Bedford West Developments & Discussion Thread

[dgmacneil]

There's also a rendering of the proposed development erected at the site now. I have a picture on my phone, but can't seem to be able to post it here.

[Dmajackson]

According to a development permit Tako Loko is opening a new location at 12 ELLA LANE (Larry Uteck Plaza).

[Dmajackson]

Building permit submitted for 75 BROOKLINE DRIVE for a 10-storey / 154 unit building. This would be near the southern roundabout immediately next to The Brookline (civic 49).

[Dmajackson]

Blasting permit issued for a vacant multi-unit lot on Broad Street that backs onto Samaa Court.

Also 75 Brookline Drive will be home to 3X11 Floors apartment buildings.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

The proposed DA for Sub-Area 10 at the old quarry has been updated.

- Four 12-storey, one 6-storey, and two 4-storey buildings with an option to build another mid-rise.

Also the TIS mentions that two requests by HRM should be integrated;

- A new Kearney Lake Road crosswalk at the bus stops or Hamshaw Drive. There are separate plans for a new beach parking lot near Hamshaw.

- Space set aside for a future BRT stop along KLR. The purple line is planned to service this area up to Larry Uteck West.

There are excavators on site starting prep work for the old quarry redevelopment (Clayton Development's project). No sign of work at Universal Properties' site. Both were approved by the province.

[Dmajackson]

The site plan for the West Bedford Sobeys retail plaza is going through the development agreement process. There will be a Sobeys with an attached unit (building elevation looks a lot like Timberlea Dollarama), a stand-alone drive thru (fast-food or bank), and a small multi-unit retail building.

PLANAPP-2023-01356 Details

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

The site plan for the West Bedford Sobeys retail plaza is going through the development agreement process. There will be a Sobeys with an attached unit (building elevation looks a lot like Timberlea Dollarama), a stand-alone drive thru (fast-food or bank), and a small multi-unit retail building.

PLANAPP-2023-01356 Details

I find this one interesting. Since Broad Street meets Larry Uteck twice I had to look up the PID number (41400292) to confirm that this is the more westerly intersection (closest to Hammond Plains Road). That puts it just over three kilometres from the existing Bedford South Sobeys; under three to the Larry Uteck Loblaws. By contrast, north Dartmouth remains relatively underserved. It's about five kilometres from Harbour Isles/Wrights Cove to any major supermarket, the same for the Parks of Port Wallace development, and almost six km to the Dartmouth Crossing residential development.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

I find this one interesting. Since Broad Street meets Larry Uteck twice I had to look up the PID number (41400292) to confirm that this is the more westerly intersection (closest to Hammond Plains Road). That puts it just over three kilometres from the existing Bedford South Sobeys; under three to the Larry Uteck Loblaws. By contrast, north Dartmouth remains relatively underserved. It's about five kilometres from Harbour Isles/Wrights Cove to any major supermarket, the same for the Parks of Port Wallace development, and almost six km to the Dartmouth Crossing residential development.

Port Wallace will certainly get a supermarket in future phases, most likely along Avenue du Portage.

Dartmouth Crossing already has two supermarkets, Costco and Walmart. I use the latter for most of my groceries and I don't even live in Dartmouth.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Port Wallace will certainly get a supermarket in future phases, most likely along Avenue du Portage.

Dartmouth Crossing already has two supermarkets, Costco and Walmart. I use the latter for most of my groceries and I don't even live in Dartmouth.

I've been a Price Club/Costco member for 34 years and sometimes buy food there but have never considered it -- or Wal-Mart -- a substitute for a "supermarket."

[miniborder]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

The site plan for the West Bedford Sobeys retail plaza is going through the development agreement process. There will be a Sobeys with an attached unit (building elevation looks a lot like Timberlea Dollarama), a stand-alone drive thru (fast-food or bank), and a small multi-unit retail building.

PLANAPP-2023-01356 Details

Good to see (future) Highway 113 penciled in there.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by miniborder

Good to see (future) Highway 113 penciled in there.

Yes! Roughly, on Google maps it appears there is still room for a 113 ROW, so I remain hopeful.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Yes! Roughly, on Google maps it appears there is still room for a 113 ROW, so I remain hopeful.

There is a ROW owned by the province that stretches the entire length of the proposed highway. It may not be built right away but the corridor is reserved.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

There is a ROW owned by the province that stretches the entire length of the proposed highway. It may not be built right away but the corridor is reserved.

Excellent!!

[Anderba]

I wouldn't hold my breath. It's an incredibly slim chance that 113 will ever be built: that is not the best solution for traffic flow, the associated cost, the wildlife devastation and, most importantly, the price of the land in it's current state and how much would be worth to be used/sold as development land (the West Bedford portion).
The existing Hammonds Plains Road needs to be developed to support the traffic - and the community; if planned right, it would greatly contribute to the overall development of the HP area.
Additionally, there is no motion nor appetite for starting this project; I'd estimate even if the project was to start this year, it would need a decade to be completed.

[Keith P.]

If it took a decade for the 113 to be completed, DPW would have had to put a rush on it.

If it “isn’t the best solution for traffic flow”, I’m at a loss to think of what would be. All I know is that continuing with the status quo is completely unacceptable given the growing in that area. Keeping heads in the sand is not a viable alternative.

[ArchAficionado]

I think they'd better get cracking. Part of having traffic not accumulate is having an efficient network of routes for people to get to where they're going. This highway would also stimulate further growth/appeal in this fast growing West Bedford area.

I think another missing link that would make a great difference would be upgrading the 102 -> Mackay Bridge gongshow to actually be a continuous highway. This would have a profound impact on the current traffic bottlenecks on Joe Howe / Bedford Highway / Windsor St. The interchange upgrade will make a big difference but having a continuously flowing artery all the way from point A to point B is what really needs to happen.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I'm not sure how Hammonds Plains Road could be developed to handle the current traffic and future-proof it for further increasing population. The speed limits were recently reduced ~10-20 km/h, depending upon the area, likely because of the transition to more residential over the past couple of decades.

Doubling lanes doesn't take the thru-traffic away from the road, would likely cause people to drive faster through what is now largely a residential area, requiring more traffic enforcement. It would also make it more difficult to get onto HPR from side roads, driveways, and businesses, especially if you are turning left (which is a safety issue).

More buses, bicycle lanes, or even (gasp) commuter rail might help some (though the bike lanes would only take a few cars off the road if judged by bike traffic in other suburban areas), but it still wouldn't alleviate the traffic cutting through from the Bedford Highway (and 102) to get to the 103 without driving all the way to Bayers Lake.

What would you do to equal the benefits that the 113 would provide?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by ArchAficionado

I think another missing link that would make a great difference would be upgrading the 102 -> Mackay Bridge gongshow to actually be a continuous highway. This would have a profound impact on the current traffic bottlenecks on Joe Howe / Bedford Highway / Windsor St. The interchange upgrade will make a big difference but having a continuously flowing artery all the way from point A to point B is what really needs to happen.

As I never fail to mention, the late Erik Nielsen, after he retired from politics and moved here to work at Dalhousie for the last few years of his life, proposed a solution for this very thing that got some brief mention in the press at the time and then disappeared from sight. I have never been able to find it online but will seek it out occasionally without success.

IIRC, he proposed a flyover for the existing Windsor St exchange traffic lights and part of Fairview Lawn Cemetery to land on the west side of the railway cut. At the time there was enough open land behind Superstore and Bayers Road Shopping Centre along that side of the railway cut to construct at least 4 traffic lanes there if not more. When it approached Bayers Rd it again became elevated to meet the existing elevated parts of the 102, to give uninterrupted access for to/from 102 traffic to the bridge. Naturally, nobody in a position to do anything took it seriously, but I thought it made lots of sense. If you look at maps of NYC, there are many old cemetery properties that have elevated highways crossing them, so that factor should not have been an issue.