A general discussion of Fenwick

[sdm]

Originally Posted by someone123

This is one of the more obvious problems with the way the municipal government works.. that is a totally one-sided motion passed before the current owner of the property was even around.

I similarly disliked the motion to limit development of the lot behind that building on Barrington to townhouses. Midrise is perfectly reasonable there and there was no input from developers in terms of what is preferred or what is economically feasible.

Yes, as a person in the industry it is frustrating to say the least. Both your points are well said.

Makes you wonder how anything got built around here higher then 2 stories in the past.

[Jonovision]

I attended two workshops this week regarding the redevelopment of Fenwick. They were a very positive experience. I was amazed at the cooperation between residents, heritage people, and everyone else who was there. A Lot of good ideas were played with and Templeton said they would come back in 5 or 6 weeks with a concept plan for the site.

And for just to let you guys know. This is the entire redevelopment site.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I attended two workshops this week regarding the redevelopment of Fenwick. They were a very positive experience. I was amazed at the cooperation between residents, heritage people, and everyone else who was there. A Lot of good ideas were played with and Templeton said they would come back in 5 or 6 weeks with a concept plan for the site.

Have you seen any renderings of the new exterior cladding for this building? Even if they just replace the precast cement on the balconies with glass railings it would make a big difference. Maybe they could also paint the exterior with a durable white paint.

[Takeo]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Have you seen any renderings of the new exterior cladding for this building? Even if they just replace the precast cement on the balconies with glass railings it would make a big difference. Maybe they could also paint the exterior with a durable white paint.

Painting concrete always feels wrong to me. It looks good for the first couple of years... and then it goes thru phases of looking bad... cheap... dirty... peeling. I'd say leave the concrete and just clean it.

[worldlyhaligonian]

That site plan is pretty big... I would like to see a tower to the west of it, where the little apartment building and the Worker's Compensation Board are.

[someone123]

That whole area needs an overhaul. I'd like to see the Sobeys site redeveloped into a nicer grocery store with apartments on top. The strip malls similarly should become lowrise buildings built up to the street with underground parking. Population densities are already fairly high around there and the potential exists for lots of infill without touching anything but ugly strip malls and parking lots.

I could see Queen Street becoming more commercial in the future with development around Fenwick and the Infirmary site, plus some modifications to that stretch across from the cemetery (along the lines of what exists at the corner of Queen and Fenwick). It would be a great extension to the downtown/Spring Garden area and would give that part of the city more of a local identity.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I attended two workshops this week regarding the redevelopment of Fenwick. They were a very positive experience. I was amazed at the cooperation between residents, heritage people, and everyone else who was there. A Lot of good ideas were played with and Templeton said they would come back in 5 or 6 weeks with a concept plan for the site.

And for just to let you guys know. This is the entire redevelopment site.

the vacant lot on the north east corner is the only true development site.

the north west corner there is an underground brook, and if memory serves me correct back int he 60's a large sink hole happened on south street out front of St james place.

Besides that, the structrual capacity of the existing podium would need to be significantly upgraded to take the bearing capacity of additional building.

[Jonovision]

There was lots of talk about how to reclad Fenwick. But nothing has been decided. Some mentioned painting, some mentioned panels similar to those installed on the Hospital lately, and others mentioned class or precast. It really could go in many directions.

The general consensus of the plan I think would see the podium extended out into the south east corner with a building of around 10 storeys on top. An addition of townhouses along Fenwick that would set back into the tower. And a larger building, or multiple small buildings on the South Street lot. I also think the podium will become more public space. Probably indoors however with units facing out onto it.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

The general consensus of the plan I think would see the podium extended out into the south east corner with a building of around 10 storeys on top. An addition of townhouses along Fenwick that would set back into the tower. And a larger building, or multiple small buildings on the South Street lot. I also think the podium will become more public space. Probably indoors however with units facing out onto it.

Intriguing for sure. I like the sounds of it, potentially a good mix of low to mid-rise buildings and a significant intensification of the site. Just clarification on the public space, are you describing some sort of an interior courtyard?

[Jonovision]

That seemed to be the idea. And interior courtyard that would surround the tower at its base.

[fenwick16]

This has been formally announced in the Chronicle Herald ( http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/9014119.html ). With a price tag of about 100 million, this has grown in to a major project. Here are a few paragraphs from the article:

Reno plans coming for Fenwick eyesore

By ROGER TAYLOR
Wed. Nov 18 - 7:17 AM

.
.
.

“There’s going to be an expan­sion of the Fenwick Tower.

There’s going to be two other buildings on the site, one at about 10 or 11 storeys and an­other at about eight or nine storeys. And there is also going to be a lot of boutique, village­style . . . shops and a passage­way making a South Street­Fenwick connection," says Metlege.

Templeton Properties has hired Michael von Hausen of

MVH Urban Planning and Design Inc. in Vancouver, a specialist in sensitive land development planning, sustainable urban design, group facilitation and community par tnerships, to work on the project.

Metlege says a Vancouver architectural firm has also been hired to work on the project.

It’s hard to put a price tag on it, but Metlege expects the en­tire project will cost more than $100 million when it is finished.

“It’s a fairly large develop­ment. We’re going to be adding to it with the addition to the existing tower, we’re going to be completely redesigning the building, changing the entire look of it completely," he says.

The outside will be entirely re-clad, gutted inside and mod­ernized, he says.

“Basically all we’re keeping is the concrete structure, every­thing else we’re tearing out."

Templeton bought the 274-unit building completely empty. After some renovations were completed, it brought in new tenants and it is now about 93 per cent occupied, says Met­lege. Most of the exterior work can be done while the tenants are still in place.

If it takes a month to take off the old skin of the building and then one month each to put a new skin on each floor, he says, it would mean the building would be vacant for 34 months.

“There is going to be a good period of time where the ten­ants will still be in the building, but once we get into the interior gutting of the building we’ll most likely gut five or seven floors at a time. So we’ll vacate those floors, do the work and then go to the next seven floors, and we’ll move those tenants into the newly renovated units."

A public viewing of the plans are scheduled for Thursday:

There’s going to be a public unveiling Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

at Fenwick Tower, 5599 Fenwick St., where anyone who wants to look will have an opportunity to see the plans

Will anyone be able to get some pictures or renderings from the public viewing?

[Jonovision]

I was at the sneak peak last night and this is a stunning project! Joe said he might be able to send me some of the pics and renderings today so I could post them otherwise they will be made available on thursday with a larger press release.

After all the renovations are done the tower will be entirely new. Unrecognizable from the concrete monolith it is now. They are adding a 36 foot addition on to the South side of the tower in order to make it more economical as well as to add a new stair well to meet better fire codes. The entire tower will be clad in glass and the mass of it will be broken up by different treatments of the facade. There will be a nice roof line that will be lit at night. The addition actually only goes up to the 24th floor with a large landscaped area on its roof that could become a restaurant or some sort of public viewing deck providing views out to the harbour. The Muse as they are calling it, or pedestrian mall that runs through the site looks very nice. Entirely lined with Boutiques, restaurants and amenities for the neighbourhood. And there will also be 10% affordable housing within the entire development.
He is also hoping to start the formal planning process with the city by the end of the year.

I encourage everyone to go out on Thursday night to see the plans and here from Metledge. You won't be sorry!!!!

I'll post more when I get the info.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I encourage everyone to go out on Thursday night to see the plans and here from Metledge. You won't be sorry!!!!

I'll post more when I get the info.

Short of UG Towers starting... this is the best news for Halifax that I could have imagined. There is no way in hell that we are going to get a tower this tall built in Hali any time soon, so to have this one redone and in combination with a larger complex is just amazing. If this comes out as good as it seems from jonovisions description, then this one stands a real chance of putting a scare into the Heritage Trust folks, because people are going to see what a real classy high density development can do for an area.

[Phalanx]

I won't be able to go and see the public viewing, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the pictures now...

Sounds like the absolute best case scenario for Fenwick.

[someone123]

Yes, this sounds like a great project. Can't wait for the renderings.

Is Joe Metledge still working on the Trinity project or is that on hold until after Fenwick?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I was at the sneak peak last night and this is a stunning project! Joe said he might be able to send me some of the pics and renderings today so I could post them otherwise they will be made available on thursday with a larger press release.

After all the renovations are done the tower will be entirely new. Unrecognizable from the concrete monolith it is now. They are adding a 36 foot addition on to the South side of the tower in order to make it more economical as well as to add a new stair well to meet better fire codes. The entire tower will be clad in glass and the mass of it will be broken up by different treatments of the facade. There will be a nice roof line that will be lit at night. The addition actually only goes up to the 24th floor with a large landscaped area on its roof that could become a restaurant or some sort of public viewing deck providing views out to the harbour. The Muse as they are calling it, or pedestrian mall that runs through the site looks very nice. Entirely lined with Boutiques, restaurants and amenities for the neighbourhood. And there will also be 10% affordable housing within the entire development.
He is also hoping to start the formal planning process with the city by the end of the year.

I encourage everyone to go out on Thursday night to see the plans and here from Metledge. You won't be sorry!!!!

I'll post more when I get the info.

Thank you for all the information. The top couple of floors were mostly vacant in the past, I wonder what will become of that area.

I am looking forward to seeing the renderings.

[Jonovision]

So here is what you have all been waiting for!
Also please join the facebook group and post a comment to help back this project up. The name of the group is Vision for Fenwick Tower.



















And on a side note, can an admin move this to the downtown construction section.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I can't even put a sentence together right now... the future is coming! Its been a good week for development in Halifax.

[alps]

Thanks so much for uploading those, Jonovision - wow. I'll definitely make it out tomorrow night. This totally exceeded my expectations; I love the pedestrian mall and it looks like the density will be there to support it

[Phalanx]

Looks great.

What's more - if this goes ahead as planned then it should effectively remove the 'Fenwick monster' from the anti-development/anti-height crowd's arsenal.