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  #21  
Old Posted Mar 31, 2008, 3:01 PM
terrynorthend terrynorthend is offline
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Originally Posted by Jonovision View Post
As much as i love the idea of sitting in the sun on the patio at the shoe shop (which ive actually done ) I kinda wish they could find a way to preserve some of the old building. It does have some merit. If they were to at least keep some of the facade on argyle.
I agree Jono. I've sat on Arygyle with friends, and I always find myself arguing the merits of the Herald building. (and I am always in the minority, usually a minority of one..Lol) I love the Bauhaus quality of the Argyle facade. If the ground floor was open and full of shops and restaurants with a nice streetscape, patios, etc..the upper floors would make great loftspace living and/or offices.

PS, I realize the building needs a lot of remediation work.. I just like the look of it.
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  #22  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2008, 3:08 AM
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Yah, that's exactly what I was thinking. The first floor looks to be quite easy to convert into shops, and I know I would love a loft space up there. However, the upper side of the building, on Grafton has no real redeeming quality as far as I'm concerned.
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  #23  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2008, 1:35 PM
Spitfire75 Spitfire75 is offline
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Convention centre idea draws lots of interest
Big names in HRM development world show up for info session
By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter
Thu. Apr 24 - 6:46 AM


The opportunity to build a new downtown convention centre has attracted a veritable who’s who of the Halifax development world.

The number of people who attended a recent meeting, which was mandatory for anyone interested in submitting a proposal, shows that many architects and developers are keen to get on board.

"Everybody was there kicking tires and seeing who else was there," Halifax architect John Crace, a partner with WHW Group, said Wednesday.

Phil Townsend, manager of capital projects for the municipality, told the group that the exercise was a bit of a "fishing trip," just to see who comes out of the woodwork, Mr. Crace said.

Last month, the province and city announced they were seeking preliminary proposals from developers to replace the World Trade and Convention Centre.

Expressions of interest are sought for a convention centre with a minimum of 150,000 square feet to accommodate large conventions and several smaller events simultaneously.

The new building would almost triple the size of the existing facility, which is attached to the Metro Centre on Argyle Street and has 55,000 square feet of convention space.

It would also bring Halifax more in line with the national average for convention centre size, which is about 158,000 square feet.

Fred MacGillivray, president and CEO of Trade Centre Ltd., a provincial Crown corporation, said he was pleased to see so many companies and groups represented at the meeting.

"It was a good turnout," Mr. MacGillivray said in an interview Wednesday.
"We know that it is a pretty significant project and certainly one we are very anxious and positive about."

The group, which convened in the lobby of the centre, built in 1984, reviewed the outline made public last month. Many of those who attended were people who have an interest in "taking a lead" or who want to team up with other groups, he said.

"Some of them are architects, some are engineers, some are contractors — it was a mix of people who might be involved in something like that."
They will all be expected to submit their own proposals by May 16. At that point, they will be evaluated and ranked. A government-appointed committee will then produce a short list.

"They might have a different approach, but they all have to address the property issue and whatever they plan to build," Mr. McGillivray said of the proposals.

Mr. Crace said it’s likely that most applicants will submit a financial outline and a plan.

"There may be some sketchy designs that show what might be possible on any given site, but there are a pretty limited number of sites in the subject area," Mr. Crace said.

Four or five candidate sites are known to government staff, including the Cogswell interchange, land by the Pier 21 immigration museum and property occupied by The Chronicle Herald.

This newspaper is moving over the summer to offices at the Armdale Roundabout. The current site, along with the parking lots on the block behind, has been called an ideal spot for a new convention centre.

A representative of Argyle Developments Ltd., the group that bought The Chronicle Herald property, attended the session.

THE SHORT LIST:
Here’s a list of the individuals / companies that attended an information session on the new trade and convention centre:
•Raymond Lewis
•ADI Ltd.
•Jacques Whitford
•Sonco Group Inc.
•CBCL Ltd.
•EllisDon Corp.
•Argyle Developments Inc.
•MHPM Project Managers
•PCL Constructors Canada Ltd.
•Stantec Consulting
•MacDonnell Group
•Pomerleau Inc.
•MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple
Architects
•Trax Atlantic Developments
•Aecon Atlantic Group
•WHW Architects
•Rank Inc.
•Noel Fowler Architect
•Bird / Rideau
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  #24  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2008, 2:04 PM
sdm sdm is offline
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Funny i look at the list and its all contractors or architects, not developers.

This looks like its off to a terrible start.
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  #25  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2008, 5:48 PM
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It all sounds pretty vague. They just want to be presented with the perfect plan they can rubber stamp I guess, and that approach rarely seems to produce good results.

I just hope this doesn't derail any other Herald lands development. We don't need yet more empty/underused land in the core caught up in limbo for development who knows when.
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  #26  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2008, 7:33 PM
sdm sdm is offline
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Originally Posted by someone123 View Post
It all sounds pretty vague. They just want to be presented with the perfect plan they can rubber stamp I guess, and that approach rarely seems to produce good results.

I just hope this doesn't derail any other Herald lands development. We don't need yet more empty/underused land in the core caught up in limbo for development who knows when.
Probably will happen on its own as the recent HRM by design limits the amount of office space that could be developed on the Herald lands by 100,000 square feet. Therefore hurting the economics of the development further then it already is.

I still have the feeling this is merely a useless exercise and that we will be told the most feasible way is to expand into the metro centre and that we now need a new stadium. Not a bad idea, but it does make the most sense seeing that was one of the original intents to the current centre's design
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  #27  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2008, 11:58 PM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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Originally Posted by sdm View Post
...seeing that was one of the original intents to the current centre's design
That it could be expanded into the Metro Centre?
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  #28  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2008, 12:15 AM
sdm sdm is offline
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That it could be expanded into the Metro Centre?
From my understanding yes.
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  #29  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2008, 12:34 AM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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Clever! Ideally, that's what I would like to see happen. I know the idea of a new building is nice, but seriously, the MC should be replaced, and you're going to be left with a huge chunk of building already attached to the existing convention centre that's just begging to be used...
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  #30  
Old Posted May 13, 2008, 12:16 PM
hfx_chris hfx_chris is offline
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The Expression of Interest is still up on the HRM site; I hadn't checked the site in a while, so I just stumbled upon it today in the list of public tenders and RFPs.

I'm going to copy a small portion of the text here, which describes the location requirements for the new facility:

Quote:
Location - Halifax has a strong reputation as a compact, convenient major event city.
Delegates marvel at their ability to attend events within minutes of a full range of services and
activities. Access to the waterfront is a major asset. The facility needs to be in the downtown
core. The downtown core is, and will continue to be, a main selling feature including ease of
access to the waterfront, bars, restaurants, hotels and other attractions. As outlined in Appendix
B, the geographic boundaries of the sites that will be considered in responses to this Expression
of Interest are:
North - Cornwallis Street from Harbour to Brunswick
West - Brunswick Street from Cornwallis to Spring Garden Road
South - Spring Garden Road to Barrington Street to Inglis Street extended to Harbour
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  #31  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2008, 8:02 PM
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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia...on-centre.html

Quote:
Proposal replaces Halifax's Cogswell interchange with convention centre

Last Updated: Thursday, June 19, 2008 | 3:00 PM AT
CBC News

A developer proposes to tear down the concrete Cogswell interchange in downtown Halifax and put up a convention centre and hotel.

The proposal by the Hardman Group is one of six submitted to the province and municipality for a new, larger World Trade and Convention Centre.

The company, which built Scotia Square and the Metro Centre, wants to place a convention centre and Hilton hotel on 6.4 hectares now occupied by the overpasses and roads that make up the Cogswell interchange.

The site is close to downtown hotels and other amenities, so there's "no better location," said Hardman Group executive vice-president Colin Whitcomb.

The existing road network shouldn't pose a big problem, he added.

"It would take about eight months to demolish the interchange and reconnect the new street network for the north and south streets. There's also lots of land to put in a temporary road network and to re-route traffic during construction time," he said.

Whitcomb said the revamped site would include residential and green spaces.

Unlike the Hardman Group, some bidders are keeping their plans for a new convention centre quiet.

Representatives of Bird-Rideau Construction didn't want to reveal too much, but confirmed the Cogswell interchange is not the site they have in mind.

No one at the Halifax Port Authority, which owns land along the waterfront, wanted to comment on its proposal.

The two levels of government asked for expressions of interest in March, noting the main criteria were that the new building be at least 150,000 square feet and be located in downtown Halifax.

The current World Trade and Convention Centre on Argyle Street is no longer big enough to meet the city's needs, Premier Rodney MacDonald said at the time.

Provincial and municipal officials are considering the six proposals. They'll come up with a short list of companies, who will then have to go into greater detail in an official request for proposals.
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  #32  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2008, 5:01 PM
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From the Herald today:

Quote:
Convention centre bid list pared to two

By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter
Fri. Oct 24 - 4:46 AM
The city and province have narrowed the list down to two for a new convention centre.

Sources say the short list contains the former Herald site on Argyle Street, now owned by Joe Ramia’s Argyle Developments, and the Cogswell Street Interchange site proposed by the Hardman Group.

A panel of provincial and municipal appointees took the last few months reviewing the six firms who responded to a spring call for a new convention centre.

The list included Bird/Rideau Construction and Southwest Properties, EastPen Inc., Halifax Port Authority and Anwyll Fogo Architects.

Reached Thursday, Mayor Peter Kelly wouldn’t confirm the site selections but did allow that there were only two names remaining on the list.

"I’d have to reserve comment pending council’s approach in dealing with that," he said.

He says the city and province have been working "very well" on the convention project and were planning to meet next week to discuss it.

"It’s time to move that one forward and with a co-operative approach, I think we can bring forward some great opportunities to expand the convention market and to further enhance the business market as well."

The plan is to replace the existing trade centre on Argyle Street. A new centre would have a minimum of 150,000 square feet, nearly three times the size of the trade centre.

Fred McGillivray, president and CEO of Trade Centre Limited, said this week that he hadn’t been in on the discussions.

He’s merely waiting to hear that the new site can accommodate the required specifics.

He’d rather see a new building sooner than later, which has some people wondering about the viability of the Cogswell Street site.

However, downtown Halifax business commission head Paul MacKinnon says the city plans to hire a consultant to look at the "nuts and bolts" of what the land would look like at the end of the day.

"Actually demolishing the interchange and putting the roads back in is not a lengthy process at all. It can be done in a matter of months," he said.

Hardman group vice-president Colin Whitcomb confirmed this week that their analysis indicates the interchange work would take about 16 months from beginning to finish.

"That’s to take it down and then reintegrate the street network and put it back in place," he said.

There is no specific date for requests for proposals, he said, adding that their proposal would likely take 3 1/2 to four years to complete.

"We want to submit. We think we have a good proposal and we think it’s something that deserves to be heard in the community and it deserves to be considered," he said
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  #33  
Old Posted Oct 24, 2008, 6:01 PM
Spitfire75 Spitfire75 is offline
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Considering the Cogswell site would take a lot more time and money before they can even start building a convention center, I'd put my bet on the Herald site.
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  #34  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 9:54 PM
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Just heard on Live at 5 that the Herald lands have been selected for the new convention centre
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  #35  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 10:20 PM
terrynorthend terrynorthend is offline
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Originally Posted by Haliguy View Post
Just heard on Live at 5 that the Herald lands have been selected for the new convention centre
Yeah. Good luck building a 17 and 13 story set of towers on that site so far up the hill... i can hear the screaming already..

On a side note, the CH is reporting that Medjuck plans to build a 20 story apartment or office tower on the corner of Barrington and Sackville where the Discovery Center currently is.
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  #36  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 10:38 PM
worldlyhaligonian worldlyhaligonian is offline
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Originally Posted by Haliguy View Post
Just heard on Live at 5 that the Herald lands have been selected for the new convention centre
That is good news.
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  #37  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 10:51 PM
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I don't think that's good news at all. There is so much else that could be done with the Herald lands that would add more sustained vibrancy to that part of the city. A convention centre there will be busy some of the time, but will, more often than not, be empty since that's the nature of the business. The effect will be compounded by the neighbouring Metro Centre. I would have liked to have seen the Convention Centre located on one of the other sites like the Cogswell. With the federal money coming available, we could have knocked down the Cogswell and put the Convention Centre there.

Any idea what will happen to the old site? Will it be incorporated into the new Convention Centre and we'll just have a massive facility or will it be abandoned to be put to some other use?
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  #38  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 11:09 PM
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What EXACTLY did they report? Because that is contrary to my information and Live at 5 is not noted for their factual diligence.
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  #39  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 11:18 PM
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I only caught the last 30 seconds of the report on the ATV news at 6. It appears the proposal includes the herald site and the area across the street where the midtown tower was proposed a few years ago. On the rendering there were two towers (I didn't catch the height) and the reporter said that section of Granville street would become a podium with a five story glass ceiling....or something to that effect.
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  #40  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2009, 11:19 PM
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Announcement coming on Halifax's new convention centre, CTV reports
Luxury hotel, office tower part of project
By OUR STAFF
Wed. Jan 28 - 7:10 PM

Out with the old and in with the new, as they say.

The old Chronicle Herald building on Argyle Street and its neighbour the Midtown Tavern on Grafton Street will soon make way for Halifax’s new convention centre, CTV News reported Wednesday night.
The project, which is expected to be announced in the next week or so, will feature a 17-storey luxury hotel on the block facing Argyle Street, while the popular eatery and adjacent parking lot will soon be the site of a 13-storey glass office tower.

CTV reported that municipal and provincial politicians, as well as the developer, Argyle Developments Inc., declined to comment on the proposed project.

However, Fred MacGillivray, outgoing CEO of the current World Trade and Convention Centre, confirmed that the more than 25-year-old facility is now too small for many of the events that come to Halifax.“We are turning away business now that we were getting for many years that have outgrown us,” Mr. MacGillivray told CTV.


=====================================

I'm overly disappointed with this decision. I'm just hopeful the ground floor will have some good retail to keep the street activity level up.
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