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  #81  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2019, 3:42 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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Originally Posted by Keith P. View Post
Well, Peggy may have had a plan. Or Howard. Or the anti-development boffins within the Heritage Trust. If the entire downtown was designated heritage that would suit their goal of never building anything new. I suspect HRM wasn't among those interested.
The problem as I see it, Keith, is that heritage districts in Halifax are that in name only, so there are no solid rules preventing development in "heritage districts". So all this posturing about not being able to develop because of all the heritage districts ends up being a bunch of BS.

Additionally, in no way would the entire downtown ever be considered a heritage district. It's just an extreme view of those reeling against the extreme views of the Heritage Trust. The rules have always been slanted towards those who want to tear down and build new - which is why Halifax, despite being one of the oldest cities in Canada has only a small percentage of its old buildings remaining.

The thing is, in a free democratic society, as Canada remains (the US not so much), everybody has their right to voice their opinion. You get the CBC article, then you get the comments below it expressing mostly opposite views, some just as extreme in the other direction. Usually what happens in the end is somewhere in the middle. I would be surprised if these sites do not get built as the neighborhood people seem to be the underdogs in this situation.

That said, I mostly like it and think it will be a good addition to the neighborhood, despite that a few heritage properties won't make it (but at least a few will be saved).
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  #82  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2019, 5:16 PM
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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark View Post
The rules have always been slanted towards those who want to tear down and build new - which is why Halifax, despite being one of the oldest cities in Canada has only a small percentage of its old buildings remaining.
We have debated this point here ad nauseum, but there are a lot of reasons why so many old Halifax buildings have disappeared. Many of them were unremarkable wood boxes that did not offer anything other than being old. Some that were perhaps more worthy of preserving were lost in the rush to build Harbour Drive. Many were allowed to deteriorate and by the end were run-down low-rent apartments. Heritage is great until you have to pay to keep it up and try to make it commercially viable.

As for the rules being slanted towards tearing down and rebuilding, explain to me why nothing new was built DT in about 20 years. The late '80s to the late '00s were an era where DT development was in stasis.
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  #83  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2019, 5:49 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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Originally Posted by Keith P. View Post
We have debated this point here ad nauseum, but there are a lot of reasons why so many old Halifax buildings have disappeared. Many of them were unremarkable wood boxes that did not offer anything other than being old. Some that were perhaps more worthy of preserving were lost in the rush to build Harbour Drive. Many were allowed to deteriorate and by the end were run-down low-rent apartments. Heritage is great until you have to pay to keep it up and try to make it commercially viable.

As for the rules being slanted towards tearing down and rebuilding, explain to me why nothing new was built DT in about 20 years. The late '80s to the late '00s were an era where DT development was in stasis.
Sorry, Keith, I did not word that last post very well. I wasn't intending to state that lack of heritage protection is the only reason why not many old buildings remain, but it looks like we both agree that so many have disappeared.

We have discussed this topic many times, and it's not my intention to repeat it all, but my point is that, while a great deal has been made about heritage preservation preventing development, the reality is that heritage buildings are not really protected here.

The reasons for stagnated development now or 20 or 40 years ago were not that there are too many heritage properties preventing development from happening. The fact is that Halifax's downtown was neglected back then as business parks were growing.

You can lay the blame anywhere you like but the reality is that as part of the urban renewal planning regimes of the fifties and sixties, the focus was shifting to the suburbs and the downtown became less desirable for both business and residential development.

Perhaps part of the blame lies in the clunky approval process, perhaps it's that business parks like Burnside were made more financiably viable than the downtown, maybe blame it on viewplanes... but it wasn't a perceived inability to tear down heritage properties preventing it. The reality is that most people in the position to make decisions on developments don't really appear to give a darn about heritage properties - financial viability is the main concern.
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  #84  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2019, 6:42 PM
IanWatson IanWatson is offline
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Originally Posted by Keith P. View Post
As for the rules being slanted towards tearing down and rebuilding, explain to me why nothing new was built DT in about 20 years. The late '80s to the late '00s were an era where DT development was in stasis.
Honestly, it was probably economics. Historically, commercial property development tends to happen on ~20-year cycles. Purdy's Wharf capped off the boom cycle of the late-80s and then downtown entered the bust cycle in the 90s and very early 2000s. We're probably at or past the peak of this commercial boom cycle, but downtown is still seeing lots of development because it's now socially desirable to have housing in these areas and residential development plays by different economics rules than the Class A commercial spaces that have traditionally been the focus of downtown.

There's no doubt that planning regimes dampen or amplify economic factors, but I think we planners are kidding ourselves if we think we have the power on any significant scale to make development happen or not happen.
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  #85  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2019, 12:05 AM
Colin May Colin May is offline
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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark View Post

The thing is, in a free democratic society, as Canada remains (the US not so much), everybody has their right to voice their opinion.
The USA is a much more open society, and obtaining information from government is much easier than in Canada. I note that in certain places the public speak at council meetings when an item is up for discussion.
Canada is held back by reverence for the old order courtesy of the Catholics and Presbyterians. Far too much secrecy for my liking. Thatcher swept away secrecy at the municipal level.
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  #86  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2019, 12:14 AM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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The USA is a much more open society, and obtaining information from government is much easier than in Canada. I note that in certain places the public speak at council meetings when an item is up for discussion.
Canada is held back by reverence for the old order courtesy of the Catholics and Presbyterians. Far too much secrecy for my liking. Thatcher swept away secrecy at the municipal level.
Sorry, that was just a tongue-in-cheek remark regarding the current political situation in the US...
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  #87  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2019, 4:26 AM
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TheNovaScotian TheNovaScotian is offline
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The USA is a much more open society.
Maybe a more openly racist society.
Have you ever heard of the Patriot act?
It makes the War Measures act look like an appropriations bill.
Plus Federalism is much weaker there with municipal jurisdictions changing state by state.
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  #88  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2019, 9:50 AM
ILoveHalifax ILoveHalifax is offline
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The USA is very open if you are WHITE and christian BUT not so much if you are BLACK, MUSLIM, NATIVE AMERICAN, LGBTQ, IMMIGRANT, LATINO, and loosing rights daily
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  #89  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2019, 1:06 AM
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Everybody's favorite CBC reporter Pam Berman and her go-to gal for anti-development news, Peggy Cameron, weigh in yet again with another story that is so bad it would be laughable if it wasn't so sad:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...hows-1.5102260

I truly do wonder if Berman is perhaps so protected by the union at the CBC that she cannot be put into another post where she could do less damage to their credibility.
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  #90  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2019, 1:56 AM
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Agreed. You could make a similar article about flat earthers. "Some say the earth is flat". True, but who cares?

What does "800 cars could be using side streets to enter and exit the underground parking" even mean? Per day? Is this based on a traffic study or is it a made up number, e.g. one car per resident?

Every development increases traffic. Halifax is a growing city. Traffic goes up every year. The question is which development options are best. Prevent this one from being built and something else gets built.
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  #91  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2019, 7:59 PM
terrynorthend terrynorthend is offline
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That model looks fantastic. Of course the usual suspects won't like it, but methinks this tactic will backfire. When the majority public sees this people will be very impressed. Cameron et al should have stuck with the guy who did red block massing models!
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  #92  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2019, 8:59 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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I agree. It will look great with those buildings there.

They are doing a good job of promoting those developments. There are probably lots of people reading those articles and thinking that they'd like to live there when they are built...
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  #93  
Old Posted Apr 22, 2019, 2:04 PM
eastcoastal eastcoastal is offline
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Not sure how the model shown in those videos is supposed to scare anybody?
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  #94  
Old Posted Apr 23, 2019, 11:36 AM
atbw atbw is offline
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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark View Post
There are probably lots of people reading those articles and thinking that they'd like to live there when they are built...
That area of town is one of my favourites. If it had a grocery store a little closer (or a small-scale store downstairs!) I'd be sold. Living downtown it's the only thing I wish was a little closer.

As for parking, they may have the spots, but it's not going to get the same level of use as a garage on Larry Uteck. The parking lot in the Alexander is nowhere near full and not everyone will be using their car every day, especially in that part of town.
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  #95  
Old Posted Apr 23, 2019, 3:21 PM
OldDartmouthMark OldDartmouthMark is offline
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Originally Posted by atbw View Post
That area of town is one of my favourites. If it had a grocery store a little closer (or a small-scale store downstairs!) I'd be sold. Living downtown it's the only thing I wish was a little closer.

As for parking, they may have the spots, but it's not going to get the same level of use as a garage on Larry Uteck. The parking lot in the Alexander is nowhere near full and not everyone will be using their car every day, especially in that part of town.
I really like that part of town as well. Close enough to downtown that you can walk anywhere, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle that you're not living in the middle of it. Plus just down the street from Public Gardens if you like to go for daily strolls.

I agree about parking. I would always plan to have a car as I like to be able to go anywhere anytime, but if I lived there it would probably be parked most of the time as you can walk anywhere from there. Basically you save your car from wear and tear for the times when you really need it and really want to drive rather than beating it back and forth commuting every day.

There used to be a small grocery store up on Coburg at Seymour (it was a Capitol Store at one time), but it was torn down last year for (I think) Dal to put up some building. I would think there is still a market for a small/medium size grocery store in that neighborhood, so I wouldn't be surprised to see one go in somewhere in the area, maybe even in one of those two projects.
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  #96  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2019, 4:19 PM
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Halifax council endorses 4 apartment buildings for busy city block

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...burg-1.5213119

Developer's plans include a public atrium, public park, underground wiring and affordable housing units.
Halifax regional council has endorsed two separate development proposals involving four apartment towers for a busy city block.

The proposed towers would be built at Robie Street and Coburg Road and could be between 20 and 29 storeys.

Dexel Developments wants to redevelop the north side of the block, while a development company run by the Rouvalis family has plans for the south side.

There are 14 existing residential and commercial properties on each redevelopment site, which total 1.4 hectares.

Dexel's proposal had included a 30-storey building, but municipal planners recommended changes that would create a maximum height of 90 metres, or 26 to 28 storeys for both properties.......
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  #97  
Old Posted Jul 16, 2019, 10:50 PM
Colin May Colin May is offline
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Originally Posted by someone123 View Post
Unfortunately I think this is a symptom of the city's obsession with preserving single family dwelling neighbourhoods, something that is common to many Canadian cities. It would be better to preserve the historic parts of town and redevelop inner suburban areas like parts of the West End.

Developing parking lots is great but the city's supply of empty lots is dwindling fast. Most underused sites in the city today are owned by some level of government or a major public institution and are hard for private developers to build on. The giant empty lot behind the library is an example of this.
Do you have children under the age of 18 living with you ?
I'd like my 'hood to be preserved; close to schools,transit, parks and social housing up the hill. Unfortunately lower cost apartment buildings are being torn down. Some planners actually believe in mixed income neighbourhoods in central areas.
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  #98  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 12:29 AM
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This is one of the 19 that was originally proposed to go for a DA prior to Centre Plan.

The design has been refined somewhat.
Public meeting taking place Monday, June 4th, 2018, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church, 6036 Coburg Road.

More info:
https://www.halifax.ca/business/plan...arlton-streets

Robie and College 1 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

Robie And College 2 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

Robie And College 3 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

Robie and College 4 by Jonovision23, on Flickr

Robie and College 5 by Jonovision23, on Flickr
Just bumping the renderings for this...
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  #99  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 12:37 AM
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Just bumping the renderings for this...
You can tell they are fake renderings designed to persuade Council to approve the application by the excessive number of bicycles shown.
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  #100  
Old Posted Jul 17, 2019, 3:28 AM
Colin May Colin May is offline
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Originally Posted by Keith P. View Post
You can tell they are fake renderings designed to persuade Council to approve the application by the excessive number of bicycles shown.
Careless hipsters, 2 of 3 cyclists with no helmet and one crunched over the handlebars as though he was late for the Tour de France.
An old guy reading a newspaper ....sacre bleu !
No children in the neighbourhood !
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