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  #1  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2014, 6:00 PM
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[Halifax] Parkland at the Common (6009 Quinpool) | 78 m | 25 fl | U/C

Proposal by APL Properties Ltd to redevelop the office tower at the corner of Robie, Quinpool, and Windsor Streets into a two tower development with a common podium. The 11-storey building will face Windsor Street and the 22-storey building will face the Willow Tree intersection. The proposal will consist of 165 residential units, 11'500 sq ft of commercial space on two floors, and 166 parking spaces (160 below ground, 6 at-grade).

Initiation Report - Case 18966
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  #2  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2014, 6:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Dmajackson View Post
Proposal by APL Properties Ltd to redevelop the office tower at the corner of Robie, Quinpool, and Windsor Streets into a two tower development with a common podium. The 11-storey building will face Windsor Street and the 22-storey building will face the Willow Tree intersection. The proposal will consist of 165 residential units, 11'500 sq ft of commercial space on two floors, and 166 parking spaces (160 below ground, 6 at-grade).

Initiation Report - Case 18966
A friend mentioned to me the other day just how awful that 6009 Quinpool building and parking garage are, and how awesome it would be to see them redeveloped.

Only problem I have is that the design, while miles better than what's there now, is pretty bland. Especially that podium.

Last edited by Drybrain; Jun 6, 2014 at 6:39 PM.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jun 7, 2014, 3:23 AM
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That, if I remember was one of the first High-rise office buildings in Halifax and was quite something for the time...It used to be the BP then Gulf Oil building, I believe.
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  #4  
Old Posted Jun 7, 2014, 7:04 PM
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That, if I remember was one of the first High-rise office buildings in Halifax and was quite something for the time...It used to be the BP then Gulf Oil building, I believe.
B/A - the predecessor to Gulf in Canada. The British-American Oil Company.

http://www.britishamericanoil.ca/history.html
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  #5  
Old Posted Jun 7, 2014, 11:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Dmajackson View Post
Proposal by APL Properties Ltd to redevelop the office tower at the corner of Robie, Quinpool, and Windsor Streets into a two tower development with a common podium. The 11-storey building will face Windsor Street and the 22-storey building will face the Willow Tree intersection. The proposal will consist of 165 residential units, 11'500 sq ft of commercial space on two floors, and 166 parking spaces (160 below ground, 6 at-grade).

Initiation Report - Case 18966
Looking through the document, the only thing I dislike is the fact they don't have the basic renderings complete in full colour, and the majority of the cladding of the building states "brick veneer"... uuuuuuugh
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  #6  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2014, 4:46 AM
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The Quinpool Road Business Association supports this proposal. The stated reasons are for improving the iconic corner and increasing foot traffic.

Also just to clarify APL Properties is just another name for Armco Communities. So yes, the home builders responible for building much of suburban Halifax are looking to build high density brown-field projects.
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  #7  
Old Posted Jun 10, 2014, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Dmajackson View Post
The Quinpool Road Business Association supports this proposal. The stated reasons are for improving the iconic corner and increasing foot traffic.

Also just to clarify APL Properties is just another name for Armco Communities. So yes, the home builders responible for building much of suburban Halifax are looking to build high density brown-field projects.
Maybe this is their way of "giving back" to us density and urban supporters
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  #8  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 3:09 AM
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Details page is up;

Case 18966 Details

NOTE: Both proposals have to come up with amended proposals that address the staff concerns relating to building height, shadows, density, and tower spacing before they can move onto public consultation.
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  #9  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 1:03 PM
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Maybe this is their way of "giving back" to us density and urban supporters
I actually think this is a pivot based on market demand.

I've heard that some suburban developers are losing their shirts on some of these exurban/suburban developments; they're just not selling.

But there is a strong demand for reasonably priced downtown condos/apartments/housing, etc.

Homebuilders like this prefer the suburbs normally; cheaper, faster, less red-tape, quick turnaround, faster profits.
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  #10  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2014, 5:53 PM
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In what might be the first for development in Halifax the applicant was asked to revise their proposal and what they returned with was taller than the original! Armco is now proposing a 28 & 12 storey development. The proposed buildings are skinnier than the originals, have 201 units total, and an overall density of 592 ppl/acre!

Revised Site Plans

An online survey will be posted soon to get feedback on proposed policy changes and a public open house will be held on October 1st @ Maritime Hall (Halifax Forum).
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  #11  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2014, 6:22 PM
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I think that proposal looks quite good, actually. Just the thing to spiff up that corner as the current building/parking garage is somewhat of an eyesore IMHO.
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  #12  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2014, 6:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Dmajackson View Post
In what might be the first for development in Halifax the applicant was asked to revise their proposal and what they returned with was taller than the original! Armco is now proposing a 28 & 12 storey development. The proposed buildings are skinnier than the originals, have 201 units total, and an overall density of 592 ppl/acre!
Well, not terrible, not great. Vastly better than what's there now anyway, and a bit better than the first rendering (taller + slimmer is automatically better for something like these).

A bit disappointed that with this, and the eight-storey job and Quinpool/Vernon, we're only getting serviceable buildings, not great architecture that can really kick off the gateway to Quinpool. But I'm always wanting the best, and so often disappointed...
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  #13  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2014, 9:22 PM
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Well, not terrible, not great. Vastly better than what's there now anyway, and a bit better than the first rendering (taller + slimmer is automatically better for something like these).
It doesn't look any slimmer. All they did from the previous is add six storeys. They have essentially said "We're going to address your shadow concerns by casting longer, but not narrower shadows."

Build the sucker, anyway. There will need to be bus shelter upgrades and a better system overall to mitigate increased traffic concerns.
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  #14  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2014, 12:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmajackson View Post
In what might be the first for development in Halifax the applicant was asked to revise their proposal and what they returned with was taller than the original! Armco is now proposing a 28 & 12 storey development. The proposed buildings are skinnier than the originals, have 201 units total, and an overall density of 592 ppl/acre!

Revised Site Plans

An online survey will be posted soon to get feedback on proposed policy changes and a public open house will be held on October 1st @ Maritime Hall (Halifax Forum).
It doesn't get any more boring than this. I think they need a new architect. This is a very significant corner and gateway. You will see this development from many vantage points and the developer clearly isn't thinking if they really try to float this. The need to look at Maple, Roy, King's Wharf etc. for a bit of inspiration.
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  #15  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2014, 12:58 PM
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It doesn't get any more boring than this. I think they need a new architect. This is a very significant corner and gateway. You will see this development from many vantage points and the developer clearly isn't thinking if they really try to float this. The need to look at Maple, Roy, King's Wharf etc. for a bit of inspiration.
Perhaps something elliptical with more glass? The Martello comes to mind.
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  #16  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2014, 1:23 PM
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Perhaps something elliptical with more glass? The Martello comes to mind.
Yuck. I find that building really ugly looking, that washed out purple colour is awful
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  #17  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2014, 6:22 PM
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Has Kassner Goodspeed ever done anything interesting or good?
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  #18  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2014, 6:45 AM
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I think that the renderings look pretty solid...

I also think that this is a safe choice; I feel that the buildings are going to look great no matter what but it isn't anything mind-blowing or a super unique style. Kind of like Vancouver's glass towers, they are pretty bland but there's lots of them and they make the city look nice as a whole.

And considering that there are NIMBYs by the boatload to deal with when it comes to anything over 20 floors (or God forbid, 30 floors), I think that this is definitely a step in the right direction for Halifax.
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  #19  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2014, 8:04 PM
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Originally Posted by scryer View Post
Kind of like Vancouver's glass towers, they are pretty bland but there's lots of them and they make the city look nice as a whole.
It's interesting to note that, while people tend to want stand-out buildings, many attractive cities are made up mostly of more modest buildings that follow local design conventions. Paris looks very nice but most of the apartment buildings in the older part of the city look similar. New York is like this too; Manhattan has tons of standard looking 10, 20, or 30 storey brick buildings. They're not all Chrysler Buildings and Eiffel Towers.

In Halifax terms I think we should expect a lot of solid but not earth-shatteringly novel residential buildings. When dozens and dozens of them are being built I don't think it's even desirable for them all to be dramatically different or attention grabbing. Some of the design trends in town (e.g. brightly coloured glass accent panels on the facade or balconies) are working out nicely and it seems like the overall quality and densities are going up over time.
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  #20  
Old Posted Sep 22, 2014, 4:52 PM
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Here is a survey the city has launched for the developments.

http://fluidsurveys.com/s/LandUsePolicySurvey/
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