[Halifax] The Marlstone (1871 Albemarle) | 19 FL | U/C - Page 5

someone123 · #81 Posted **Jan 11, 2022, 5:30 PM**

Looks like 20 floors to me, not 18. The design is okay but the ground floor seems weak. It seems like it would be better to have a strong corner presence on Duke in particular. Either way, some more residential density for the area.

With the current developments happening and the interchange lands there might eventually be a considerable population around here. And both Gottingen and Barrington will be their "local" commercial streets.

teddifax · #82 Posted **Jan 11, 2022, 5:59 PM**

Would love to see any proposal for CP West, the former Canadian Tire lands.... Maybe they will be building a high rise, with a Sobeys/Lawtons under to maximize the land and also build more housing in the former Sobeys area.... that is a lot of wasted space.

Saul Goode · #83 Posted **Jan 11, 2022, 6:08 PM**

It appears they've reversed the layout. In the original renderings the highrise section was on the corner of Duke, next to Duke Tower. Now it's on the northern end of the site, next to the parkade on Albemarle. Not sure why they'd do that - maybe to give more units harbor views?

Jonovision · #84 Posted **Jan 12, 2022, 9:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

It appears they've reversed the layout. In the original renderings the highrise section was on the corner of Duke, next to Duke Tower. Now it's on the northern end of the site, next to the parkade on Albemarle. Not sure why they'd do that - maybe to give more units harbor views?

I'm guessing it is in response to comments from staff and potential the DRC (can't remember if it ever got that far or not). There was concern about the proximity of the new tower to Duke tower. I don't know if this would be a ton better but the building itself looks nice.
Agreed about the ground floor though. That needs quite a bit of work.

Keith P. · #85 Posted **Jan 12, 2022, 12:05 PM**

The perspective in the Westhill rendering is totally fake. It makes the sidewalk on the west side of Albemarle look 25 feet wide. In reality this part of the street will be a dark wind tunnel.

eastcoastal · #86 Posted **Jan 12, 2022, 1:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The perspective in the Westhill rendering is totally fake. It makes the sidewalk on the west side of Albemarle look 25 feet wide. In reality this part of the street will be a dark wind tunnel.

LOL - yeah... looks like the edge of a nice broad, flat, plaza.

OldDartmouthMark · #87 Posted **Jan 12, 2022, 4:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The perspective in the Westhill rendering is totally fake. It makes the sidewalk on the west side of Albemarle look 25 feet wide. In reality this part of the street will be a dark wind tunnel.

So true.

Here's a link to the actual perspective from google. Where did the beautiful urban plaza go?

https://goo.gl/maps/zwh3pfpLcxa77iVG8

Renderings... the sales brochures of the development community...

Saul Goode · #88 Posted **Jan 12, 2022, 5:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonovision

There was concern about the proximity of the new tower to Duke tower.

Huh. Why would that even be a concern to them (other than that it would obscure the Scotiabank logo on the western end of the Duke Tower, he asked snarkily)?

Jonovision · #89 Posted **Jan 13, 2022, 9:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Huh. Why would that even be a concern to them (other than that it would obscure the Scotiabank logo on the western end of the Duke Tower, he asked snarkily)?

There are bylaws with respect to tower separation.

Saul Goode · #90 Posted **Jan 13, 2022, 12:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonovision

There are bylaws with respect to tower separation.

Surely a bylaw violation would have been caught before that stage. And it certainly doesn't appear they would've been any closer together than, say, the CIBC and TD Bank buildings.

Jonovision · #91 Posted **Jan 14, 2022, 10:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saul Goode

Surely a bylaw violation would have been caught before that stage. And it certainly doesn't appear they would've been any closer together than, say, the CIBC and TD Bank buildings.

From my understanding there is surprisingly little discussion between staff and a developer before they submit documents. And in this case I think they were asking for a variance to allow the small tower spacing.
The old bank towers are very close but under the newer bylaws that would no longer be allowed. Especially for for residential towers.

terrynorthend · #92 Posted **Jan 15, 2022, 4:46 PM**

It's hard to tell from that rendering how close it comes to the office tower. Google maps shows a good 200 feet from Abermarle street edge to the Scotiabank tower, so there could be a 50 foot separation and still leave plenty of room for Westhill.

Jonovision · #93 Posted **Jan 16, 2022, 8:48 AM**

Don't quote me on it but I think the bylaws require a minimum 15m distance between towers.

Wannabe Economist · #94 Posted **Aug 12, 2022, 12:38 PM**

This development, originally scheduled to start this fall, has now been pushed out to at least 2023.

someone123 · #95 Posted **Aug 12, 2022, 7:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wannabe Economist

This development, originally scheduled to start this fall, has now been pushed out to at least 2023.

I wonder what will happen with construction in the coming years. There has been a lot of economic turmoil lately but then again there's a lot of demand for housing. There has been a sea change in demand for urban living.

While there has been a lot of construction in the city I think there is still a long way to go and projects like Westhill are needed to get a good density of buildings around that area. The worst stretch is around Skye/Ralston/Salter where, sadly, little progress has happened so far.

Imagine how much more interesting Westhill on Duke would be if 120 m were allowed on that site.

mleblanc · #96 Posted **Aug 12, 2022, 10:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Imagine how much more interesting Westhill on Duke would be if 120 m were allowed on that site.

Seeing the main tower rise at Richmond Yards has spoiled all this stubby development in Halifax for me. Imagine how different the city would look if the recent developments (Roy, Alexander, Maple, Curve, etc) were 30+ storeys, and this goes for Westhill too. They could fit two slim towers on that site, you could even fit another on top of the parkade next door.

It's obviously commercially viable. Apartments are being rented for $3000+ now.

Colin May · #97 Posted **Aug 14, 2022, 1:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mleblanc

Seeing the main tower rise at Richmond Yards has spoiled all this stubby development in Halifax for me. Imagine how different the city would look if the recent developments (Roy, Alexander, Maple, Curve, etc) were 30+ storeys, and this goes for Westhill too. They could fit two slim towers on that site, you could even fit another on top of the parkade next door.

It's obviously commercially viable. Apartments are being rented for $3000+ now.

Three,or four, or more foreign students would find the money for such an apartment. I see a lot of young Indian men doing food deliveries and I saw one training with the school bus provider. I also noticed the increase in them in our neighbourhood. In my experience they are hard workers.

NorthernGreg · #98 Posted **Apr 20, 2023, 3:01 AM**

any word on when this one may get off of the ground? I think we're past early 2023 now

kph06 · #99 Posted **May 11, 2023, 7:09 PM**

This will now be called "The Marlstone".

Crombie Reit
Marlstone Site

Drybrain · #**100** Posted **May 11, 2023, 7:56 PM**

Still pretty blah street presence on Albemarle--way too much blank wall (though obviously a million times better than the present situation) but overall I like this design a little more. It's not a standout but it's clean, simple, unfussy, and coherent with the mid-century aesthetic of the surrounding buildings and Scotia Square.