[Halifax] Maynard Suites (2562 Maynard) | 19 m | 7 fl | Completed

[atbw]

The lot behind Cyclesmith officially has a project now: http://maynardsuites.com

7 floors, 84 units.

[Dmajackson]

Created a thread for this project.

The unit size breakdown is interesting. 39 bachelor + 7 one bdr + 25 two bdr + 13 three bdr = 84 units. Most larger scale building are dominantly one bedroom with larger units making up a quarter or so units (depends on the location and bylaws). This one is almost half bachelor units and half family size units with only 8% being the standard one bedroom size. Brand new one bedrooms in this area seem to go for $1400 and up. Brand new bachelors going for $1100 or so here in this much quantity would certainly change up the local rental community for young single adults. The 38 family size units directly across from an elementary school is a welcome addition.

[j.graham]

Pretty typical modern Halifax architecture but nice to see the makeup of the units.

[Good Baklava]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Created a thread for this project.

The unit size breakdown is interesting. 39 bachelor + 7 one bdr + 25 two bdr + 13 three bdr = 84 units. Most larger scale building are dominantly one bedroom with larger units making up a quarter or so units (depends on the location and bylaws). This one is almost half bachelor units and half family size units with only 8% being the standard one bedroom size. Brand new one bedrooms in this area seem to go for $1400 and up. Brand new bachelors going for $1100 or so here in this much quantity would certainly change up the local rental community for young single adults. The 38 family size units directly across from an elementary school is a welcome addition.

I was also just thinking how great this potentially is. Young families with elementary aged children can have a convenient place to live while they save up to own a condo or or house, but even as the kids get older citadel isn’t too far from the area either. I always saw this as an under-utilized lot so I’m glad to see housing go in.

[someone123]

Another aspect of developments like these is that they're practical places to live without a car. It can easily be more affordable to live car-free in a more central area even if rent is a few hundred extra per month.

This becomes more practical with amenities close by, better transit, active transportation, ridesharing, car co-ops, etc. There is a virtuous cycle when densities go up due to economic and population growth and people don't need to rely on cars as much.

A lot of the North End is underbuilt and actually pretty low density, with a mix of rowhouses and parking lots or light industrial. These medium density infill projects are going to transform the area dramatically. I hope that a lot of the old rowhouses are preserved and there are more restoration projects, with some sympathetic commercial conversions.

[atbw]

The units themselves are interesting too. The bachelors are 649sqft at minimum, up past 700sqft. They also appear to have a separated sleeping area, with an open corner a la Maple or Alexander. Definitely not your 500sqft box with a bed in the kitchen.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by atbw

The units themselves are interesting too. The bachelors are 649sqft at minimum, up past 700sqft. They also appear to have a separated sleeping area, with an open corner a la Maple or Alexander. Definitely not your 500sqft box with a bed in the kitchen.

I noticed that as well. That would be marketed as a one bedroom anywhere else I think?

[Hali87]

It's mostly a technical difference I think - the "sleeping areas" in these units don't seem to have windows or permanent doors, and I think for it to count as a "bedroom" it needs to have both. I'm not sure whether this is regulation or if it's just convention.

[Dmajackson]

Bedrooms need to have two egress points. Most buildings do this with a door and a window meeting minimum size standards. Its a safety standard. If your kitchen catches on fire while you're sleeping you don't want your bedroom door to open onto it as your only escape route. Windows big enough to climb out of are a requirement. Some basement units avoid the window size problem by having the emergency exit door in the bedroom.

[j.graham]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Bedrooms need to have two egress points. Most buildings do this with a door and a window meeting minimum size standards. Its a safety standard. If your kitchen catches on fire while you're sleeping you don't want your bedroom door to open onto it as your only escape route. Windows big enough to climb out of are a requirement. Some basement units avoid the window size problem by having the emergency exit door in the bedroom.

How do they get away with this then?

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Bedrooms need to have two egress points. Most buildings do this with a door and a window meeting minimum size standards. Its a safety standard. If your kitchen catches on fire while you're sleeping you don't want your bedroom door to open onto it as your only escape route. Windows big enough to climb out of are a requirement. Some basement units avoid the window size problem by having the emergency exit door in the bedroom.

I think there may be less egress required if there are sprinklers? I'm pretty sure I've seen examples where there weren't windows in bedrooms (and not basements).

[Dmajackson]

Guess I was wrong. I was basing it on personal knowledge but houses and apartment buildings might have different standards for bedrooms. I never took the sprinkler system into consideration. Maybe the egress standard only applies to the master bedroom in apartments? ie a 3 bedroom can have a interior bedroom but a 1 bedroom can't?

My curiosity is this building has two unit types with interior bedrooms. The 2-bedroom has it located next to the front door so people wouldn't have to escape into the kitchen. That and another wall between the bedroom door and the kitchen meets the safety issue IMO. The 3-bedroom is weird but between the two bedrooms and the living area is a sliding door. Maybe the idea is if a fire breaks out in the living area the interior bedroom can be protected by the door and use the main bedroom's window as their escape route? There's no other reason I can think of for a sliding door to be located there.

I'm no expert. Personally I'd never sleep in a room that only has one exit which requires me to go past the kitchen to escape.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

I'm no expert. Personally I'd never sleep in a room that only has one exit which requires me to go past the kitchen to escape.

Presumably whatever regulations exist do not apply to high-rise apartments. I have lived in 2 of them and in both cases the door was the only exit from the bedroom and both required one to pass near the kitchen to reach the door to the hall. Both had windows but they would have been rather useless as escape routes being a dozen or more floors from the street. I do not recall either of them having sprinklers in the unit.

[j.graham]

I read something in the Ontario Building Code that said if the bedroom is on the same level as the exit door then it doesn't need a window. Could be the same in NS.

[Agricola]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Presumably whatever regulations exist do not apply to high-rise apartments. I have lived in 2 of them and in both cases the door was the only exit from the bedroom and both required one to pass near the kitchen to reach the door to the hall. Both had windows but they would have been rather useless as escape routes being a dozen or more floors from the street. I do not recall either of them having sprinklers in the unit.

Apartment buildings have fire suppression (sprinklers), It is my understanding that is the reason they do not require egress other than the bedroom door.

[Dmajackson]

There is an excavator on site along with some construction materials. I'll keep an eye on this one.

[kph06]

Looks like they are getting ready to go, although there didn't appear to be any sign of action.

[Dmajackson]

Proper construction barriers are being installed and excavation has begun. The Website is partially online and has a full rendering I can't cross-post.


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[Keith P.]

A somewhat odd opening statement on the webpage linked above:

Although Halifax’s economy, population, and demographics continue to grow and thrive in this city, Halifax’s housing crisis continues in a state of de-escalation. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported a record low of 1% vacancy rate for rental housing in January 2020. This has brought the city below much more populated Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Our city’s current housing situation does not yet reflect the growth and vibrancy that has taken over Halifax. It is time to change this unacceptable statistic by developing a good design for our residents and our city’s future.

[connect2source]

It's got a very Vancouver look, we have tons of very similar buildings, especially along our Cambie corridor. Not offensive but super dull, hope this type of design doesn't become a trend in Halifax as they already look somewhat dated to me.