[Wishblade]

Looks like SGR is getting a makeover next spring.

Spring Garden to get major makeover

Planners envision greener, more pedestrian-friendly street


Enjoy your quiet summer stroll down Spring Garden Road while you can, because this time next year, downtown Halifax’s busiest shopping district will be undergoing a massive reconstruction.

The sidewalks will be torn up, the power lines will be moved underground and the street will probably be narrowed. City planners hope it will all end up making Spring Garden Road more enjoyable for pedestrian shopping.

"We want to alert everyone that there are changes. You owe it to yourselves to get familiar with it," manager Bernard Smith of the Spring Garden Area Business Association told 50 or so business owners at the group’s annual general meeting Tuesday night at the Lord Nelson Hotel.

Barry Yanchyshyn, a landscape architect for Halifax Regional Municipality, told the meeting that the street renewal project will cost about $3 million and is to be carried out from May to September.

When construction is finished, he said, there will be more sidewalk space and cafes, better lighting, more trees and hopefully less traffic and parking.

"You’ve got to get transit to the place, you’ve got to get taxis to the place, you got to have handicapped parking stalls," Mr. Yanchyshyn said. "I question whether you need on-street parking."

Mr. Yanchyshyn said the streetscape will be designed as a comfortable place to walk and shop but through traffic will be discouraged. Every detail will be designed to accommodate pedestrians. The sidewalks will even be textured so blind people can recognize intersections and business entrances with a few cane taps.

Andy Fillmore, the city’s urban design project manager, also told business owners what changes are in store after the HRM by Design planning strategy comes into effect.

He said all ground-level development on Spring Garden Road will be reserved for retail or service providers. Buildings fronting on the street will have a height limit of just under 17 metres at the street. The buildings can go higher but the height over 17 metres must be pushed back from the street by about three metres.

"It ensures sunlight still reaches the sidewalks," Mr. Fillmore said.

"(HRM by Design) identifies Spring Garden Road as its own special precinct with its own set of objectives.

"To draw people, you have to provide that high-quality pedestrian environment that we’ll bring them. They’re not going to come to a service strip."

Coun. Dawn Sloane (Halifax Downtown) said she liked what she saw at the meeting, although she hopes construction can begin sooner to avoid the tourist season as much as possible. She said March would be ideal.

"I don’t want them to lose their customers to a big-box store," Ms. Sloane said.

There will be some public input into the Spring Garden Road improvements, but not as much as with other projects like HRM by Design.

The Spring Garden project is expected to go before council for approval early in the new year.

Ms. Sloane said the $3-million price tag, to be paid with tax dollars, is justified.

She said Spring Garden Road is a draw for people visiting the city. And with gas prices skyrocketing, she expects more people from outside the peninsula will move downtown, and Spring Garden plays an important role in the downtown lifestyle.

"This is our urban centre, this is our main walk," she said. "This is what people see, this is our flagship."

[Keith P.]

If they are going to discourage through traffic then they better offer an alternative. It acts as the southern terminus for Barrington St traffic that needs to turn west and is also a major transit route. I also wonder why the majority of this work needs to be done from May to September. SGR seems to work pretty well right now and I hope HRM's interference doesn't screw it up.

[hfx_chris]

This sounds excellent to me. While SGR does technically "work" - a sprucing up would do wonders. Adding a few new benches and planter boxes, while a quick fix in the interim, is not a solution. Burying the power lines and widening the sidewalks will go a long way to making this street not only more pedestrian friendly, but more attractive for shopping, which is what SGR primarily is.

It was mentioned in the article they would still accomodate transit, taxis and wheelchair/accessible parking... just try and discourage so much through traffic, because it does get congested on that road which can be a bit of a turnoff to shoppers, I would imagine. It's a turnoff to me, any time I've done any window shopping on that road.
They'll probably try and encourage people to either take Morris and University, or Sackville and Bell Road. South Street could also handle the traffic very well, but it's a bit farther south and less convenient.

[sdm]

"She said Spring Garden Road is a draw for people visiting the city. And with gas prices skyrocketing, she expects more people from outside the peninsula will move downtown, and Spring Garden plays an important role in the downtown lifestyle."

How funny this statement is, considering she has been an anti development advocate on anything new, let alone the fact that the peninsula is very costly to move onto now.

[sdm]

This sounds excellent to me. While SGR does technically "work" - a sprucing up would do wonders. Adding a few new benches and planter boxes, while a quick fix in the interim, is not a solution. Burying the power lines and widening the sidewalks will go a long way to making this street not only more pedestrian friendly, but more attractive for shopping, which is what SGR primarily is.

It was mentioned in the article they would still accomodate transit, taxis and wheelchair/accessible parking... just try and discourage so much through traffic, because it does get congested on that road which can be a bit of a turnoff to shoppers, I would imagine. It's a turnoff to me, any time I've done any window shopping on that road.
They'll probably try and encourage people to either take Morris and University, or Sackville and Bell Road. South Street could also handle the traffic very well, but it's a bit farther south and less convenient.

South street could never deal with the traffic, its bad now.

[hfx_chris]

Is it? Every time I've been on it at peak times I seem to get through relatively quicker. Quicker than queuing at the lights on Bell Road at the Willow Tree...

[someone123]

To some degree traffic can add to the perception of activity on a street and therefore make it seem more attractive to shoppers. It's good that they're just vaguely talking about "discouraging" traffic rather than banning it, and transit of course is essential for that street.

The sidewalks really do need to be expanded and on-street parking makes relatively little sense on that street. As for on-street parking, it should go, but is it even currently legal along the main stretch? They don't say exactly which part of Spring Garden they'll be renovating.

Anyway, overall clearly some maintenance on the street is needed and this is good news. I do think, however, that it would be better if they could do much of the renovation work outside of the peak May-Sep season. Also, I hope they announce a similar plan for Barrington soon that involved heritage restoration incentives.

[Dmajackson]

This is great project! :D

Every part of this project sounds great. I only hope they consider cyclists in this project as well.

I think most of the drivers will use University Ave.

Trillium and Spring Garden Revitalization Time!! :D

[Jonovision]

I think this is great news. Getting rid of the power lines is a huge thing. It would add so much to the street. And widening the sidewalks will make it much more pleasant. I wonder how far down Spring they will go? I'm assuming it will be the area between South Park and Queen, but I would hope they would come right down to Barrington. I'm also assuming they will be putting in the natural gas lines too as they seem to have finally reached that end of town.

[Spitfire75]

This sounds amazing. It'll make SGR even more attractive.

[sdm]

To some degree traffic can add to the perception of activity on a street and therefore make it seem more attractive to shoppers. It's good that they're just vaguely talking about "discouraging" traffic rather than banning it, and transit of course is essential for that street.

The sidewalks really do need to be expanded and on-street parking makes relatively little sense on that street. As for on-street parking, it should go, but is it even currently legal along the main stretch? They don't say exactly which part of Spring Garden they'll be renovating.

Anyway, overall clearly some maintenance on the street is needed and this is good news. I do think, however, that it would be better if they could do much of the renovation work outside of the peak May-Sep season. Also, I hope they announce a similar plan for Barrington soon that involved heritage restoration incentives.


To me the money would be better spent on Barrington street first, then SGR. SGR works now, barrington is a dead. Doing SGR first i believe will further degrade Barrington street to a point there will be little to no hope for it.

[hoser111]

I think this is great news. Getting rid of the power lines is a huge thing. It would add so much to the street. And widening the sidewalks will make it much more pleasant. I wonder how far down Spring they will go? I'm assuming it will be the area between South Park and Queen, but I would hope they would come right down to Barrington. I'm also assuming they will be putting in the natural gas lines too as they seem to have finally reached that end of town.

No...they'll wait until the SGR renovations are complete and then tear up the street to put the gas lines in!

[SEPTATank]

It sounds good to me, but two things jumped out as suspicious (in addition to the gas lines not mentioned in the article). First, how much of SGR are they going to do. $3 million isn't that much money these days. Burying power lines ain't cheap either. Second, why place height restrictions on the north side of the street if sunlight is your only concern. The last time I checked Halifax was still in the Northern Hemisphere, so should the sun still be in the southern sky.

[reddog794]

Sloane said it was our flagship... isn't Barrington in her district? Isn't that our "Main Road"? When will that buffoon finally get voted out, and somebody with at least a 1/4 of a brain rep our main engine?

Hopefully this is the first step in turning SPR into our "Oxford". Buses, and Taxis, nothing else... <sigh>

[Spitfire75]

I hope burying the power lines here will lead to more areas in the city doing it as well. Even just that alone will make such a huge difference.

[hfx_chris]

Absolutely, this announcement could have been just about burying the lines, and I still would be ecstatic.

[Dmajackson]

THIS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble) might be an idea that can be incorporated into the SGR redevelopment.

Basically it is a "scramble" of pedestrians crossing an intersection with all traffic stopped. They are given something like 30 seconds to cross the intersection in any direction. They've introduced these intersections in the U.S., Vancouver and Toronto (just to name a few).

SGR is already a pedestrian controlled road and this idea would further attract more people to walk there while dettering traffic. Since they are planning to tear up the road it would be easy to install, and it would go along with the "green" idea for the revamp. I'm not saying install at all the intersections along the road, only a two or three intersections (South Park, Dresdon and maybe Queen). I can say from personal experience that if this idea was to work anywheres in HRM, SGR would be the best testing street.

[Keith P.]

THIS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble) might be an idea that can be incorporated into the SGR redevelopment.

Basically it is a "scramble" of pedestrians crossing an intersection with all traffic stopped. They are given something like 30 seconds to cross the intersection in any direction. They've introduced these intersections in the U.S., Vancouver and Toronto (just to name a few).


This is what already happens on SGR, especially at Queen, even though the signals do not accommodate that. :stunned:

[hfx_chris]

I've wanted to see them put in a pedestrian scramble at SGR and Barrington for years... you'll be lucky if you can get one or two vehicles through that intersection during busy pedestrian times...

[Dmajackson]

THey're having an open house for this on Spet. 17 from 6pm-9pm at the Lord Nelson.

HERE (http://halifax.ca/sgrstreetscape/SpringGardenRoadStreetscapeProjectnewsletter1.html) is some information available.

[someone123]

One thing I notice is that on the map in the newsletter they show that part of South Park will be included, but only halfway down the block between SGR and Brenton Pl. Given the Trillium development this doesn't make sense.

The map also says "Dresden Road".

There are obviously tons of simple improvements that can be made - bury the lines, re-pave the street, widen the sidewalks, add new lighting and street furniture.

Beyond all this I'd like to see a future plan to expand the area a bit. Dresden Row should also be improved. South Park to South St and SGR between South Park and Robie could be developed somewhat so that they're more along the lines of what already exists along the main stretch of retail. Both Dresden Row and South Park have already on their own developed somewhat more without involvement of the city, and there's room for another building on the Clyde Street lot. That could accommodate a significant retail tenant.

[sdm]

Spring Garden: Upgrade or ‘die’
Malls winning retail fight, architect warns
By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter
Thu. Sep 18 - 4:46 AM



People gathered Wednesday night for the Spring Garden Street Scape Project meeting were able to view some possible changes proposed for the area by viewing photographs and street plans from around the world. (Ted Pritchard / Staff)





Halifax’s key shopping street needs a major overhaul to fend off death at the hands of suburban malls, a local architect says.

"If we don’t start paying attention to Spring Garden Road, then it’s going to die," Hugh Davison said.

The downtown architect was one of about 100 people who turned out Wednesday night to a streetscaping workshop for the busy commercial street.

Members of the Terrain Group planners from Dartmouth and from Alan Baxter & Associates, an urban design firm from London, England, were on hand to explain some of the changes they’re proposing, based on public input and one-on-one interviews with street merchants.

"The window dressing is great, but the fact is, the street is pretty ugly," Terrain’s Barry Yanchyshyn told the group gathered in a ballroom at the Lord Nelson Hotel.

The South Park Street hotel anchors one border of the Spring Garden Road streetscape plan, while the other lies four blocks down at Queen Street.

At a projected cost of about $3 million, the upgrades focus on the street’s busiest parts and could include underground wiring, wider sidewalks outfitted with pavers, new street furniture and lights, upgraded bus shelters and installations of public art.

The street needs a major upgrade, Mr. Davison said in an interview after the presentation.

"Everyone at the city is always saying that Spring Garden Road is the busiest shopping area east of God knows where, and look at the place, it’s a dump."

While the proposed cosmetic changes would tidy up the street’s cluttered appearance, some of the other proposals — like integrating loading zones into a newly expanded sidewalk area — are also good news, said a Spring Garden storeowner.

"The trucks, the loading and the parking on Spring Garden Road are huge problems but easily fixed," Kurt Bulger, owner of Jennifers of Nova Scotia.

It would help if the city came up with some rules and guidelines, like permitting loading only before 11 a.m., he said.

"Somebody needs to take ownership in this town. Currently, there’s no control."

Mr. Bulger was hesitant to point to too many other drawbacks.

"Spring Garden Road, for all its foibles and screw-ups, still works," he said. "So, be very careful about the changes that you make because small changes in a town like this could be huge."

The executive director of the Spring Garden Area Merchants Association echoed those words. Bernie Smith said he has a list of retailers ready and willing to set up shop on the street as it is.

"Oh, if only I could enter into leases, we could lease 40,000 square feet right away," he said in an interview. "So we just want to make sure that we don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

"We need to get the right combination and we’ll just be mortified if we don’t."

Mr. Smith does allow that some quick fixes are in order.

"Some of the poles on the street are certainly left over from the electric trolleys and, I would claim, streetcars. So it’s time we brought it into the present century."

Input from the meeting will go into the final design for the street. The plan is then expected to be presented to council for advanced budget approval in the coming months.

( apugsley@herald.ca)

[Dmajackson]

So has anybody heard anything on this during the last few months?

I was down the street today and i can say for sure that this needs to be upgraded. The sidewalks are way too narrow for the amount of people on them.

[Barrington south]

So I was in the barbers the other day, getting my head buzzed on #2 clip as usuall, and my attention was drawn to a tall and lanky, old English bloke with a bald head. He was holding a roll of blueprints, which he then proceeded to unroll and show to all the people sitting, waiting for there turn. Turns out they where blueprints of the proposed changes to SGR. And he turned out to be the president of the SGR business assosiation...or something like that. Anyways, he went on quiet a rant to everyone preasant about how he was seriosly opposed to the proposal and told everyone that there was going to be a "major row" over these changes. He said he was for a slight widening of the street...but everything else he was against. He didn't want any loss of parking "where are the customers going to park?" he said. And he was staunchly against any tree's "can you imagine TREE'S on spring garden?!!" he asked everone (and they all agreed like spineless jellyfish) He then said...and "worst off they want to put BENCHES along the street"..."Can you imagine all the KIDS that will be sitting on them?" he asked, sounding like a typical grumpy old man. and I'm thinkin' to my self...WTF!!...is this city ever going to progress with deadwood like this at the helm...don't get me wrong though...I know I have revealed that I grew up in Toronto, and so to some it might sound like an upper Canadian complaining about the way things work around here, so let me assure you, I love this city and plan to raise a family here, it's my new home. But when you have the head of the second most important street in pennisular Hali, moaning about IMPROVMENTS to his street, I just end up saying to myself....WTF

[Keith P.]

That would have been Bernie Smith. Bernie is a smart fellow, a good guy, and I can understand his point of view. After all, he represents the businesses that are located there, not the city at large. Some things that are good for the populace at large are bad for his members: loss of parking, inability for trucks to make deliveries, increased number of loiterers on benches outside said businesses, trees that get in the way of pedestrian flow, etc. He has every right to say what he said, because he's just doing his job. I'm not saying he's correct, but I understand where he's coming from.

[Barrington south]

He has every right to say what he said, because he's just doing his job.

never did I say he didn't have the right to toot his own horn...this isn't Stalin's Russia...I just think that if he had the LONG term health and vitality of SGR road in mind, then he would see the many benifits of this project. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here...take a look at some of the most succsesfull retail street's across North America and Europe. SGR is a bit dumpy comparied to the best examples, and the best is what we should be striving for. Lack of street parking?...what is this the 1950's?...check out the 4th st. proaminad in Santa Monica...there's no parking at all!!...in fact there's no veicles at all!!. I remember reading a plaque when I was there, that said when it was first proposed that no traffic shoud be allowed on 4th st., that it should be for pedestrians only, the business owners where very concered that the lack of parking for there customers would result in such a loss of business that they would go out of business...well they couldn't have been more wrong...in fact there was SO much increaced business that all the property owners raised the rent in the retail units so high that none of the origanall occupants could afford to remain in businsess. It all became high end which is what I think SGR road should be. and yes they have pleanty of tree's and benches.and just check out european shopping districts...No tree's or benches?...no, that would be more remanisant of Stalin's Russia

[Haliguy]

I am all for this redevlopment. I think widening the sidwalks and putting the the wires underground improving the public realm need to be done for sure. However, I worry changing things to much might hurt whatever is working for Spring Garden currently to make it such a successful street.

[musicman]

I'm hearing from a very knowlegable source that the whole thing may be abandoned for at least this summer. Lot of pissed off shop owners talking about ruining their most profitable time of the year. And the sheer lack of ability for city officials to decide what the hell they want to do with SGR.

[pnightingale]

I think this is a great project, but I must say I always thought that the idea of tearing apart SGR in the middle of tourist season didn't make a whole lot of sense. If I recall, the start date of the project is right in the middle of summer, when those shops are probably doing the most business.

That being said, I think this project will be great for the district in the long run, and while I'm not looking forward to the mess that we will likely have while the project is going on, I definitely think it will be worth it.

I would like to see less vehicle traffic on Spring Garden, although I'm not sure where it would go instead...

[Phalanx]

The story of Halifax... complain and delay until it's dead.

How much benefit does on street parking really offer most of the businesses on SGR? Parking is minimal, and most of the businesses on SGR aren't quick stops, so I'd argue that 90%+ of the people spending time on SGR during a given day aren't parking there anyway. Improving things for pedestrians and making it a more pedestrian friendly environment can only help.

I -can- sympathize with the disruptions it would cause while under construction, especially given the economic situation and needing every customer they can get, but... putting it off isn't going to help in the long run.

Not understanding most of his complaints.

I'd love to see the city take some bold, positive steps for a change.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I don't take it as an insult. Look how developed, prosperous, and cultural Toronto has become. Halifax needs a kick in the pants...

[spaustin]

The story of Halifax... complain and delay until it's dead.

And that seems to be where it's going. Spring Garden Road is being bumped. Spring Garden's loss is South Park, Quinpool and Octerloney's gain. Here's a link to the staff report that council will be considering tomorrow.
http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/090224ca1114.pdf
The Spring Garden Road Merchants are really behaving like small-thinking dinosaurs. As has been said, parking on Spring Garden is of minimal benefit. It's the same story concerning the lots behind them on Clyde Street. The SGRMA seems to be scared of everything and as a result doesn't want to see anything change, even if it could be change for the better. It's really unfortunate since Spring Garden could really be great, but it's not going to live up to its potential as long as the merchant's hold onto the space wasting ashfault.

[Dmajackson]

Its sad to see this not go ahead this year but hopefully one of the others can proceed.

Whats the plan for the South Park Fares project?

[worldlyhaligonian]

They should at least be burying the lines on all above mentioned streets regardless of futher development plans.

[someone123]

It never really made sense to do this at the height of summer.

I agree that the short term parking obsession is silly. Who exactly relies on finding a parking spot right in front of a store on Spring Garden Road? Are there even that many spots? Are they at all reliable?

Deliveries are important, sure, but on-street parking is not for downtown retail. Most people are not parking there at all and those who are can use structured parking. There could be MORE parking for the area if they replaced those lots with buildings. Residents also contribute far more to business than a surface lot.

The people who won't pay the $5 to park and can't walk a few blocks won't go downtown to begin with.

[Dmajackson]

My question is can you even park legally on SGR? The last I checked it was all loading zones or bus stops.

Really if the city invested some money it could fix the parking problems. They could;

-Add more parking to Park Lane (might not be possible due to the condo building on top),

-Redevelop the Clyde Street lots and require more parking be built,

-Or I was having a look on Live Maps and the building footprints on the Park Lane block leave a L-shaped gap in the middle. The city could make layered parking of some sorts in that area.

There is one thing I hope happens though for SGR. The four or so buildings on the corner of SGR and Dresdon should be redeveloped into a small mid-rise residential building (where Tim Hortons is located).

[someone123]

Does the existing Park Lane parkade even fill up? It has something like 11 levels. Many of the other major developments in the area also have extra underground parking.

The city doesn't need to pay to put in parking as developers are happy to build in the area. As for the Clyde Street lots, those should have been built up years ago. There's no real argument for artificially keeping underdeveloped surface lots in an area that is increasingly packed with large scale developments.

[Dmajackson]

'Nuts' to no cars idea
Spring Garden Road business owners don’t want street restricted to pedestrians only
By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter
Tue. Feb 24 - 5:35 AM

CLOSING SPRING GARDEN Road to cars and turning the busy Halifax shopping street into a pedestrian mall would kill it, a store owner says.

"It’s nuts," Ross McNeil, the owner of Dugger’s Menswear, said Monday.

"The whole benefit of the street is to make it easy access for the customer. And the mere fact that (shoppers) can drive down and pick up a parcel, or drop somebody off right at the door, is why it works."

A recent consultant’s report recommends taking cars off the street to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Buses and taxis could stay. But at a public workshop last fall, consultants unveiled their vision for the street and there was no mention of getting rid of cars or widening sidewalks.

In fact, the $3 million in upgrades proposed for the stretch of Spring Garden between South Park and Queen streets focused on underground wiring, sidewalks outfitted with pavers, new street furniture and lights, upgraded bus shelters and installations of public art.

That’s all good, Mr. McNeil said.

"It’s just a few million dollars. In the big picture, it’s peanuts," he said. "So clean up the sidewalks, put in some nice lighting and make it esthetically pleasing."

Taking away cars would mean taking away business, another shop owner said.

"That’s what makes Spring Garden Road vibrant — the traffic, the buses, the hustle and bustle," said Rick Pratt, who has owned Winsbys Shoes for 16 years.

"There are lots of pedestrian malls around North America that are disaster areas, no one goes there anymore. They become bar and restaurant only," he said, citing the Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa as an example.

"I was there last year and it’s a joke. You think, ‘Whatever happened to all these people?’ Well, they all went bankrupt."

Restricting Spring Garden Road to just taxis and buses would be a mistake, said the head of the street’s merchants association.

"You can’t do things like that to a main street without putting supports around it," Bernie Smith said.

Spring Garden Road is a main shopping and retail district that merchants have spent a lot of time trying to enhance, he said.

"We’re ready for some sort of a makeover, but this is radical stuff."

No traffic model has been done on the street to determine exactly where the prohibited cars would go, Mr. Smith said.

"Why would we sign on to that when we don’t know what the impacts are?" he said.

"It’s a busy place in an urban setting and we don’t think that de-urbanizing it is to be entered into lightly."

The merchants association put the kibosh on the plan at a meeting last week, and Mr. Smith is worried that the money allocated for it in this year’s city budget will go to another project.

"We’re worried that we won’t get the issue put on the agenda for a long, long time," he said.

The councillor for the area echoed those concerns.

"Right now, the street works," Coun. Dawn Sloane (Halifax Downtown) said Monday.

"People love flocking to the area."

She said city staff tried to push for the "whole enchilada," even though the consensus on the street is it needs only cosmetic upgrades.

Now the money could be lost to streetscape projects on Quinpool Road and Ochterloney Street, she said.

Mr. McNeil said Spring Garden Road store owners aren’t "a bunch of moaning retailers. This is local merchants who put a ton of money into their buildings and who pay the highest tax base in the province. And so (just fixing) potholes and broken curbs doesn’t cut it."

He said he pays about $10,000 a month in commercial taxes to the city.

"Fix up the road, bury the wires and give us something nice," he said.

[MonctonRad]

There is one thing I hope happens though for SGR. The four or so buildings on the corner of SGR and Dresdon should be redeveloped into a small mid-rise residential building (where Tim Hortons is located).

You should check with SPAUSTIN about that, he modelled most of those buildings for SimCity4. He might not like it. :haha:

[pnightingale]

"Fix up the road, bury the wires and give us something nice," he said.

What the hell??? I thought that's exactly what the plan was!! Last I heard, they wanted to bury the wires, make nicer and wider sidewalks for pedestrians, and make it a nice place for people to come to. Did I completely misunderstand the plan for SGR? I never heard anything about getting rid of cars on the road.

Ugh this city drives me crazy sometimes!!

[gm_scott]

^ haha, thats what I thought too.
I just thought they were getting rid of "parking" to add more room for pedestrians. Which would be great because its sort of tight.

[Dmajackson]

Did anybody else just watch McClusky and Uteck fight it out in council?

I got confused with the multiple corrections but as I understand it now the plan is for the Quinpool project to go ahead if the money is available.

The also corrected the Chronicle Herald article I posted earlier today about the street closing to private vehicles. They have no plans to ban privately owned vehicles.

[someone123]

Sounds like the ball is being dropped yet again. Why would there be a council meeting about budgeting for this project immediately after consulting the business owners' association, as appears to be the case? Why are people so poorly informed?

The fact that the city spends years and millions on studies and consultations but still ends up with people complaining essentially that they have not been adequately consulted implies that there are some severe problems. One of the first things to do when overhauling a street would be to start by asking property owners/tenants with frontage what their needs and desires are.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

What a useless story from the Herald. A consultant's report suggests the idea of a car-free Spring Garden so the Herald goes out and solicites Chicken Little 'the sky is falling' reports from merchants. It was a suggestion and appears to have been a total non-starter and no longer on the agenda. END OF STORY.

[Barrington south]

well I hope Bernie is happy...guess Quinpool has got there act together more than SGR......ohhh, yeah I forgot.....Dawn Sloane should shut the F*** up!! :whip:

[Dmajackson]

From the HRM Media Room:

Spring Garden Road Streetscaping Project

At the February 24, 2009, Regional Council meeting, a decision was made to postpone the Spring Garden Road Streetscaping project.The following is a communique to provide clarification as to what was recommended for Spring Garden Road, the public consultation that has taken place and the decision of Council.

Spring Garden Road, between Queen Street and South Park Street, is a prime commercial street in HRM. It is a narrow but heavily-used pedestrian route (30,000 persons per day in 2004), transit route (30,000 riders per day) and vehicular route (14,500 vehicles per day). As there are only three metered parking spots on the street, most parking occurs on neighbouring streets, on surface lots or in parkades. Whereas, pedestrian and transit usage is on the rise, vehicular use has declined by 1500 vehicles per day over the past eight years.

The existing 18m (60') cross-section of the street is comprised of a 3m (10') wide sidewalk flanked by a 2m (7') wide loading lane and a 4m (13') wide through traffic lane, which then repeats this pattern across the opposite side of the street. Based on 2004 pedestrian counts, it has been calculated that the existing sidewalks are over 2m (7') too narrow to handle the volume of people walking along Spring Garden Road.

As party of the study, Preferred Design Option #2, which was recommended by HRM staff, proposed the following adjustments to the current cross-section of the street:
• sidewalks are widened / bulbed by 2m at intersections - in areas where parking and loading are currently prohibited - to reduce the pedestrian crossing distance and make crossing safer;
• crosswalks are made flush with the sidewalks and defined by bollards rather than curbs to overcome the steep cross-slopes currently encountered when traversing the street in a north - south direction;
• sidewalks are widened by 2m along store frontages where loading for those business establishments is provided from the rear of the building;
• on-street loading zones are defined in bays edged by granite curbs and inset between sidewalk bulbs, creating a safer pedestrian environment;
• amenities such as benches, trees, bike racks, transit shelters, and public art are provided in the widened sidewalk areas to increase interest and comfort; and
• the two existing 4m wide lanes of through traffic are maintained and, to ensure smooth traffic flow, left turns will be prohibited at Dresden Row.

The preferred design option is the result of the analysis of considerable public and stakeholder consultation, including one-on-one interviews with business and property owners fronting on the street and four public open houses held from September to December, 2008. By the end of December, five design options had been evaluated. None of the options involved closing the street to through traffic and all options place overhead wiring underground and incorporate decorative LED street lighting.

The Spring Garden Area Business Association proposal to widen the sidewalks on both sides of the street by only 18" to 24" (1.0-1.2m in total) was evaluated early on in the process and HRM determined that it could not be pursued for the following reasons:
• it requires the removal of parking and loading along one entire side of the street, whereas, the majority of businesses along both sides of the street require front loading;
• the sidewalk widening proposed is 1.5m (5') deficient in width to accommodate 2004 pedestrian volumes; and
• the cost is about the same as HRM's recommended Option #2.

At the February 24th Regional Council meeting the following recommendation was approved (with one amendment):
• The Spring Garden streetscape design be revisited by all of the stakeholders over the spring and summer of 2009 and once a consensus has been reached, the design be brought back to Regional Council for approval.
• A streetscape and undergrounding design project for Ochterloney Street be accelerated to determine feasibility, design detail, costs and timelines.
• The preferred option to be identified through completion of the schematic design report for Quinpool Road, proceed into Phase II, Detailed Design and Construction Documents.
• Staff work to assemble other sources of funding for Council approval in support of the streetscape program
• As part of 09/10 budget deliberations staff make recommendations to Regional Council on the streetscape and undergrounding projects to advance in 09/10.

Recommendation was approved by Council, with the amendment that staff report back on whether Ochterloney Street or Quinpool Road would proceed this year.

As a result, the Spring Garden Road Streetscaping Project will not proceed this spring. Once community support exists for a specific project scope, the project may be funded, subject to Council approval.

Reports in the media that the consultant's report recommended closing Spring Garden Road to vehicles other than Metro Transit buses and taxis are inaccurate. As evidenced by the content of the recommended Option #2 above, there is no mention of closing the street to cars.

Also, reference has been made to HRMbyDesign supporting the closure of streets to cars. HRMbyDesign does not promote a vehicle free downtown. Rather it promotes a beautiful and walkable downtown in which people will have the choice to not own a car and to use transit or active transportation instead.

For more information on the Spring Garden Road Streetscaping Project, visit: www.halifax.ca/IAM

[Keith P.]

From the HRM Media Room:

Reports in the media that the consultant's report recommended closing Spring Garden Road to vehicles other than Metro Transit buses and taxis are inaccurate. As evidenced by the content of the recommended Option #2 above, there is no mention of closing the street to cars.

Also, reference has been made to HRMbyDesign supporting the closure of streets to cars. HRMbyDesign does not promote a vehicle free downtown.

This is blatantly false. From the staff report referenced earlier:


"Spring Garden Road is the most vibrant and important commercial streetscape in HRM. With Option 1 (no bollards), future requirements to convert the street into a Transit and Pedestrian-Oriented Street (as suggested by HRMbyDesign) will amount to simply adding signage to limit access to buses, loading vehicles, and bicycles...

Recommendation:
Depending upon funding availability, Options 1 and 2 are preferred."


I think HRM and/or their planning group are backtracking at top speed. Clearly the pedestrian mall/vehicle ban concept didn't get made up by the Herald; it was presented and in fact RECOMMENDED in the staff report as a future requirement that was advocated by HRM by Design. HRM is speaking out of both sides of its mouth in an attempt to deflect blame for their bungling by trying to force a concept upon the street that the property owners did not want.

[Dmajackson]

This is blatantly false. From the staff report referenced earlier:



I think HRM and/or their planning group are backtracking at top speed. Clearly the pedestrian mall/vehicle ban concept didn't get made up by the Herald; it was presented and in fact RECOMMENDED in the staff report as a future requirement that was advocated by HRM by Design. HRM is speaking out of both sides of its mouth in an attempt to deflect blame for their bungling by trying to force a concept upon the street that the property owners did not want.

Ummm....I was watching the council meeting on Tuesday when they adressed this and according to HRM the idea was brought up in a public meeting but was never added the the wish list for the make-over.

By Pedestrian and Transit oriented they simply mean wider sidewalks and narrower roads. There are a couple streets labelled as this in HRM by Design but it is never mentioned that they plan to close the street to private vehicles.

[Keith P.]

Ummm....I was watching the council meeting on Tuesday when they adressed this and according to HRM the idea was brought up in a public meeting but was never added the the wish list for the make-over.

That is more of the blatant falsehood I mentioned.

By Pedestrian and Transit oriented they simply mean wider sidewalks and narrower roads. There are a couple streets labelled as this in HRM by Design but it is never mentioned that they plan to close the street to private vehicles.

Perhaps you overlooked this in the report:

"...limit access to buses, loading vehicles, and bicycles..."

That goes far beyond wider sidewalks and narrower roads. That means no private cars. HRM is now trying to run away from their mostly hidden agenda, but this time it needs to stick to them.

[someone123]

That goes far beyond wider sidewalks and narrower roads. That means no private cars. HRM is now trying to run away from their mostly hidden agenda, but this time it needs to stick to them.

Does the HRM really have an agenda, or is it just random people adding these things to reports?

Either way, it's a little disappointing because the whole idea of pedestrianization contributing the activity levels on a street has so obviously been discredited over a 30 year or so period. The only working pedestrian/transit mall type setups are those that REQUIRE private vehicles to be banned because there is no space for them. These are mostly (maybe exclusively?) in larger cities. Spring Garden Road does not have that much foot traffic, and it is busy precisely because it is a gateway into the downtown.

Unfortunately, it's pretty classic for planners (professional or armchair variety) to ignore the real economic places for streets, neighbourhoods, or whole cities, and to propose that anything they find unsightly be taken out. It is like deciding to tear the engine out of your car because you don't like the noise it makes.

[Keith P.]

Does the HRM really have an agenda, or is it just random people adding these things to reports?

I don't know the answer, but I find it hard to believe those lines were put in there by Terrain and just missed by everyone at HRM. I do not wish to impugn motives, but I have become more and more concerned about the people behind HRM by Design, Andy F. in particular. He seems to have assumed a role as a mini Robert Moses of sort, often being quoted in the paper regarding what he would and would not support. He may not mean to come across that way but often does. I don't think it's healthy for one person to have that much influence over planning and design.

Unfortunately, it's pretty classic for planners (professional or armchair variety) to ignore the real economic places for streets, neighbourhoods, or whole cities, and to propose that anything they find unsightly be taken out. It is like deciding to tear the engine out of your car because you don't like the noise it makes.

You put it better than I could. Well said.

[halifaxboyns]

I just don't see Spring Garden Road as the sort of street that could function without some car movement - mainly because I don't see where the traffic would go? It's too important to be closed off to streets and speaking as a planner, I don't get that move. There are wonderful examples of streets with cars and transit that are like Spring Garden Road - I think of 17th Avenue here in calgary and it's even wider and busier! Or the Kensington area; both are great examples of pedestrian oriented commercial corridors; but still have bus and car movements on them.

A thought that could be considered might be to remove the on street parking component if bigger sidewalks for things like cafes is what are wanted. But I'd say that delivery spaces and potentially taxi cab spots should be left alone.

Another thought would be to the restriction of private vehicles during high traffic hours (to give public transit some priority of movement) - but yet again I come back too the question I said earlier; where would the traffic go?

[Halifax Hillbilly]

I just don't see Spring Garden Road as the sort of street that could function without some car movement - mainly because I don't see where the traffic would go? It's too important to be closed off to streets and speaking as a planner, I don't get that move. There are wonderful examples of streets with cars and transit that are like Spring Garden Road - I think of 17th Avenue here in calgary and it's even wider and busier! Or the Kensington area; both are great examples of pedestrian oriented commercial corridors; but still have bus and car movements on them.

A thought that could be considered might be to remove the on street parking component if bigger sidewalks for things like cafes is what are wanted. But I'd say that delivery spaces and potentially taxi cab spots should be left alone.

I agree with you, Spring Garden is one of the few streets that connects Robie and South Park to Barrington, tough to shut it down to cars. I don't think you would gain much anyways, due to the number of pedestrians and cross streets cars move slowly and people can cross easily. It's already a very pleasant pedestrian street, removing cars isn't going to improve on that aspect too much. I think it's a better candidate for a naked street myself.

There are only a handful of parking spaces on the street right now but the merchant's assocation is dead set on having them removed for improvements.

My thought on the whole thing is you can talk about making Spring Garden car free all you want it's not happening any time soon. Council would never make that decision, they couldn't be convinced to add parking meters around the commons to bring in a lot of revenue and potentially improve the parking situation around the Infirmary. In Halifax, unless you're willing to slog it out in the political trenches for seven years, you go with the status quo.

[halifaxboyns]

I agree with you, Spring Garden is one of the few streets that connects Robie and South Park to Barrington, tough to shut it down to cars. I don't think you would gain much anyways, due to the number of pedestrians and cross streets cars move slowly and people can cross easily. It's already a very pleasant pedestrian street, removing cars isn't going to improve on that aspect too much. I think it's a better candidate for a naked street myself.

There are only a handful of parking spaces on the street right now but the merchant's assocation is dead set on having them removed for improvements.

My thought on the whole thing is you can talk about making Spring Garden car free all you want it's not happening any time soon. Council would never make that decision, they couldn't be convinced to add parking meters around the commons to bring in a lot of revenue and potentially improve the parking situation around the Infirmary. In Halifax, unless you're willing to slog it out in the political trenches for seven years, you go with the status quo.

It may be a thought to shut it down during the rush hour perhaps so that buses would have some priority - but I don't see where the value in that would be since you'd end up with them just getting clogged on Barrington Street. But it's a thought...

It might also be an interesting street to close for pedestrians once in a while for say a walking festival or market? I visit Edmonton regularly and stay at the Coast Hotel on 105th Street and Jasper Avenue and during the summer they close the street to the east 104th for 3 blocks every saturday from 8am to 4pm for a flea market/farmers market. Something like that might be quite interesting - Metro Transit could setup temporary stops on Morris Street right to Barrington - it would be only a minor detour (at least in my mind) and just for a day.

[eastcoastal]

I do not wish to impugn motives, but I have become more and more concerned about the people behind HRM by Design, Andy F. in particular. He seems to have assumed a role as a mini Robert Moses of sort, often being quoted in the paper regarding what he would and would not support. He may not mean to come across that way but often does. I don't think it's healthy for one person to have that much influence over planning and design.
Well, I don't know what the context is, but I would assume that as HRMs Urban Design Manager (a totally new position), that media will seek him out for his opinion on whether or not a particular project would fit the HRMbyDesign standards. I would say most of us aren't very conversant with the details, and media even less so, add to that, Andy F. would be regarded as someone intimately familiar with the nuances of HRMbyDesign.

Having seen him speak at HRMbyDesign public events, I would say that it's true that he holds a strong view of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to urban design. This is fine if we expect that his education and experience provides him with specialized knowledge. Not so fine if we feel that he's a Moses-style dictator. When it comes down to it, I don't think he has the power that Robert Moses did - which is not a comment on his motives. Motives that I think are not shadowy. They're pretty clear. If they're clear, it's easier to call bullsh*t if you see it. I happen to think that he's got the right ideals for the most part.

[fenwick16]

Having seen him speak at HRMbyDesign public events, I would say that it's true that he holds a strong view of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to urban design. This is fine if we expect that his education and experience provides him with specialized knowledge. Not so fine if we feel that he's a Moses-style dictator. When it comes down to it, I don't think he has the power that Robert Moses did - which is not a comment on his motives. Motives that I think are not shadowy. They're pretty clear. If they're clear, it's easier to call bullsh*t if you see it. I happen to think that he's got the right ideals for the most part.

I just hope that he also has some background in economics. Practical building design that is based on both aesthetics and cost will be required if the Halifax downtown area is to grow.

[Keith P.]

I just hope that he also has some background in economics. Practical building design that is based on both aesthetics and cost will be required if the Halifax downtown area is to grow.

Given the amount of time it has taken and will continue to take for HRM to call for proposals for the Clyde St parking lots, I would suggest not.

[someone123]

Is anything happening with this?

[Wishblade]

I know this doesnt particularly pertain to the redevelopment plan for Spring Garden rd, but it is about "improvements"....

Spring Garden Road sidewalk fixes anger merchants
CBC News
Posted: Oct 26, 2011 4:51 PM AT

Some Spring Garden Road merchants aren't happy with how HRM plans to repair the sidewalk on their street.

They say the asphalt patching will look terrible and be an eyesore on Halifax's busiest street for pedestrian traffic.

Spring Garden Road is a popular shopping destination and is home to 420 businesses.

The city plans to follow its policy of using asphalt and not concrete for fixes. An official with the city said if the whole sidewalk were to be replaced, concrete would be used.

I completely agree with the merchants. This is the premier shopping district in Halifax and should look the part. Asphault patching on concrete looks bad in any neighbourhood and will only look even worse here.

more here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/10/26/ns-spring-garden-road-sidewalks.html

[cormiermax]

Asphault patching? Seriously? On Spring Garden?

[someone123]

The whole street needs to be overhauled in a coherent way, from the Maritime Centre to at least South Park Street or preferably Robie. Now is an ideal time because there is so much other construction happening. Any public space in front of the new library for example should be tied in with the rest of the street. Now is also a good time to redo lighting if they are switching to LEDs.

Originally there was some kind of plan to do this but it got derailed by concerns over parking so now we have more indecision and half measures. Even if the parking was important it was not a valid reason to halt the whole planning process for years. Clearly other cities have managed to deal with this issue, because many of them seem to have executed one or more streetscaping plans. There are plenty of moribund rust belt cities with tumbleweeds blowing down main streets that are kept in better condition than the ones in Halifax. It's pretty sad.

[fenwick16]

The asphalt on concrete will stand out like a sore thumb. Surely there must be municipal maintenance employees who could dig up the broken concrete slabs and replace them.

Is this a temporary fix or something more permanent? PS: I just read a story in allnovascotia.com and it seems to be a temporary fix until the spring.

[halifaxboyns]

I remember this came up at one of the recent regional council season and Councillor Sloane was in a polite word upset (I would say ballistic is more like it).
She wanted answers and I don't think the acting city manager gave her the ones she was looking for. I can't recall if it was temporary - but she wanted answers. A few others from outside the downtown got up and basically were on her side too as I recall.

[RyeJay]

The whole street needs to be overhauled in a coherent way, from the Maritime Centre to at least South Park Street or preferably Robie. Now is an ideal time because there is so much other construction happening. Any public space in front of the new library for example should be tied in with the rest of the street. Now is also a good time to redo lighting if they are switching to LEDs.

Agreed. I would also find it very appropriate for this section of the downtown to have a distinguished style of lighting from that of Barrington Street.

Or perhaps Haligonians want Barrington's heritage contributes to carry over onto Spring Garden?

[kph06]

I can't see the asphalt being permanent. One thing that has made me laugh over the last year or so is the amount of white paint that is used to mark out sections of road and sidewalk that needs to be fixed. Sometimes it almost looks like the painter is trying to be an artist the way they highlight the issue, there would be chance of missing it. Another method of fixing sidewalks I've noticed popping up is in areas where the sidewalk has heaved a bit is the city just planes the concrete down till it is flat again – I don’t really like it. This would be the same as a dentist filing down the tips of a patient's teeth to make them look straight (which my moms says use to be common practice by some dentists).

[beyeas]

I agreed with the comment in AllNS that there is a valid fear that if they do the patching it will just move SGR further down the priority list in terms of an overhaul because they problem would have been "fixed". There is no doubt that of any street in the city, this one is top of the list (because of its sheer visability making it a bellwether) for a complete re-do with underground utilities etc.

[Jstaleness]

I saw this last night and I shook my head. The part about the markings on the sidewalks being jokingly called in as graffiti was proof that patching probably isn't the answer. I could see it working long enough to get past the Christmas shopping rush but anything longer is unacceptable. This is Halifax's richest shopping district and should look the part.

[halifaxboyns]

If it is temporary, it's probably because concrete requires prolonged temperatures above 6 degrees, if I recall correctly, in order to set properly. Where as ashphalt can set in place around 2 degrees.

[kph06]

HRM has a concrete deadline of September 30 (I think...) and asphalt deadline of (October 31, which can be extended depending on temperatures that year). After their respective deadlines, any asphalt or concrete that is put down in the HRM right-of-way is considered temporary and must be replaced in the spring (after May 1st). This effectively makes the construction season in HRM May 1st – October 31st, which is a bone of contention with most the local contractors as it makes the season shorter than in most Canadian cities, and therefore drives costs up (according to them).

Concrete can be poured year round; just special measures such as heat and shelter are usually added during the cold months, which make costs go up. My guess is it was too late in the season to fix these problems with concrete so they deferred the maintenance till the spring, using as.

[someone123]

So let's imagine you're sitting by a gate in the airport with a nice window looking out at the airplane you're about to board. They have a crane supporting one of the wings and a crew of maintenance people are frantically duct-taping the wing to the fuselage of the plane. Somebody goes up to the desk to complain and the attendant says apologetically that duct tape is their only option because the flight has to leave in 10 minutes.

This isn't about the concrete vs. asphalt issue. The root problem is that the sidewalk has been so poorly maintained for so long that it needs patching. The fact that there's no good solution at this late and sorry stage does not absolve those whose responsibility it was to properly maintain this obviously important street. I hope this problem pushes the city to do what it should have done a couple of years ago.