Bedford South Developments & Discussion Thread

Dmajackson · #1 Posted **May 20, 2008, 4:20 AM**

This is a huge project under construction in Bedford South/Mainland Halifax. One of the many companies behind it is Clayton Developments (see Russell Lake Retail thread) and once complete the expected population is upwards of 17'000 people. General plans for this community include connecting Southgate Drive (Bedford) to Larry Uteck Blvd (Halifax), connecting Larry Uteck to a new interchange at Highway 102, connecting Royale Hemlock with The Ravines and Papermill Lake. This includes 25% of it becoming green space, a lot of residential and some commercial (near interchange) for a total area of 207 acres.

The official website is: http://www.claytondev.com/ravines.html.
(the map only shows Clayton's responibility. There are multiple developers so no full map is available).

(Credit: Me) Larry Uteck Blvd from Eagle's Rock.

(Credit: Me) Ravines/Bedford South from Eagle's Rock.

I have spent hours if not days on end researching this project and i cannot find an official webiste or anything, not even a map. If anyone has information regarding this project it'll greatly be appreciated.

someone123 · #2 Posted **May 20, 2008, 4:37 AM**

The overall plan involves extending Larry Uteck Blvd up to the 102, as mentioned.

http://www.halifax.ca/council/agenda...dfordSouth.pdf has a (poor) map of the overall development. There are probably better examples on the HRM website.

Dmajackson · #3 Posted **May 20, 2008, 9:01 PM**

Thanks for the map. I turns out Starboard Drive (the main street off Larry Uteck) will curve around to become Nine Mile Drive (Oceanview/Paper Mill) and the land in the middle will be developed. Larry Uteck will become the retail and parkland road without many households.

Spitfire75 · #4 Posted **May 21, 2008, 12:53 AM**

I took the map from the Ravines website and overlayed it on Google Earth.
Took some adjusting but the roads line up perfect.

Go to this link and down the file for Google Earth and play with the transparency.

That's all I have time for right now, but I'd like to get the section between this overlay and the Royale Hemlocks filled with an image too.

Dmajackson · #5 Posted **May 21, 2008, 1:03 AM**

Vey nice It really helps show where the interchange will be located.

Dmajackson · #6 Posted **May 25, 2008, 1:30 AM**

I took a drive up in the Ravines today (no camera unfortunately). It becoming a very crowded neighbourhood. There's mere feet between houses here.

(Credit: http://www.sandyhines.com/bedspict.htm).

They have connected the Ravines Drive loop back to Southgate Drive. They are still finishing houses in Shagnessy (they're HUGE!!), Worthington Close, Rochdale Drive, Kingsbury Way, Thorndale Terrace and Haystead Ridge.

Keith P. · #7 Posted **May 25, 2008, 11:04 AM**

I just don't understand the attration of developments like this. All the houses look the same even down to color, they are all piled on top of each other, and everything depends on having a car. I could see that if the houses were cheap but they aren't. I guess I'm just not a "new suburbia" type of guy.

someone123 · #8 Posted **May 25, 2008, 9:43 PM**

I tend to agree. $400,000 houses and they don't put in sidewalks? There's also very little commercial development nearby, although that is supposed to be up the hill a bit in a future phase. I find it puzzling because it seems like these developments could be made much more pedestrian friendly with relatively little work. The density is already more or less there.

If you're going to live in a place like this you might as well live in Kingswood, I think. Otherwise, decent houses in the same price range can be found in the city.

Dmajackson · #9 Posted **May 26, 2008, 12:24 AM**

They have sidewalk part way up the hill but it ends very quickly. On good thing this neighbourhood has that most other Bedford neighbourhoods dont have is paths. In most of Beford there are few paths connecting roads in a realitively straight line. The Ravines has them everywhere. Thankfully i live in an older neighbourhood so the houses are unique and have space between them.

Dmajackson · #10 Posted **Aug 10, 2008, 12:55 AM**

The Ravines Condo Building

Shaugnessy Place McMansion

Thorndale Terrace

Southgate Drive

Southgate Drive Rowhouses

Another Condo Building on Southgate Drive

The corner of Southgate Dr. and Ravines Dr. The unfinished road will connect to Larry Uteck Blvd and the Bi-Hi.

Keith P. · #11 Posted **Aug 10, 2008, 10:15 AM**

Geez, those designs are terribly ordinary. The company that makes beige vinyl siding must be doing really well. That "most expensive house" is hideous.

I was in the newly built McMansion of someone for the first time yesterday and I have to say I don't get it. Why do people want to spend close to half a million dollars on 3500 sq ft houses that are made out of crap materials and thrown together with absolutely no quality of workmanship?

Dmajackson · #12 Posted **Aug 10, 2008, 12:17 PM**

I do agree that all the houses are way too similar for my liking but there are some nice aspects to this neighbourhood;

1) There are quite a few parks around (25% of the neighbourhood).
2) They were smart and provived many trails and walkways.
3) They funded the repair of the Old Coach Road all through their property.

Keith P. · #13 Posted **Aug 10, 2008, 12:56 PM**

All well and good, and I cannot argue with them if they are getting what they are asking for these places. The question I ask is why do people buy them? The Southgate shot looks exactly like my friend's street, and what you have are oversized faux-Georgian designs shoehorned onto lots that would normally only have supported a house half that footprint size, so you have no yard and no privacy. They are made of chipboard and green wood, clad in wavy vinyl siding and faux-stone, and finished inside with laminate and drywall. In 20 years they will be crap. I don't get it.

hfx_chris · #14 Posted **Aug 10, 2008, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

In 20 years they will be crap. I don't get it.

They already are. That shot looking down the street with the finished houses looks like any other new subdivision development in HRM. Very drab.

Dmajackson · #15 Posted **Aug 11, 2008, 4:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

They already are. That shot looking down the street with the finished houses looks like any other new subdivision development in HRM. Very drab.

Unfortunately this is what happens in Bedford a lot. A couple of our older neighbourhoods are unique and beautiful but once you get up the hill and away from the water everything looks the same. We don't care what it looks like, all we want is more people.

Just wait until Bedford West is developed. It is a huge peice of land with no waterfront to beautify, is hidden by the Bi-Hi and will look like the rest of up-hill Bedford.

hfx_chris · #16 Posted **Aug 11, 2008, 2:22 PM**

I don't understand why, when they build these houses, they can't vary the styles, the architectural features, or even just the colours. Notice in those developments all you see are brown and beige? Why are there no green houses, no yellow houses, no blue houses or even a white house? I know one thing is for sure, if I was building my own house some day (not moving into one of these cookie cutter neighborhoods) it would not be brown or beige. It would be colourful, because that adds something to a neighborhood.

Dmajackson · #17 Posted **Sep 28, 2008, 7:51 PM**

Clayton Developments has requested for allowing the rest of this neighbourhood to be built.

Case numbers are 01159 and 01194

Its about 290 acres for the Ravines part. The Hemlock side still has to be finished so they wont be connected for awhile yet.

Spitfire75 · #18 Posted **Sep 28, 2008, 9:48 PM**

You mean they didn't have all that already approved?

Dmajackson · #19 Posted **Sep 28, 2008, 10:19 PM**

apparently not. Bedford South is broken into different sections and apparently they only negotiated the development agreement for part of it. There are three parcels still not under an agreement (two of which are in this request, and one is part of the Hemlock part probably).

worldlyhaligonian · #20 Posted **Oct 2, 2008, 7:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Geez, those designs are terribly ordinary. The company that makes beige vinyl siding must be doing really well. That "most expensive house" is hideous.

I was in the newly built McMansion of someone for the first time yesterday and I have to say I don't get it. Why do people want to spend close to half a million dollars on 3500 sq ft houses that are made out of crap materials and thrown together with absolutely no quality of workmanship?

Yeah, seriously. There is definitely a lack of taste overall. That turret is rediculous, I would have opted-out on that part of the design for some shingles in place of the vinyl siding. I wonder what these people think of their house. I could find alot better ways to spend $500,000, especially considering that this is an off-peninsula location.