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  #1  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2008, 3:13 PM
sdm sdm is offline
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[Halifax] Queen's Marque | 30 m | 10 fl | Completed

www.queenslanding.ca

Forgot about this project that The Armour Group is trying to do. Worthy of having a thread, unless there is one already.

Hopefully we will hear more news on this soon as it was announced in 2005.

Project highlights

250 Room Hotel
170,000 Sqft Class A office
70,000 Sqft of Res
Retail
Redevelopment of Maritime Museum as well as raising the last corvette (HMCS Sackville) and placing it indoors etc.

Would be increaible to see this started/ completed. Would change the waterfront.
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  #2  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2008, 3:48 PM
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Good to hear this project is still alive. I was kind of worried it may have died.
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  #3  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2008, 3:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Haliguy View Post
Good to hear this project is still alive. I was kind of worried it may have died.
Well the website looks like it hasn't been updated in some time, and the bulletin board is down so I don't know if theres been any recent news about the project. The silence around it is killing me though lol.
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  #4  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2008, 5:12 PM
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Well the website looks like it hasn't been updated in some time, and the bulletin board is down so I don't know if theres been any recent news about the project. The silence around it is killing me though lol.
No kidding.

With the shortage of downtown office along with the need for more of a waterfront attraction site i am surprised this is not already going.
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  #5  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2008, 8:03 PM
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The project involves various levels of government and that assures several years of minimal progress it seems.

The Salter Block development has also been in the works for ages. Both projects are needed to improve the waterfront.

(PS - I changed the thread names. This subforum and the suburb subforum both have naming conventions to make it easier to browse through different projects. Threads in the rest of the local section can have any name.)
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  #6  
Old Posted May 28, 2008, 1:26 AM
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From their website:

Credit: http://queenslanding.ca/plans.php.

Good news is the Salter Block is moving ahead. Hopefully this follows suite and starts soon.
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  #7  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2008, 2:57 AM
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I think its about time to revive this thread.

"SDM" some other things you might want to add to your list is the aquarium, redevelopment of Sackville Landing and the theatres.
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  #8  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2008, 6:06 PM
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This may seem a bit silly of a question, but what is this development waiting for to break ground?

Are we waiting for it to go to council? I don't know much about this project save for what's on the website, and on here.

Something like this would drastically change the face of the DT/WF area. So at times, I wonder if this isn't just more smoke being blown uncomfortably. I highly doubt it is, but growing up here, has made me never to expect what I'm told by anybody from any level of govt.
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  #9  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2008, 6:29 PM
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The waiting is caused by the three levels of government this project has to go through.

Council has to approve it, the Waterfront Development Corp. (WDC) is provincially operated and I'm guessing the feds have something to do with the museum part of it. And as everyone arund here knows getting all levels of government to agree on something is a long process. This is getting a little bit too long though. Normally we'd know something after THREE YEARS!
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  #10  
Old Posted Aug 22, 2008, 6:46 PM
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It's not merely the approval that's causing the delay, it's the fact that much of the developer's plans include public-sector funding from multiple levels of government. Some of the land is also owned by the government or WDC. I believe the HRM owns Sackville Landing for example and I seem to recall reading somewhere that they're planning to overhaul it soon.

I hope some development moves forward as soon as possible for this area but I'm not surprised by the delay, especially given how slowly the government tends to work in Halifax and NS.
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  #11  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2009, 5:04 PM
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This development was brought up in a Halifax Magazine article this month focused on the Waterfront and the developments happening (or not happening).

It mentioned that this one is still on the list of happenings but it will be at least 2011 before any construction happens.
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  #12  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2010, 11:22 AM
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Halifax waterfront projects in works

ROGER TAYLOR
Sat. Jan 9 - 4:46 AM

IT SHOULD take another couple of years before the Queen’s Landing development proposed for the Halifax waterfront could begin construction, even though the idea was announced back in 2005.

Colin MacLean, president and CEO of the provincially owned Waterfront Development Corp. Ltd., said his organization is working in conjunction with private developer Armour Group Ltd. on a feasibility study to determine whether the idea is still a good one.

The 2.8-hectare site is located on Lower Water Street, bordered by Sackville Landing and Cable Wharf.

The Queen’s Landing plans call for combining a permanent home for HMCS Sackville (Canada’s Naval Memorial), expansion of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and a commercial development complex.

The original plans included "destination-oriented" retail and entertainment areas and a 250-room, four-star hotel complex with convention space.

There would also be about 120,000 square feet of class A office space created and 70,000 square feet of either residential or commercial space.

Although there are concerns about future demand for office space and hotel rooms, MacLean said he’s feeling quite positive about the estimated $200-million project proceeding.

In a conversation earlier this week, Armour Group chairman Ben McCrea said the start of construction on Queen’s Landing is delayed until a replacement for the biosciences building at 1718 Lower Water St. is built on the Dalhousie University campus.

"We did enough negotiations on the HRM by Design that we think Queen’s Landing is going to be all right under it," McCrea said.

He estimates it should take a couple of years before construction begins and, in the meantime, he’ll be concentrating on building his Waterside Centre at 1864 Upper Water St., not far from where Queen’s Landing would be.

MacLean said the proposal is for a private-public partnership. Armour will have to come up with part of the phased project, while the government financial involvement still has to be determined.

The fact that McCrea is feeling somewhat optimistic about the commercial prospects of Queen’s Landing, MacLean said, makes his organization more comfortable about its role.

"If it makes sense on the private side, then let’s complete the feasibility study and present it for the public side of it."

MacLean said he believes the concept originally put forward by McCrea will make sense.

"And so we’re beginning to feel we can make something out of it."

Meanwhile, there could be two major waterfront projects on the go at the same time in a couple of years. MacLean said Waterfront Development is working with another developer, Ralph Medjuck, chairman and CEO of Centennial Group Ltd., to bring his waterfront project to reality.

Medjuck’s estimated $100-million residential and hotel project slated for the Salter Block — 1.4 hectares near the proposed Queen’s Landing development on Lower Water Street, between Salter Street and Bishop’s Landing — has been in the planning stage since 2004.

MacLean says the developer has brought together a team to design the project to go "somewhat" beyond what the original plan, which had been approved by the municipality.

"Together we’ve been looking at one of the key components for us, which was one acre of public park space, and so we’re looking at designs of that space."

MacLean said the fact that new plans are being developed for the Salter Block is another signal from a developer that they’re feeling more positive about the market outlook.

( rtaylor@herald.ca)
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  #13  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2010, 3:08 PM
terrynorthend terrynorthend is offline
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I'd call this one a push. At least its not lost, but it doesn't sound like it'll even start construction for a couple of years, along with Salter.

Interesting the mention of a permanent home for HMCS Sackville, which of course was in the original plans. I wonder if this summer's 100th anniversary of the RCN could be synergistic with multi-level funding commitments to the public side of this project, in principle at least.
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  #14  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2010, 3:29 PM
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Originally Posted by terrynorthend View Post
I'd call this one a push. At least its not lost, but it doesn't sound like it'll even start construction for a couple of years, along with Salter.

Interesting the mention of a permanent home for HMCS Sackville, which of course was in the original plans. I wonder if this summer's 100th anniversary of the RCN could be synergistic with multi-level funding commitments to the public side of this project, in principle at least.
Memory serves me correct the project was to be completed to honour the 100th anniversary. Obviously that won't be the case.

5 years later and neither project makes one wonder what is holding the projects back, as i can't see its economics being the only reason.
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  #15  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2010, 11:34 AM
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Heard last night a rumour that "might" be related to this. Apparently none of the leases are being renewed in the Biosciences building (people are moving to the new LSRI at Dal), and a person who works there said they were told the building will be demolished next year to "make way for a hotel or something" they said. Can't place too much weight on that, but might be a glimmer of hope for this project.
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  #16  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2010, 5:24 PM
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I heard that as well, although I don't know if it is the only holdup for this project.

It is kind of annoying how things are rarely "pipelined" in Halifax. Instead, you have a wait for the demolition, then you get to see an unsightly empty lot for years while a project is being approved.
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  #17  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2010, 5:31 PM
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I heard that as well, although I don't know if it is the only holdup for this project.

It is kind of annoying how things are rarely "pipelined" in Halifax. Instead, you have a wait for the demolition, then you get to see an unsightly empty lot for years while a project is being approved.
Demolition usually occurs because the property owners don't want to pay taxes on a property that they may not be getting any use out of (if the building is empty).

So then the community is stuck with an empty lot for a while until development occurs - that's been a huge problem here in Calgary.
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  #18  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2010, 5:50 PM
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I heard that as well, although I don't know if it is the only holdup for this project.

It is kind of annoying how things are rarely "pipelined" in Halifax. Instead, you have a wait for the demolition, then you get to see an unsightly empty lot for years while a project is being approved.
WDCL renewed the lease for the Bioscience building, hence the delay.

The lease expires in April and the building is to come down thereafter.

The project could be a go now, but with the amount of now approved and ready projects i am not sure when one might see construction.
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  #19  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2010, 6:03 PM
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Demolition usually occurs because the property owners don't want to pay taxes on a property that they may not be getting any use out of (if the building is empty).

So then the community is stuck with an empty lot for a while until development occurs - that's been a huge problem here in Calgary.
I think this is a fundamental flaw in how property taxes are structured. Cities like to encourage improvements on land but improvements result in higher taxes - the tax provides a negative economic incentive.

Income taxes are a much better way to go, but it is not within the power of the HRM to levy those. Perhaps they could modify the commercial tax structure a little to raise fees significantly for empty lots and surface parking. This encourages owners either to keep their buildings or to build structured parking in new developments.

The city should also be strict about unsightly premises. If the landlords don't pay up the city can place liens against the property. Eventually they can take the property and auction it off to developers with a time limit after which control reverts to the city.
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  #20  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2010, 5:52 AM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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I can't wait for the Bio Science building on Lower Water to be gone... its blue roof makes it look like an unfinished building in our skyline and its generally generic and ugly.
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