[Halifax] The Alexander | 65 m | 24 fl | Completed - Page 9

someone123 · #**161** Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 6:15 AM**

I wonder what's going on with this. It seems odd that this project is still stalled and is apparently not being marketed while others such as King's Wharf and the Trillium have moved forward.

-Harlington- · #**162** Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 2:15 PM**

maybe with the trillium and kings wharf and other small condo and rental projects around HRM, its too much at once?
it is halifax.

phrenic · #**163** Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 3:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

maybe with the trillium and kings wharf and other small condo and rental projects around HRM, its too much at once?
it is halifax.

Indeed. It's not hard to find a high-end condo for sale in the core right now.

hfxtradesman · #**164** Posted **Jun 18, 2010, 9:14 PM**

Yes but it's hard to find a good one.

someone123 · #**165** Posted **Jun 19, 2010, 12:15 AM**

Interesting looking at some condo sales stats. Apparently 2010 year-to-date condo sales are lower than 2009 - only 68 in total versus 89 in 2008. I wonder what the peak was during the last decade?

Still, you'd think it would be worth it to begin marketing a project like this. It seems normal in Halifax to sell out a project over a period of several years.

In some other cities the condos go overnight but usually this is because of investors who plan on reselling or renting. Very few people do that in Halifax, which is probably a good thing when it comes to prices and market stability.

Andy P · #**166** Posted **Jun 22, 2010, 10:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Interesting looking at some condo sales stats. Apparently 2010 year-to-date condo sales are lower than 2009 - only 68 in total versus 89 in 2008. I wonder what the peak was during the last decade?

Still, you'd think it would be worth it to begin marketing a project like this. It seems normal in Halifax to sell out a project over a period of several years.

In some other cities the condos go overnight but usually this is because of investors who plan on reselling or renting. Very few people do that in Halifax, which is probably a good thing when it comes to prices and market stability.

Just wanted to clarify those numbers. I think you may have gotten those from my blog www.halifaxrealestateguy.com Those sales numbers are for the month of May not year to date. I would be happy to give you a year to date update. Tks

Andrew

someone123 · #**167** Posted **Jun 22, 2010, 11:14 PM**

Ah, yes, I was mistaken, thanks. I thought they were unusually low.

There is another section with housing market threads: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?f=227

worldlyhaligonian · #**168** Posted **Jul 17, 2010, 6:01 PM**

Any news on this? I bet phase I is doing quite well this tourism season.

Jonovision · #**169** Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 5:02 PM**

I've heard that this could start within the year.

Jstaleness · #**170** Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 10:35 PM**

Well that just made my day.

fenwick16 · #**171** Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 11:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I've heard that this could start within the year.

Halifax really needs more projects like this. Toronto mostly has residential towers (condos) and hotels going up in the downtown core. It should be the same with Halifax. Then office buildings can continue to go up in the suburbs where they seem to prefer to be.

someone123 · #**172** Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 11:10 PM**

Great news. I hope they move relatively quickly to restore Keith Hall and build infill on Hollis Street.

worldlyhaligonian · #**173** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 12:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonovision

I've heard that this could start within the year.

I hope this is true... other than the Trillium and KW, The Alexander is my favorite!

eastcoastal · #**174** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 9:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Halifax really needs more projects like this. Toronto mostly has residential towers (condos) and hotels going up in the downtown core. It should be the same with Halifax. Then office buildings can continue to go up in the suburbs where they seem to prefer to be.

Well - I have to disagree. Not totally - LOL.

I also hope this is able to go ahead (I'm not a huge fan of the post-modern attempt at art-deco-ish). However, I do not think that offices and residential should be segregated.

halifaxboyns · #**175** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 9:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Well - I have to disagree. Not totally - LOL.

I also hope this is able to go ahead (I'm not a huge fan of the post-modern attempt at art-deco-ish). However, I do not think that offices and residential should be segregated.

I agree - offices in the downtown is extremely important. If you continue to allow all the office development to occur in the suburb areas - then you end up with a downtown full of people trying to get out to the burbs and back. You've defeated the purpose - which is to have offices and residential in the downtown so that people can live and work in close proximity and just walk. That's what makes successful big cities.

In many big centres (Like the GTAA, Greater Vancouver and Calgary); you have suburban employment centres linked to the rest of the city by mass/rapid transit. The Burnside park would probably be HRM's best example and I wouldn't say it's got rapid transit; but it has some good transit connections.

There is also opportunity to eventually build up downtown Dartmouth as well - to be another mixed use centre as well.

someone123 · #**176** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 10:03 PM**

The reality in downtown Halifax is that there is lots of room for both office and residential development. Similarly, there's lots of room for new development and heritage buildings. No dilemma exists between these things - you can even have single mixed-use buildings with offices and residential or new buildings built atop heritage buildings, like Waterside Centre.

I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of people working in the new Emera offices ended up buying condos in the brewery tower. These uses naturally go together and they make much more efficient use of infrastructure than an area that is packed from 9 to 5 and a ghost town at other times. It's great to see this area become more of a neighbourhood rather than a sea of parking lots.

fenwick16 · #**177** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 10:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Well - I have to disagree. Not totally - LOL.

I also hope this is able to go ahead (I'm not a huge fan of the post-modern attempt at art-deco-ish). However, I do not think that offices and residential should be segregated.

I would be happy to see more office towers going up in downtown Halifax such as International Place and Nova Centre. However, if office towers are not in high demand in downtown Halifax then I hope there will be residential development in downtown Halifax as opposed to stagnation and decay. In Toronto, very few large office developments have gone up in the downtown core over the past 20 years. Currently it is mostly condo towers. This also seems to be the case for Vancouver. On the other hand, Calgary has some large office developments proceeding in their downtown core.

fenwick16 · #**178** Posted **Sep 17, 2010, 10:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I agree - offices in the downtown is extremely important. If you continue to allow all the office development to occur in the suburb areas - then you end up with a downtown full of people trying to get out to the burbs and back. You've defeated the purpose - which is to have offices and residential in the downtown so that people can live and work in close proximity and just walk. That's what makes successful big cities.

I would like to see a better mix in downtown Halifax. Part of the reason why office development is being built in the suburbs is that there is less opposition (heritage buildings don't have to be demolished) and it is cheaper to build. What is the solution to that problem?

worldlyhaligonian · #**179** Posted **Sep 18, 2010, 12:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

In Toronto, very few large office developments have gone up in the downtown core over the past 20 years. Currently it is mostly condo towers. This also seems to be the case for Vancouver. On the other hand, Calgary has some large office developments proceeding in their downtown core.

Toronto has had tons of office space move into the downtown recently. Off of the top of my head I can name B-A, Telus, Bank of America, RBC Dexia and I know I'm forgetting about lots of others. I think the rate of residential growth has been more signficant uptown.

The trend in Halifax isn't that the offices "want" to be in the suburbs, its just our policy has made those locations more attractive.

I bet if we changed the policy to allow for highrise office towers to be competitive with suburban, we would see a great renewal of our downtown rather quickly.

worldlyhaligonian · #**180** Posted **Sep 18, 2010, 12:03 AM**

Also, I love the art-deco inspiration... it will give the skyline more diversity and really parallel the Public building and other structures from the era of quality. Even with Trillium quality precast... this tower could look magnificent if they use real copper accents.

I think the building will really give Halifax that Big City feel... we already have it with many of our smaller buildings.