General Updates and News

[Dmajackson]

Project no longer under wraps
Historic building in central Halifax getting makeover
By BILL POWER Business Reporter
Wed. Mar 3 - 4:53 AM

THE people behind an intriguing renovation of a landmark building at the intersection of Windsor and Almon streets in Halifax are about to take the wraps off a labour of love that began more than six months ago.

A protective enclosure that went up to allow a painstaking reconstruction of the two-storey building at 2810 Windsor St. to continue during winter months is expected to be taken off any day now.

"It’s understandable that many people in the neighbourhood are curious about how the renovation has turned out. The old building has been a landmark for the neighbourhood and for the entire city for decades," Louis Wolfson, president of Peppermint Properties, said Tuesday.

The building is across the street from the parking lot for the Halifax Forum and opposite the Brooklyn Warehouse restaurant. It was built in the 1930s and originally housed a Dominion grocery store and adjacent pharmacy.

Up until renovations started last fall, the location was also home to Almanac Used Furniture and Antiques, a wonderfully eclectic shop that has long been something of a neighbourhood institution in its own right. That business has moved five blocks to 2820 Isleville St.

The completely rebuilt structure is to be called the Windsor & Almon Building. The main floor features about 6,500 square feet of commercial space, mostly with street frontage and four-metre ceilings.

Almon Lofts is the name of a second-floor residential component with eight units of various shapes and sizes, and slightly upscale rents ($1,100 per month for a one bedroom).

There are oversized windows at every turn, and refinished hardwood floors, exposed timber trusses and refinished radiators throughout. There are many stylish touches such as period-design bathrooms and slick-looking kitchens to compliment heritage features.

The exterior brick facade has been completely reappointed with new windows and custom moulding.

The complex will be ready for occupancy in May.

A precursor company to Peppermint Properties, started by Wolfson’s grandfather, has owned the building at Windsor and Almon since the 1950s.

Rapid residential and commercial growth in the neighbourhood prompted the owner to begin considering options for the site.

Wolfson saw potential in the large basement, with its high ceiling and many solid, if dated, original construction features.

"It was very rough, but the basics were there to put together a unique development," he said.

He studied some other reconstructions of old buildings elsewhere in Canada and the United States before deciding to proceed with the conversion of this underutilized building into a heritage-style property.

"It’s always been a focal point in the neighbourhood and we wanted to build on that," he said.

Kassner-Goodspeed Architects Ltd. handled design, while Martin Developments Ltd. is the general contractor. DTZ Barnicke is the leasing agent for the ground-floor commercial component.

Peppermint Properties is managing the Almon Lofts.

[Jstaleness]

from News957.com

It's been more than two years since it was approved to be built, and today the developer behind the Twisted Sisters development in downtown Halifax says it's still on.

"Actually its one of our most favourite projects that is on our books," says Navid Saberi with United Gulf Developments.

There had been rumours that the land where the Twisted Sisters are destined for, was up for sale.

Saberi says his company has three big projects ongoing, which is delaying the Twisted Sisters project.

And he says he doesn't anticipate anyone offering to take over the project.

"They better have a deep pocket," laughed Saberi. "It's a big project, so the number of the people who can be interested in doing the project is not very many."

He says the plan is to start design drawing in a year and break ground in two years time.

[someone123]

Good news, but disappointing that it's taking so long for this development to move forward. Part of what is annoying about this is that the site has sat empty for years now, quietly detracting from the downtown.

[-Harlington-]

i though that project was done and gone considering the amount of time between now and when it was approved.
i like that the developers haven't forgot about us and everything but come on 2 years?
we have to walk by those huge gray holes in the ground for another 2 years.
oh well at least its something about it.

[Wishblade]

I just thought I'd mention that Cafe Chianti which burnt down a month or 2 ago is moving to new digs on Barrington st due to repairs being far too slow. This is atleast a little more good news for that street.

[Barrington south]

the south end of Barrington is doing great...been steadily improving since 02 if not before....it's the "heritage district" that is the hurting unit

[worldlyhaligonian]

Lol.

This is somewhat good news... I hope that these other projects get finished... one of them being the Waterton.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

from News957.com

It's been more than two years since it was approved to be built, and today the developer behind the Twisted Sisters development in downtown Halifax says it's still on.

"Actually its one of our most favourite projects that is on our books," says Navid Saberi with United Gulf Developments.

There had been rumours that the land where the Twisted Sisters are destined for, was up for sale.

Saberi says his company has three big projects ongoing, which is delaying the Twisted Sisters project.

And he says he doesn't anticipate anyone offering to take over the project.

"They better have a deep pocket," laughed Saberi. "It's a big project, so the number of the people who can be interested in doing the project is not very many."

He says the plan is to start design drawing in a year and break ground in two years time.

Well the development agreement expires next spring, so not sure how he plans to break ground in 2years?

[Dmajackson]

Good to hear the Texpark Towers are still on the minds of United Gulf.

Other than Waterton does anyone know the other projects they have under construction? All I know i they own a bunch of land here in Bedford but all of it is still proposed and not active.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by Bedford_DJ

Good to hear the Texpark Towers are still on the minds of United Gulf.

Other than Waterton does anyone know the other projects they have under construction? All I know i they own a bunch of land here in Bedford but all of it is still proposed and not active.

One must be his massive house he is slowly building on the Northwest Arm.

[Haliguy]

Another minor point...when he says the Heitage Trust can't be blammed for the Twisted Sisters not being being built because it was eventually approved. That is BS... the Heritage Trust had lot to do with it. It was held up for two years by then things had changed that made the project uneconomical.

[planarchy]

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Another minor point...when he says the Heitage Trust can't be blammed for the Twisted Sisters not being being built because it was eventually approved. That is BS... the Heritage Trust had lot to do with it. It was held up for two years by then things had changed that made the project uneconomical.

HT certainly had something to do with it, but United Gulf is sketchy at best. They just can't seem to get their act together, perhaps take on much more than they can handle and the results show. Quality of construction on some of there projects is quite poor, Waterton towers doesn't seem to be well planned, and with the MSVU Motherhouse they left a mess and worked hard to cover it up. As much as I like the architect's vision for this project, I really wonder how many corners they could cut in the process of finishing this - especially in regards to exterior finishes. At the same time, I still think the city NEEDS this project to happen. I just wish someone else was in charge!!

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by planarchy

HT certainly had something to do with it, but United Gulf is sketchy at best. They just can't seem to get their act together, perhaps take on much more than they can handle and the results show. Quality of construction on some of there projects is quite poor, Waterton towers doesn't seem to be well planned, and with the MSVU Motherhouse they left a mess and worked hard to cover it up. As much as I like the architect's vision for this project, I really wonder how many corners they could cut in the process of finishing this - especially in regards to exterior finishes. At the same time, I still think the city NEEDS this project to happen. I just wish someone else was in charge!!

Vaild points..I'm dissapointed in this company I thought they were better than that..but your right things like Waterton was clearly not well thought out and the Motherhouse was a bit of a disaster.

[Dmajackson]

Halifax home to too many ‘moonscapes’
Grass over empty lots, business group says
By CLARE MELLOR Business Reporter
Sat. Mar 13 - 4:54 AM

Owners of vacant city lots should be forced to make them green, says Bernard Smith. And the manager of the Spring Garden Road Area Business Association is also floating the idea of a special tax rate on these undeveloped lots.

"There’s not a lot of rubble on Spring Garden, thank God, but generally, throughout the city, I’m suggesting that any vacant lot should be grassed over," he said Friday.

"It is not satisfactory to leave parts of our downtown undeveloped."

One of the most obvious undeveloped sites in downtown Halifax is the old Tex-Park lot, which is the future site of a 27-storey development known as the Twisted Sisters.

"That whole block is just moonscape, isn’t it? And we’ve got bits of moonscape in other spots. Probably all of them are slated for development but they are not slated for development this spring. Anything that is not immediately about to be developed, literally worked on, should be grassed over," Smith said

The head of the company that owns the Tex-Park site said Friday that the site is not vacant, and is being used as a parking lot.

"(Greening) is a very nice thing to do for the properties that are not being used for any purpose . . . but this one is already being used for parking," said Navid Saberi of United Gulf Developments Ltd.

Construction on the site is still a couple of years away, he said.

United Gulf Developments had to move on to other projects because of the length of time it took to get the go-ahead for the downtown development, he said.

"We battled that for five years, and that was brutal and that was very costly," Saberi said.

"We did not know when that property would be ready for development so we had to make other plans. We started other projects, and when you start other projects you have to finish them."

Coun. Dawn Sloane (Halifax Downtown) could not be reached Friday.

Grassing over empty lots "is probably not a bad idea," said Paul MacKinnon, executive director of the Halifax Downtown Business Commission.

"I don’t know whether the city would be able to mandate green space but it certainly would be something that would be interesting to look into," he said Friday.

MacKinnon said there are a number of vacant lots in the downtown area, including one on Granville Street where the old Kelly’s building once stood. There are plans there for a second tower behind the TD Canada Trust tower, he said

Another lot on the corner of Granville and Salter streets, across from Mountain Equipment Co-op, has sat vacant for years, he said.

"That would be a great spot for a little park downtown. Now whether you could force the landlord to do that, I don’t know. In terms of some sort of landscaping requirement, I think that is entirely reasonable," he said.

There is about to be a "big hole" right in the middle of downtown where the former Chronicle Herald building stood, he said.

"Presumably, or hopefully, what is going to happen there is that it is going to quickly be turned into a construction site for a new convention centre. But if, in fact, the province or the city does not fund it, I think there is a great fear that maybe that property will sit for a long, long time as well," MacKinnon said

New development rules recently approved by Halifax Regional Municipality are expected to shorten the amount of time it takes to get new developments approved, he said.

( cmellor@herald.ca )

[spaustin]

It's not a bad idea. I would prefer though stricter rules regarding demolitions and parking lots so that we would hopefully end up with fewer lots like this in the first place. Sometimes a building is too far gone and needs to come down asap. The Kelly Building was in that situation. In other cases, however, demolition happens a tad early. There was absolutely no good reason to demolish Trinity Church. A big part of the problem is parking lots are so damned attractive. Cheap taxes, no infrastructure and guaranteed income. It's a no brainer for developers who are speculating. We need to change that. We could tax parking lots differently, but I would really like to see requirements that commercial parking lots be paved and landscaped. Paved parking with curbs and grass isn't really a great use for Downtown land and isn't going to win any beauty pageants, but it's way better than the muddy gravel lots that are currently allowed to exist (Trinity Church, TexPark, lot next to the Vic site on Hollis, HRM's own former Infirmary site property, etc). Requiring commercial parking lots be built to certain standards would make them less ugly and less financially attractive. Had there been rules like that, Trinity Church might still be standing, perhaps rented out to community groups, until the tower project for the site is actually ready to go forward.

[coolmillion]

I agree with you spaustin. In cases where demolition has occurred, an alternative to "grassing over" which, let's face it, doesn't serve much purpose, would be to encourage the temporary use of the space for a community garden. Especially downtown where backyard gardens are in short supply for condo and apartment peeps, growing space could be pretty desirable. This could be a stipulation of a development agreement - from the time agreement is being considered until construction begins, a portion of the site could be set aside for gardening. This would be very cheap too. The developer could put in raised beds and charge people 10 bucks per plot per year... or make free. EAC and other community groups would be all over this. It's been done in Vancouver for a while...

[Jonovision]

I actually really like that idea coolmillion. I think just grassing them over would be redundant and probably wouldn't look all that great. But if they were turned into little community gardens/gathering spots it would create usable green space that is always changing that could act as a centre for urban community life.

[haligonia]

[-Harlington-]

yeah, well pretty much anything will be good with me maybe make a temperary park or garden like coolmillion suggested because something has to be done with those ugly lots, parkings fine but there still ugly aha.

[Jstaleness]

From The Burnside News

Corporate Knights Magazine has unveiled its fourth-annual Corporate Knights Most Sustainable Cities in Canada list and Halifax has ranked second.

“We’re pleased to continue to rank in the top tier of medium-sized cities with Corporate Knights. Our municipality is committed to being a healthy, sustainable, vibrant community.

Over the last few years we have invested more than $7 million in energy efficiency projects. We continue to work towards a sustainable future for all citizens,” says Mayor Peter Kelly.

At more than 5,600 square kilometers, HRM is geographically one of the largest municipalities in Canada. Halifax was noted as having the best waste diversion levels, but this success was tempered by having the most sprawl, the lowest population density and the least green space of the considered set.

HRMbyDesign is a priority initiative that takes direct aim at these issues. “HRMbyDesign’s densification strategy and Neighbourhood Greenprint will ensure many more people will be living and working sustainably in our urbanized core,” says Andy Fillmore, HRM’s Urban Design Project Manager. “The recently adopted Downtown Plan will mean that a walkable, beautiful, mixed-use downtown in conjunction with a streamlined new development approval process will draw future growth downtown rather than to suburban and rural areas.”

Founded in 2002, Corporate Knights Inc. is an independent Canadian media company focused on promoting and reinforcing sustainable development in Canada. Its comprehensive ranking identifies Canadian cities whose practices leave the smallest environmental footprint possible and create a healthy, thriving population.

Cities are assessed based on five categories: Ecological Integrity; Economic Security; Governance and Empowerment; Infrastructure and Built Environment and Social Well-Being.