[Halifax] Imagine Bloomfield | ? | ? | Vision

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Here is an updated story on yesterday's developments:

http://www.localxpress.ca/news/2016/...foa79j2o49cu45

This concerns me greatly:




So according to Watts, everything is fine. Fours years of inaction, no purchase agreement, no money, but everything is fine. She has lashed herself to the mast of the NDP ship even though it is at the bottom of the sea.

Thank god she is leaving soon. But sadly that may be too late to save this project.

This is very, very lame of Watts. She's basically hung the community out to dry, out of ideology or party loyalty to NDP?

This is why I've never really trusted her. From time to time, Watts will raise in Council some important and worthwhile points. But then she'll go and vote against developments, even very good ones, like a clockwork. And then here, she's unwilling to admit that the NDP's intervention was not only wrong, stupid, selfish, craven, and irresponsible, but it's been a total disaster for the project. Just absolutely disgraceful that she's betrayed the trust of Imagine Bloomfield so deeply on this.

She should fix this before she steps down, or it remains a pox on her record forever.

[Hali87]

Bloomfield redevelopment turned over to private sector (CBC)

[Keith P.]

Well, really no surprise. Housing NS essentially is responsible for funding the housing authorities that maintain (poorly) the various public housing facilities around the province and runs a few programs to bring substandard housing up to minimum levels for those who are in poverty. They have gone through 3 or 4 CEOs over the last few years and the current one is an ex-Finance bean counter, while the COO was parachuted in from the NS Gaming Corp when it was disbanded. They know nothing at all about this sort of thing.

Really the best thing that could be done at this stage is for HRM to issue a new call for proposals, or invite ones frm last time to resubmit, and for the province to fold the necessary parts of Housing NS into Community Services or wherever and get rid of the executive deadwood. They certainly do not need a standalone entity that has bungled things this badly.

[Drybrain]

I'm hearing skepticism from certain people that the original vision will stand up. (i.e., people seem to think that the affordable housing and historic-school retention could just get tossed out for a condo project or something.)

Anyone have any sense of that?

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Bloomfield redevelopment turned over to private sector (CBC)

Finally a responsible decision from this Government, rather than one aimed solely at political advantage.

I would gather that Imagine could first return to the developer who finished 2nd place (Louis Lawen?) and see if they'd be still interested in doing their original proposal?

[Ziobrop]

The City Should Now Sue Housing NS.

As i understand it, there was a agreement of purchase and sale, though it didnt close untill the re-development had a DA in place.

Since no attempt was made to submit a DA, they breached the agreement.
as a result the city carried the property and its costs for much longer then it should have.

*IANAL, and the facts of the purchase are from memory so may not reflect reality.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

The City Should Now Sue Housing NS.

As i understand it, there was a agreement of purchase and sale, though it didnt close untill the re-development had a DA in place.

Since no attempt was made to submit a DA, they breached the agreement.
as a result the city carried the property and its costs for much longer then it should have.

*IANAL, and the facts of the purchase are from memory so may not reflect reality.

Problem with suing is that it may make Province switch course and decide to litigate, tying up the development for even longer. If I were the City, I'd be happy to walk away and get the development started ASAP, which is what everyone wants.

[counterfactual]

Check out Dexel's excellent new proposal for Spring Garden West:

http://www.livewellonsgw.com/the-lat...aces-session-2

If only the City hadn't been so stupid as to be cowtowed into awarding this development to the disastrous Housing NS and the craven Dexter NDP Government, Dexel probably would have had a fantastic development already done or nearly so.

Shame that perhaps Bloomfield will miss out on one of the best developers in the City. Hope Dexel agrees to re-propose.

I almost think the City should just contact Dexel to see if they stand by their 2nd place finishing proposal and indicate that Housing NS has been disqualified so the contract goes to the next valid bid with most points: Dexel.

[Ziobrop]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Problem with suing is that it may make Province switch course and decide to litigate, tying up the development for even longer. If I were the City, I'd be happy to walk away and get the development started ASAP, which is what everyone wants.

I also see the province is loosing its 750K deposit. That's probably good enough.
wonder if the city needs to re-tender, or can they go to #2?

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

I also see the province is loosing its 750K deposit. That's probably good enough.
wonder if the city needs to re-tender, or can they go to #2?

I think they could simply declare Housing NS's bid as invalid/disqualified and then award it to the 2nd bid (Dexel).

But so much time has passed, it might be risky. The key is to avoid any litigation at this stage, that would slow this down more. If re-inviting bids is the fastest way to do it, then do it. But do it on double time.

Seriously, credit to McNeil for also acknowledging that the current Gov held onto this too long.

See? I give credit where it is due. I'm an equal opportunity criticizer of NS Governments.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Ziobrop

I also see the province is loosing its 750K deposit. That's probably good enough.
wonder if the city needs to re-tender, or can they go to #2?

I think they could simply declare Housing NS's bid as invalid/disqualified and then award it to the 2nd bid (Dexel).

But so much time has passed, it might be risky. The key is to avoid any litigation at this stage, that would slow this down more. If re-inviting bids is the fastest way to do it, then do it. But do it on double time.

Seriously, credit to McNeil for also acknowledging that the current Gov held onto this too long.

See? I give credit where it is due. I'm an equal opportunity criticizer of NS Governments.

[OldDartmouthMark]

From todays CH:

Halifax to wait for Centre Plan to finish before selling Bloomfield

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

From todays CH:

Halifax to wait for Centre Plan to finish before selling Bloomfield

Oh great. The Centre Plan which is itself years and years behind schedule. I'm sure Imagine Bloomfield is thrilled.

I don't know why all of these councillors are whining and complaining so much. It was the City who basically rigged the criteria for the RFP so the Province could win it, and are now dragging their feet themselves waiting for the Centre Plan.

Pathetic as usual.

[Jonovision]

Halifax to blame for stalled Bloomfield development, developer says
Bloomfield redevelopment project hung in limbo for way too long, says Louie Lawen
By Michael Gorman, CBC News Posted: May 26, 2016 3:17 PM AT Last Updated: May 26, 2016 3:25 PM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...vage-1.3601458

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

Halifax to blame for stalled Bloomfield development, developer says
Bloomfield redevelopment project hung in limbo for way too long, says Louie Lawen
By Michael Gorman, CBC News Posted: May 26, 2016 3:17 PM AT Last Updated: May 26, 2016 3:25 PM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...vage-1.3601458

He's absolutely right. While I don't absolve the Province for its sham bid and then hanging on too long, I blame Halifax for awarding it to the Province in the first place, and ignoring the vision/design that Imagine Bloomfield had originally proposed.

[hokus83]

How does the centre plan effect at all in the slightest who they sell land to anywhere?

[Hali87]

I'd really like to see the city and province co-ordinate on an affordable housing strategy. I think this could have turned out very differently if there had been one in place, and the fact that there still isn't one, despite affordability being a fairly hot topic, is troubling. That, or housing should become a municipal responsibility.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I'd really like to see the city and province co-ordinate on an affordable housing strategy. I think this could have turned out very differently if there had been one in place, and the fact that there still isn't one, despite affordability being a fairly hot topic, is troubling. That, or housing should become a municipal responsibility.

I don't think any level of Nova Scotia government is any good at housing. This development is a great example of total incompetence at both the municipal and provincial level.

A total clown show of idiocy, political cravenness, cronyism, etc. And the clown show continues with the delay for the Centre Plan, which is again countless and pointless.

Requiring small apportions of affordable housing in private developments over the long term is a far better strategy than single monolithic projects like this.

Lawen would have been nearly done this development by now, with some affordable housing units coming online. Instead, it's more incompetence and delay from the moronic City and City staff.

[Hali87]

What I meant is that if there was a clear strategy co-ordinated between the municipality and province, then it would be clear to both parties (who have jurisdiction over different things) what the actual goals re: housing are, what resources can be made available, and what kinds of approaches would be effective, which would hopefully avoid situations like this one, which has obviously not been effective at all. In this case the needs/resources of the city and province were not aligned very well. The same can be said of some of the projects on Gottingen Street that were stuck in limbo because of some kind of disconnect between the city and province on the topic of density bonusing (if I remember correctly).

You're aware that the Centre Plan is progressing now, right? There have been public workshops over the last couple months and more coming up - I'd encourage you to attend if you haven't been! My understanding is that the original process stalled out because there weren't enough staff to handle both that and RP+5 (which would have been hard to anticipate, as there had never been a Centre Plan process or an RP+5 process before). It wasn't just due to the existing staff being "idiots"...

[Nor'easter]

Bloomfield Centre proposed as site for new junior high
Highland Park and Oxford schools would close, new school built to replace Bloomfield Centre

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...ntre-1.3619834