard is slightly lower than Agricola in that area and because of how the site is graded - the middle part of the lot is higher than Maynard, this creating the driveway situation pictured.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by hoser111

http://www.dawnsloane.ca/documents/0909_AgricolaStProject_3D.pdf

Excellent design. It's nice to get away from STV Cambridge Suites and Prince George box boring buildings. Has a bit of Martello feel with better street presence.

[Dmajackson]

No photos out of respect to worldly but I did notice something tonight.

The Agricola@West office which was supposed to be 3 floors has at least a small 4th floor area now.

- DJ

[spaustin]

Not a blank wall to be seen! That bit of the 4th floor roof that angles upwards though on the Agricola Street side looks really strange.

[Jstaleness]

There was at least 2 equipment trailers and a crew of surveyors onsite where the YMCA towers are supposed to be built in Dartmouth. Looked like a lot of stuff to not be the start of something.

Also across the pond the building on Admiral looks to have most of the first floor up and the second has begun to go up.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

There was at least 2 equipment trailers and a crew of surveyors onsite where the YMCA towers are supposed to be built in Dartmouth. Looked like a lot of stuff to not be the start of something.

Also across the pond the building on Admiral looks to have most of the first floor up and the second has begun to go up.

Sorry to put your hopes down but the trailers and surveyors are for maintenance of the Trans Canada Trail through there. It's all part of the Dartmouth North Trunk Sewer project I believe.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

Keith you are exactly right - it doesn't really save money at all.

LOL yeah I wasn't arguing FOR this as a plan in my previous post... just I am sure that is what the province's plan is.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by beyeas

Yeah that is it exactly.

Universal said that they are putting money into updating the Howe building (into which Justice will move) and I am sure that Crombie offered incentives in terms of reno cost offsets in the lease for the scotia square space (since they were probably pretty desperate to get that huge chunk of space rented). McCrea didn't sound pleased though, since he was hoping to get DoH into the Waterside apparently (that building was almost exactly the floor size that D of Health was looking for).

Waterside Centre was too small for the department of Health (82,000 Useable square feet). Waterside is 85,000 sqft Rentable, probably close to 70,000 range useable.

McCrea bid on the purchase of the Joe Howe building not on the department of health tender. From sources Armour was going to redevelop the building to LEED standards. From the numbers i've crunched from the tender it appears Universal would have less then 1 million to spend on the building, which means they plan to do nothing to the building.

With Crombie`s bid of 20.95 a square foot for the department of health no new development could compete. A new development would require a bid price per square foot of $35.00 or more.

[Dmajackson]

Back around the Agricola@West office building again and there is now a rendering on the Agricola side. Looks like it will be a decent building for the area.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by sdm

Waterside Centre was too small for the department of Health (82,000 Useable square feet). Waterside is 85,000 sqft Rentable, probably close to 70,000 range useable.

Curious... because AllNS had reported several times that McCrea was trying to get DoH as a single tenant into Waterside.

I know that the current bid we are talking about was for the building, but according to AllNS in an article talking to McCrea about potential Waterside tenants: "Waterside is in a good position to nab the 82,000 sqft Health Department tender for new office space"... hence my comment.

I agree with you on Crombie's big though... there was no way a building could compete. As I said in my previous comment, Crombie was desperate to lease that space and was going to do what it needed to to undercut.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by beyeas

Curious... because AllNS had reported several times that McCrea was trying to get DoH as a single tenant into Waterside.

I know that the current bid we are talking about was for the building, but according to AllNS in an article talking to McCrea about potential Waterside tenants: "Waterside is in a good position to nab the 82,000 sqft Health Department tender for new office space"... hence my comment.

I agree with you on Crombie's big though... there was no way a building could compete. As I said in my previous comment, Crombie was desperate to lease that space and was going to do what it needed to to undercut.

Yeah the media was stating that as there opinion, which was obviously not factual.

The fact that Armour didn't even bid should be evidence alone that what was reported was in accurate. No issue really, i think McCrea is discouraged with the tender results for the Joe Howe Building in that the province isn't forcing bidders to clean the building up.

The lease rate by Crombie illustrates clearly the challenges with office development in the core, as this is just a chuck of the space that is still available and that there is other buildings with chunks of space who can do the same.

[macgregor]

Work is underway at the Nova Scotia Hospital on Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. I think it was brough up in the threads before but I'm not sure where. I think it was townhouses for assissted living/patients.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by macgregor

Work is underway at the Nova Scotia Hospital on Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. I think it was brough up in the threads before but I'm not sure where. I think it was townhouses for assissted living/patients.

I think it's transitional housing for people in the mental health system - between full-on hospitalization and living in the community

[Dmajackson]

SSP Dmajackson 01's Photo Page

3150 Barrington Street - Photo taken on October 30th, 2010

[Dmajackson]

Don't know if this was mentioned before but the 5495 Spring Garden proposal by Westwood Group is expected to be complete by next summer (August 2011). So I'm estimating a March start-date at the latest.

Their other project, Gladstone Ridge North, should be done a month later (September 2011).

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

SSP Dmajackson 01's Photo Page

That hole has become much larger in the past few days.

[someone123]

Allnovascotia just released a story about the Public Gardens bandstand restoration project that will take place this winter. The red top (apparently fiberglass from the 70s) is going to be replaced with copper. The wooden ornamentation is going to be saved and used in the restored structure.