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  #41  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 12:54 PM
Takeo Takeo is offline
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Whatever Jerry Blumenthal. I live on Union Street and I think this development is awesome. So great for the area. This area has such potential with the Hydrostone Market... but the market alone is far too small. We need more street level retail here. So this is fantastic. I'm still upset about the atrocity that was built across the street from here a few years ago. Where was the outrage for that piece of mediocre crap? Just goes to prove my point once again... Haligonians don't give a flying f*** about quality... they only get worked up when something is "tall". It could be designed by a world-renowned architect and made of the most beautiful and expensive materials available. Doesn't matter. If it's more than 6 stories... watch out!! Oh well.

Speaking of materials... how great is it that they are re-using the stone from the church!!! I watched for months as workers stripped the church bare and piled the stones on shrink-wrapped palettes. I was wonder what they planned to do with those palettes of stone. That's great. The cladding looks great overall. Lots of glass. And it's not all precast. It's precast mixed with really dark brick (classy) and stone. Nice.

The only thing I don't like... and that's putting it mildly... is that stupid, tacky arched cornice on the front elevation. WHY!?!?!?! Why the need to take what looks like an otherwise nice modern building and throw in some tacky neo-classical crap? ARGH!

But other than that... I think it's awesome. About the right height. Fantastic mix of commercial and residential. Perhaps even nicer than the Kaye St building. Altho' it's not really a fair comparison since this project had a lot more room to work with.

Quote:
Originally Posted by phrenic View Post
..and it begins.

allnovascotia.com has Jerry Blumenthal saying he can't support this;

- it's out of scale with the area
- there could be wind tunnel problems
- "I know a lot of people will be upset with the height"
- "If they had come up with an eight story building, I wouldn't have any problems"
- "I know a lot of people on Russel and Kaye streets will be off the wall"
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  #42  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 1:08 PM
Takeo Takeo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phrenic View Post
"If they had come up with an eight story building, I wouldn't have any problems"
p.s. Really Jerry? 8 floors... no problemo! Great! Love it! 11 floors... all hell breaks lose. Really?!?! Good lord.
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  #43  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 7:11 PM
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Meh really how often does the local councillor support a project. Just think of how many times Sloane's shot down downtown projects that were approved.
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  #44  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 8:52 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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11 stories is pretty scary stuff guys: first born children will die, hurricane winds will destroy the north end , and the city will be cast in a shadow for eternity .

but 8 stories is fine, especially if the lowest quality materials possible are used. (i'm thinking clad the whole thing in vinyl siding that resembles board and batten) also, rediculously fake features must be added to the building to give it that "Halifax" look. rooflines should also be completely unresolved.

hey jerry...

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  #45  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 10:24 PM
Takeo Takeo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
11 stories is pretty scary stuff guys: first born children will die, hurricane winds will destroy the north end , and the city will be cast in a shadow for eternity .

but 8 stories is fine, especially if the lowest quality materials possible are used. (i'm thinking clad the whole thing in vinyl siding that resembles board and batten) also, rediculously fake features must be added to the building to give it that "Halifax" look. rooflines should also be completely unresolved.

hey jerry...

ha ha ha You realize you just described the new apartment building across the street from the St. Joseph's site. LOL. BTW... I love the baby eat icon. Hilarious.
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  #46  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2009, 10:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
11 stories is pretty scary stuff guys: first born children will die, hurricane winds will destroy the north end , and the city will be cast in a shadow for eternity .

but 8 stories is fine, especially if the lowest quality materials possible are used. (i'm thinking clad the whole thing in vinyl siding that resembles board and batten) also, rediculously fake features must be added to the building to give it that "Halifax" look. rooflines should also be completely unresolved.

hey jerry...

Lol.

I wonder what Blumenthal thinks of Hydostone place? Thats under 8 floors and made with vinyl and copper roof.
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  #47  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2009, 12:48 AM
Nilan8888 Nilan8888 is offline
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Ladies and Gentlemen after much thought and consideration, the following consists of my formal rebuttal to Mr. Blumenthal's arguments:

*ahem*

Screw 'im.



Thank you.
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  #48  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2009, 1:45 AM
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I just thought of a good burn for Hydrostone Place;

Most people don't like tall buildings because of the shadow. Near Hydrostone Place they like shadows becuase they can't see it.
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  #49  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2009, 3:47 AM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Takeo View Post
ha ha ha You realize you just described the new apartment building across the street from the St. Joseph's site. LOL. BTW... I love the baby eat icon. Hilarious.
LOL, thats what I was going for... although it could describe a number of recent developments.

Ultimately this thing will probably get through with 11 stories... as the heritage folks don't give a shit about the north end and they are the only group (and their offshoots, i.e. anything with "friends" of something) that actually is effective in stalling or changing developments.
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  #50  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2009, 1:19 PM
Takeo Takeo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
Ultimately this thing will probably get through with 11 stories... as the heritage folks don't give a shit about the north end and they are the only group (and their offshoots, i.e. anything with "friends" of something) that actually is effective in stalling or changing developments.
This is true. The "friends of whatever" is mostly a South End thing. I hope that my North End neighbours are more reasonable.
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  #51  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 2:32 PM
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Well the Herald has printed the first article about height concerns. They could save time by having a generic template for these articles, its always the same complaints. I feel now a proposal isn't official until the Herald prints one of these.

Source: The Chronical Herald

Concern over height of Halifax condo project

By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Editor
Thu. Oct 29 - 4:46 AM

An 11-storey condo building proposed for north-end Halifax is raising concerns about the height of the project and whether it will create a wind tunnel in the neighbourhood.

Council gave city planners the go-ahead this week to examine the plan in detail for the property bounded by Kaye, Russell and Gottingen streets.

Sobeys-owned ECL General Partnership IV Ltd. wants to erect the mixed-use commercial and residential building surrounded by townhouses on the site of the former St. Joseph’s Church, which was torn down last summer.

"I’m worried about the height because the highest building in the area is going up right now and it’s seven storeys," Coun. Jerry Blumenthal (Halifax North End) said Wednesday.

"It’s massive. That’s why we recommend that we get a lot of public consultation. It’s going to be a success or failure, depending on what the people in the area have to say about it."

Mr. Blumenthal wants to know if the wind that blows off Bedford Basin will be magnified by the project.

"I fear there’s going to be a lot of wind. If you go up Fort Needham hill, . . . you get blown away."

The land is now zoned for park and institutional use. ECL wants council to change that to allow for the residential project.

"If my residents don’t want it, you’re going to see me fight like hell against it," Mr. Blumenthal said.

Russell Street resident Wanda Bianco doesn’t like the idea of such a large building going up in her neighbourhood.

"I don’t think it’s very appropriate," said Ms. Bianco, who has lived in the neighbourhood more than half a century.

"Oh my heavens to Betsy, I think it will look like a sore stump sticking out around the area because there’s nothing that high around here."

She’s also worried the tall building may create a wind tunnel.

"The wind around here is quite high. It would present, I think, a problem."

Steve Mustain, director of the nearby Shambhala School, also has questions about whether the building will blend into the area. But he likes the idea of adding high-density housing to the neighbourhood.

"I think it’s a positive thing, in general, in the sense that the vitality of the Hydrostone area is really on the increase," Mr. Mustain said.

Public consultation on the proposal will take place within the next few months, said Richard Harvey, the city’s senior planner.

"We think there’s sufficient merit in which to engage the public."

He wants to see if elements of the building’s design will mitigate people’s height concerns.

"You just look at it with regards to compatibility and the effects upon its surroundings."

He doesn’t anticipate the building will cause wind problems.

"The preliminary indications that we have are that it won’t," said Mr. Harvey, noting that it has varied shapes that will break down the wind.

ECL did not return repeated calls for comment.

In the company’s application letter to the city, development manager Virginia Bonn said the project, dubbed St. Joseph’s Square, will have two floors of underground parking.

"It is our intention to attract a diverse target market, including families with children to first-time home buyers," Ms. Bonn writes.

"The town homes are intended for the families, but also allow for a consistent, human-scaled street wall above which the building steps back. The windows and doors of the townhouses create visual interest, and a separate, low-rise identity from the highrise tower. We are also proposing to dedicate a small area for neighbourhood commercial uses that support family living."

She notes the property is close to Hydrostone shops, transit service, schools and nearby parks.

"It is a fully sustainable redevelopment site that will utilize existing infrastructure and is located in an area that will make walking and transit appealing."

Last edited by kph06; Oct 29, 2009 at 3:59 PM.
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  #52  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 3:54 PM
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hoser111 hoser111 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kph06 View Post

"Oh my heavens to Betsy"......
Geez, who says that any more?
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  #53  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 4:06 PM
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Originally Posted by hoser111 View Post
Geez, who says that any more?
Im guessing she's probably some 80 year old NIMBY. God what a stupid phrase to say
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  #54  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 7:02 PM
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Jonovision Jonovision is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoser111 View Post
Geez, who says that any more?
hahahahah That is exactly what I said when I read it to a friend this morning.

There was a nice elevation of the front of the building with the article but it wasn't posted online.

I agree that the little stupid arch on top should be cut out of the design. In the elevation you can clearly see the reused brick as well which is a very nice feature. However it did concern me that it looked like they might use some sort of wooden siding for a good chunk of the building. Not sure how I feel about that.
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  #55  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 7:13 PM
Takeo Takeo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonovision View Post
However it did concern me that it looked like they might use some sort of wooden siding for a good chunk of the building. Not sure how I feel about that.
Really? What makes you think that? The renderings I looked at only specified glass, stone, brick and tinted pre-cast.
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  #56  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2009, 9:44 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoser111 View Post
Geez, who says that any more?
People that have no business commenting on development...
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  #57  
Old Posted Oct 30, 2009, 3:09 AM
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Jonovision Jonovision is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Takeo View Post
Really? What makes you think that? The renderings I looked at only specified glass, stone, brick and tinted pre-cast.
Maybe it was brick, but the part that clads the top two floors and runs down between the balconies appeared to be similar to the material used on the balcony areas of the Falkland Street development. I could be wrong though. I would much rather it was more brick from the church.
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  #58  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2010, 1:31 PM
Andy P Andy P is offline
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St Joeseph's Square

All Nova Scotia reports(2010-02-23) ECL properties could be ready to unveil it's Ambitious plan for an 11 Story Condo Building in the North End as early as April. I think this project looks good and will be great for the North End.
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  #59  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2010, 1:14 PM
Andy P Andy P is offline
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Couple of artist renderings of St Josephs Square from All Nova Scotia. Exciting project

http://bit.ly/dlasPF

http://bit.ly/9eO5jo
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  #60  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2010, 1:20 PM
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planarchy planarchy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy P View Post
Couple of artist renderings of St Josephs Square from All Nova Scotia. Exciting project

http://bit.ly/dlasPF

http://bit.ly/9eO5jo
Aside from the cheap SketchUp renderings, this looks good. Good treatment of the prominent corner, and nice townhouse podium configuration. Not sure about some of the detailing - it looks like they are trying to incorporate some of the old church (windows/brick?). I think this site could have taken something much taller, a preferable less heavy and fat tower, but overall, a good addition to the hydrostone area.
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