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  #41  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 1:17 AM
fenwick16 fenwick16 is offline
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Originally Posted by POLYCORP-Pete Polley View Post
Any idea how many people follow Skyscraperpage.com in Halifax area ? Is it widely read or a smaller group of devoted followers ? I staggered into it doing a Google search for our Spice project next door... just curious... if a person is getting up on a soap box, it's nice to know how many people are listening...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group
This is a very specialized forum and not a lot of people know about it. I accidentally stumbled onto it a couple of years ago. I think it is a relatively small group. Based on the statistics from this site, there are usually about 30 - 40 viewers on the Halifax section at any one time. It is hard to say how many individual people view it per day. It is probable just a few hundred per day at the most. However, it is a great way to keep up on developments in the Halifax area.
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  #42  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 1:34 AM
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according to the poll in the general section there is about 58 people who voted on the new fourmer poll and thats not including the ones that didnt vote like me cause i forgot aha
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  #43  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 3:53 AM
DigitalNinja DigitalNinja is offline
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Just the people who matter come on here

I kid.

I think there are quite a few people who aren't signed up but just browse the pages. Normally I see about 20 people on at any one time.
There is at least 1 counselor who is signed up and posts once in a while.
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  #44  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 10:07 AM
POLYCORP-Pete Polley POLYCORP-Pete Polley is offline
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Great...Thanks.

Peter Polley
Polycorp
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  #45  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 10:24 AM
Halifax Hillbilly Halifax Hillbilly is offline
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Originally Posted by someone123 View Post
I really dislike is the style of getting each development to include a park or open space. A much better approach is to just pay for things through taxes, whether they are ongoing property taxes or initial development fees. That way the funds can be pooled to build nicer infrastructure and the city can buy better land plots that are more central and useful.
Most zoning by-laws require developers to give land for public purposes (LPP) but also allow you to give cash in lieu of land, which makes much more sense in denser areas. Of course if you're putting in suburban development you chop off an undevelopable section or wierdly spaced parcel and give that to the city and it becomes a useless chunk of trees or a piece of grass with a park bench where high school kids drink at night.

I would guess many municipalities would fight something like this. HRM feels it has to uphold its rules, even though it's their mistake and the zoning by-law provision is dubious anyways. Municipal planning at this point is usually little more than development control and process. It's almost as if the process is the important part, not the end result. It's not surprising that HRM has lost sight of the bigger picture implications of their beuracratic mess.
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  #46  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 10:34 AM
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I have run into many people at school who have visited Skyscraperpage doing searches for specific projects but haven't joined.

I hope this project overcomes this silliness and begins construction soon. I like Spice, it's a neat looking building, definitely different (in a good way). This section of Barrington really does seem like a highway and I think these projects will help quite a bit with that, add some density, and get rid of the slew of awful vacant lots down there. It'll be a great spot once Cogswell is redeveloped.
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  #47  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 11:29 AM
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Originally Posted by DigitalNinja View Post
Just the people who matter come on here

I kid.

I think there are quite a few people who aren't signed up but just browse the pages. Normally I see about 20 people on at any one time.
There is at least 1 counselor who is signed up and posts once in a while.
There's also at least one more councillor that doesn't post but follows the forum. If he ever wants something posted he usually contacts me since he knows who I am in reality.
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  #48  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 11:35 AM
fenwick16 fenwick16 is offline
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Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ View Post
There's also at least one more councillor that doesn't post but follows the forum. If he ever wants something posted he usually contacts me since he knows who I am in reality.
That would be Councillor Outhit. Sorry Bedford, I know that you didn't want to mention a name - but a lot of people on this forum will be curious. (I think this is the councillor that you are referring to, since you posted something in the Transportation section previously). It is good to hear that Councillor Outhit follows the forum (I understand why he doesn't want to post directly - some of us, including myself, can get offensive at times).

PS: Bedford_DJ, could you ask Councillor Outhit if any progress has been made on setting up a building fund for a stadium, preferably one that is tax-deductible. There are people who would like to contribute money to a stadium fund. A stadium would do wonders for the Halifax area - it would attract events that cannot currently be held in the HRM. We just want a building fund to be set up (we know that they don't have money to build a stadium right now)!

Last edited by fenwick16; Apr 1, 2010 at 12:09 PM.
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  #49  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 8:01 PM
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Originally Posted by fenwick16 View Post
That would be Councillor Outhit. Sorry Bedford, I know that you didn't want to mention a name - but a lot of people on this forum will be curious. (I think this is the councillor that you are referring to, since you posted something in the Transportation section previously). It is good to hear that Councillor Outhit follows the forum (I understand why he doesn't want to post directly - some of us, including myself, can get offensive at times).

PS: Bedford_DJ, could you ask Councillor Outhit if any progress has been made on setting up a building fund for a stadium, preferably one that is tax-deductible. There are people who would like to contribute money to a stadium fund. A stadium would do wonders for the Halifax area - it would attract events that cannot currently be held in the HRM. We just want a building fund to be set up (we know that they don't have money to build a stadium right now)!
Thats okay for mentioning his name. I didn't include it because there might also be other councillors who follow the forum and I didn't want to single him out. I of course also respect his reasons for not posting especially the offensive part since I, like others, are probably a bit over the top sometimes despite our best intentions (I try to stay fact-based as much as possible).

I'll try to remember to ask him his opinions on the Stadium the next time I talk to him in person.
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  #50  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 11:30 AM
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Is PolyCorp really getting the screw from HRM, or is this a situation of a business not completing their due-diligence?

Most of the commuters that watched the construction of the nearby Spice Condos (another PolyCorp development) drag on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on .......... - well, you get my drift; If a development company can't hire the appropriate resources to complete a simple little multi-storey apartment bdlg in less than 4 years, what type of legal resources are they engaging to complete their due-diligence investigations!

And good luck on LEED Platinum - they will need it!
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  #51  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 12:49 PM
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Are you someone123's little brother?
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Go 'Cats Go
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  #52  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 1:12 PM
DigitalNinja DigitalNinja is offline
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Originally Posted by someone456 View Post
Is PolyCorp really getting the screw from HRM, or is this a situation of a business not completing their due-diligence?

Most of the commuters that watched the construction of the nearby Spice Condos (another PolyCorp development) drag on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on .......... - well, you get my drift; If a development company can't hire the appropriate resources to complete a simple little multi-storey apartment bdlg in less than 4 years, what type of legal resources are they engaging to complete their due-diligence investigations!

And good luck on LEED Platinum - they will need it!
I do believe that they never borrowed any money for spice, they just used cash as they got it which is what took it so long. IMO it's better than an empty lot where people do drugs.
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  #53  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 12:30 AM
POLYCORP-Pete Polley POLYCORP-Pete Polley is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by someone456 View Post
Is PolyCorp really getting the screw from HRM, or is this a situation of a business not completing their due-diligence?

Most of the commuters that watched the construction of the nearby Spice Condos (another PolyCorp development) drag on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on .......... - well, you get my drift; If a development company can't hire the appropriate resources to complete a simple little multi-storey apartment bdlg in less than 4 years, what type of legal resources are they engaging to complete their due-diligence investigations!

And good luck on LEED Platinum - they will need it!
Someone456-

It appears that you do not understand the overall magnitude of developing "a simple little multi-story building". The adjacent Spice Condos complex is 85 units. That ranks it as one of the larger multi-unit residential building complex built in Metro Halifax in recent years. Few buildings exceed 100 units. Most are less than 60. Construction started summer 2006...with no pre-sales. This is unheard off in any market in Canada. Polycorp started with 3 or 4 "Moes" as you call them...

The building had people living in it in June 2008.... less than two years after starting with a "skeleton crew". Most builders "pre-sell" units for one to 2 years before they start construction, then take two years to build the building, followed by a year (or tow or three) of sitting on unsold inventory. The Spice project now has one unit left...

Anybody that thinks that these large buildings can just be "thrown up" doesn't understand the business. The Spice Condos building is built like a fort... it has solid concrete walls all the way around the outside (Insulated Concrete Forms), and concrete walls between every units... nobody has ever built a building like that here... plus radiant in-floor heating in a separate concrete pour on top of a rubber matt for superior soundproofing (OK - I'm doing a bit of advertising here...) ... it all takes time ... get the point ??????

I can easily give you many, many examples of developers that go out and get the top notch construction managers (that don''t use Moes) that can pound a building up in 12-16 months... but they would have had to wait 2 years to start to get their pre-sales, versus Polycorp having the guts to start with no pre-sales... and then many of them go bankrupt before the building is finished.

Let's us Armoury Square as a comparison / example. It was built by one of the largest contractors in Canada... a firm that specializes in large scale multi-unit residential construction in major Canadian markets. They pounded it up real fast... oh... forgot to mention... I think that they actually started to pre-sell units in approx late 2004... and they're now advertising approx. 68% sold now.... and they're a large national contractor. Who's having the last laugh now ??? Polycorp and the Moes...

If you're going to post comments on line, you better make sure that you have your facts correct... cause we're watching you...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group of Companies
Proud builder - Spice Condos and future builder of Jazz Condos
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  #54  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 1:19 AM
fenwick16 fenwick16 is offline
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Personally, I hope that you win this case as soon as possible. It really makes the HRM look bad to be treating a developer this way.

Regarding the previous comment on LEED platinum, I read that the Mount Blanc development has R50 insulated exterior walls. That will really keep heating bills down.

I wish your strategy of building the Spice could be applied to an HRM stadium. It might take a few years, but eventually it would be completed at a reasonable price.
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  #55  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 2:01 AM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by POLYCORP-Pete Polley View Post
Someone456-

It appears that you do not understand the overall magnitude of developing "a simple little multi-story building". The adjacent Spice Condos complex is 85 units. That ranks it as one of the larger multi-unit residential building complex built in Metro Halifax in recent years. Few buildings exceed 100 units. Most are less than 60. Construction started summer 2006...with no pre-sales. This is unheard off in any market in Canada. Polycorp started with 3 or 4 "Moes" as you call them...

The building had people living in it in June 2008.... less than two years after starting with a "skeleton crew". Most builders "pre-sell" units for one to 2 years before they start construction, then take two years to build the building, followed by a year (or tow or three) of sitting on unsold inventory. The Spice project now has one unit left...

Anybody that thinks that these large buildings can just be "thrown up" doesn't understand the business. The Spice Condos building is built like a fort... it has solid concrete walls all the way around the outside (Insulated Concrete Forms), and concrete walls between every units... nobody has ever built a building like that here... plus radiant in-floor heating in a separate concrete pour on top of a rubber matt for superior soundproofing (OK - I'm doing a bit of advertising here...) ... it all takes time ... get the point ??????

I can easily give you many, many examples of developers that go out and get the top notch construction managers (that don''t use Moes) that can pound a building up in 12-16 months... but they would have had to wait 2 years to start to get their pre-sales, versus Polycorp having the guts to start with no pre-sales... and then many of them go bankrupt before the building is finished.

Let's us Armoury Square as a comparison / example. It was built by one of the largest contractors in Canada... a firm that specializes in large scale multi-unit residential construction in major Canadian markets. They pounded it up real fast... oh... forgot to mention... I think that they actually started to pre-sell units in approx late 2004... and they're now advertising approx. 68% sold now.... and they're a large national contractor. Who's having the last laugh now ??? Polycorp and the Moes...

If you're going to post comments on line, you better make sure that you have your facts correct... cause we're watching you...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group of Companies
Proud builder - Spice Condos and future builder of Jazz Condos
I think you should use the same palette as Spice if you win the case with Jazz, for the sake of cohesiveness.
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  #56  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 2:16 AM
POLYCORP-Pete Polley POLYCORP-Pete Polley is offline
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Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian View Post
I think you should use the same palette as Spice if you win the case with Jazz, for the sake of cohesiveness.

Thanks.

1. Not "If"... It's "When" this gets finalized in our favour. One doesn't want to be too obnoxiously cocky, but when lawyers that you barely know send you emails giving their unsolicited commentary on how ridiculous the situation is, it makes one feel pretty good about things... too bad that this is costing the City and province thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses and lost tax dollars and jobs...

2. We plan to use a similar palette of colours and materials... and have simplified the building structure to speed things up during construction ... "Something 456" will be glad to hear that...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group of Companies.
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  #57  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 10:20 PM
halifaxboyns halifaxboyns is offline
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Originally Posted by POLYCORP-Pete Polley View Post
Thanks.

1. Not "If"... It's "When" this gets finalized in our favour. One doesn't want to be too obnoxiously cocky, but when lawyers that you barely know send you emails giving their unsolicited commentary on how ridiculous the situation is, it makes one feel pretty good about things... too bad that this is costing the City and province thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses and lost tax dollars and jobs...

2. We plan to use a similar palette of colours and materials... and have simplified the building structure to speed things up during construction ... "Something 456" will be glad to hear that...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group of Companies.

I don't think making statements like you did in a previous post about someone getting their facts straight is helpful. These boards are about expressing opinion, be it informed or not or asking questions and seeking understanding of the facts (although some do tend to slant to one side or the other). Just not really helpful or condusive to encouraging discussion - just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

As to the URB, with the way they've dealt with appeals over the years, I wouldn't uncork that bottle of wine just yet. I know many of us felt that some appeals would be a breeze and then something came out of left field and just made things difficult.

Either way; what will be - will be. But I don't think you should chastize people for having an opinion on design - the joy of opinion, is that everyone has one! LOL

Best of luck though - look forward to seeing the results.
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  #58  
Old Posted Apr 7, 2010, 3:22 AM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Originally Posted by POLYCORP-Pete Polley View Post
Thanks.

1. Not "If"... It's "When" this gets finalized in our favour. One doesn't want to be too obnoxiously cocky, but when lawyers that you barely know send you emails giving their unsolicited commentary on how ridiculous the situation is, it makes one feel pretty good about things... too bad that this is costing the City and province thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses and lost tax dollars and jobs...

2. We plan to use a similar palette of colours and materials... and have simplified the building structure to speed things up during construction ... "Something 456" will be glad to hear that...

Peter Polley
Polycorp Group of Companies.
I look forward to seeing the renderings.
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  #59  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2010, 6:51 PM
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Jonovision Jonovision is offline
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From the Herald today.



Playground spat heading to court

Developer says he and city are willing to bypass URB process


By CHRIS LAMBIE

Business Editor

A Halifax developer is taking his argu ment with the city to another sandbox. Peter Polley has asked the provin cial regulator to adjourn the case pit ting a playground promised four dec ades ago against his proposed $15-million, 63-unit condominium project on Barrington Street.

His lawyer wrote to the Utility and Review Board on Tuesday indicating

Polycorp Properties Inc. and the city want to take their battle to Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

“It keeps getting more and more bi zarre," said Polley, the company’s president.

“Nobody is doing anything to try to see development move forward. They’re just trying to block it using any and all methods that they can."

He paid more than $1 million for the lot last April after performing several checks to make sure it was zoned for high-density development.

But after Polley made the purchase, a development officer with the city ruled the project, dubbed Jazz Condo miniums, could not go ahead because the land is supposed to be a play ground for the adjacent Ocean Towers highrise on Brunswick Street.

Polley met with Mayor Peter Kelly earlier this month in an at tempt to resolve the problem.

“As far as I can tell, the only thing that’s going to keep this from being a drawn-out, very pub lic process over the next two years is if the mayor is man enough to step up to the plate to say, ‘Enough of this madness,’ " Polley said. “Somebody needs to use some common sense here."

Mary Ellen Donovan, the mu nicipality’s legal services direc tor, has refused to discuss the case.

In review board filings, the city has questioned the board’s juris diction in the matter.

The municipality has also asked the Registry of Deeds to get the old agreement stipulating the land should be a playground add ed to official documentation.

“We’ll be looking for a declara tion that this unsigned and unre corded agreement is not binding on us," Polycorp’s lawyer, Rob Grant, said of the case headed for Supreme Court.

“Our position would be if we win that, they can’t amend the re cord."

Polley bought the empty lot from DDP-Brunswick Ltd. That company is related to Mississau ga, Ont.-based TransGlobe Property Management Services Ltd. , which owns the adjacent Ocean Towers. But TransGlobe didn’t build the towers and they’ve been own ed by several entities since they went up 40 years ago.

“This is the first time the own ership of the lot that Polycorp wants to develop was separated" from the lots where the Ocean Towers sit, Grant said.

Polycorp built the nearby 85-unit Spice Condominiums and the Mont Blanc, which consists of almost 200 apartments and town­houses on Mont Blanc Terrace. It is also working on a 76-house de velopment called Ravenscraig at Sir Sandford Fleming Park.

The board will likely grant the adjournment because it’s been re quested by both parties, said board spokesman Paul Allen.

“That’s a slam dunk in most cases."

(clambie@herald.ca)
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  #60  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2010, 7:29 PM
DigitalNinja DigitalNinja is offline
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I really hope to see this go ahead, I hate seeing my tax dollars be wasted with something so frivolous.
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