[Halifax] 5495 Spring Garden Road | ? m | 4 fl | Completed

[Dmajackson]

So for all of the planners out there *cough* halifaxboyns *cough* here is the link for the information being presented to the DRC this week for final decision;

Case 16695

For the most part it is a standard plannign case with nothing overly special in it but two points did stand out for me after thoroughly reading it.

1) There is a streetwall height variance required for this to go through. According to the documents streetwalls are aimed to be in a 1:1 ration with the street width. Birmingham and SGR are both 18m wide and so that is the reason being used to allow the building height of 17.5m.

2) The building will have LED lighting on the outside that is "capable of changing colours". The impression I got from the report is this will not be a nightly colour show but rather lights that would change to suit the season and accentuate the street corner.

And just to point it out the building will have ZERO vehicular parking and a fair bit of Class A and B bicycle parking (bike rack on Birmingham). It will also have a landscaped roof.

[halifaxboyns]

It's a very well written report and very detailed. My only caution with the LED light fixtures it making sure there is no glare to the adjacent residential (once its built). But it sounds like it's low enough so that shouldn't be a problem.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

Well demolition can occur prior to commencement of development. That's a seperate process - so they can take the buildings down and clear the debris. It's when you cross over into site prep - that's when you may be jumping the gun.

Does anyone know if the vinyl siding from the Sock It To Ya building got re-used? I was looking at it a while ago and thinking it would be a shame to have it go to waste because it' was in such good condition.

[macgregor]

Photos by myself

[-Harlington-]

well i didnt expect to see that happen already, lets hope it continues quickly
it would be nice not to have a gapping hole in the busiest street in atlantic canada for to long, aha

[halifaxboyns]

Nah nah nah nah. Nah nah nah nah! Hey hey hey! Good-bye!

[CorbeauNoir]

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

well i didnt expect to see that happen already, lets hope it continues quickly
it would be nice not to have a gapping hole in the busiest street in atlantic canada for to long, aha

Well that parking lot next door to the architecture building's been there for a while, hasn't it?

[someone123]

There's the burned out hole by DQ and DQ building, empty Victorian by City Centre Atlantic, St. Mary's lot.. Spring Garden Road is very shabby despite its local reputation.

The good news I guess is that this might be a low point. It's also a small street that will feel much more complete with only a few additions.

[Dmajackson]

This was APPROVED!

Since the buildings are already demolished I imagine this will be the frist project to go through the HbD process and be built.

BTW there is a 14 day appeal period but since there were no complaints brought up when this was proposed it should be all clear to go.

PS the thread title should now be; [Halifax] 5495 Spring Garden Road | 17m | 4 fl | Approved

[DigitalNinja]

I was pretty sure the developer thought it would be approved considering they started to dig the hole right away.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

This was APPROVED!

Since the buildings are already demolished I imagine this will be the frist project to go through the HbD process and be built.

HRM by Design (HbD) was adopted in early 2009 and this is the first to go through the HbD process! It wasn't quite the boon to development that it was meant to be.

I understand the desire for better designs in the downtown core covered by the HbD but doesn't this lack of development show that increasing building cost per square foot (with more setbacks, stepbacks and lower building height) will actually result in less development instead of more. I think in order for the HbD to really be successful, the design requirements should be kept but the building height limits should be increased significantly. Except for some areas such as the Barrington Street Heritage District, I think the limits on building height should be increased by at least 10 meters almost across the board. In some areas covered by viewplanes, this might not be possible. I think even the viewplanes should be revisited as they were in Dartmouth.

In terms of planning, the HbD was well thought out but development costs weren't taken into account. I think it shows that increasing building cost per square foot isn't a boon to development.

[someone123]

This was probably mentioned already but the construction date is March 1.

According to ANS, the developer wants to wait until some nearby projects begin before planning the redevelopment of the Spring Garden and Queen block.

[Dmajackson]

From yesterday;







And correct me if I'm wrong but I think there's some of that "surprising" pyritic slate in the hole;

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

From yesterday;
And correct me if I'm wrong but I think there's some of that "surprising" pyritic slate in the hole;

I was going to make the same comment on the slate, lol. SURPRISE!

[fenwick16]

It may be common but based on the little bit that I have read, it seems that pyritic slate can cause some big problems. Here is an interesting article on it - http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/ir...igest-152.html . It seems that it can occur in both shale (softer material) and slate (harder, like rock). When it expands by oxidation it can cause heaving and it contains sulfates that can convert to sulfuric acid and cause rusting of metal and contamination of ground water. It can also contain arsenic amongst other impurities (even some gold).

Once disturbed by excavation the oxidation process can begin since it tends to be broken up and exposed to oxygen.

[DigitalNinja]

The point is that Halifax is built on that stuff.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by DigitalNinja

The point is that Halifax is built on that stuff.

Does anyone have a map showing where pyritic slate/shale is most commonly found?

[DigitalNinja]

Here is a geological map of Nova Scotia

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h...1t:429,r:1,s:0

[JET]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Does anyone have a map showing where pyritic slate/shale is most commonly found?

No doubt commonly found in the stone foundations of old houses (eg my basement)

[halifaxboyns]

I'm not surprised this is being found.
I know that the WDCL has been accepting this material for their infill out in Bedford since salt water neutralizes the effects.