Development Rumours

[someone123]

The mess of power lines at Hollis and Morris was actually kind of interesting, along with the ramshackle apartment building.

[JET]

For immediate release June 8, 2012


Opening Season of Common Roots Urban Farm begins with work party

(Halifax) – The opening season of Common Roots Urban Farm began Friday with the first work party on the site at the corner of Bell Road and Robie Street.

Volunteers helped to build plots that will be used by an array of groups over the summer to grow food, flowers and community.

Common Roots Urban Farm, an initiative of Partners for Care, is a community farm as a piece of health infrastructure—a place where the relationships between personal, community and environmental health can be explored. It will grow to include a hybrid garden with community plots, a market garden, and therapeutic landscapes that include native plants.

“We are so excited to help community members get their hands in the dirt,” said project coordinator Jayme Melrose. “This is an opportunity for all of us to reconnect with healthy food and our neighbours, to meet people we haven't met yet, and engage in the whole process of food, from seed to plate.”

Soil for the project has been donated by Kynock Resources. Additional work parties are scheduled for June 23 and July 8.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

Opening Season of Common Roots Urban Farm begins with work party

(Halifax) – The opening season of Common Roots Urban Farm began Friday with the first work party on the site at the corner of Bell Road and Robie Street.

Volunteers helped to build plots that will be used by an array of groups over the summer to grow food, flowers and community.

Common Roots Urban Farm, an initiative of Partners for Care, is a community farm as a piece of health infrastructure—a place where the relationships between personal, community and environmental health can be explored. It will grow to include a hybrid garden with community plots, a market garden, and therapeutic landscapes that include native plants.

Additional work parties are scheduled for June 23 and July 8.

This sounds like some propaganda out of the former Soviet Union.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This sounds like some propaganda out of the former Soviet Union.

Hah.

Beet production is up by over 50% after a year of diligent work by our comrades at the Common Roots Urban Farm!


Source

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

The lines around the VIC are being buried as we speak. The lower portion of Morris has been dug up and the pipes laid. I snapped this pic a few weeks ago when they dug up some of the old rails from the street cars.

Sad to see those old lines from over 50 years ago! Seems such a shame Halifax wasn't able to maintain at least some of it's street car lines.

[spaustin]

Originally Posted by Jonovision

The lines around the VIC are being buried as we speak. The lower portion of Morris has been dug up and the pipes laid. I snapped this pic a few weeks ago when they dug up some of the old rails from the street cars.

Fantastic! Haven't been passed it in a while. Good to see one more littlie piece of the overhead wiring being taken care of.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

Sad to see those old lines from over 50 years ago! Seems such a shame Halifax wasn't able to maintain at least some of it's street car lines.

I wonder why Halifax scrapped its trolleybuses so quickly after scrapping its streetcars. I understand how the Birney cars that the city bought used in the 1920's were probably just not suitable by the 1940's, let alone the 50's and 60's.

Vancouver kept its trolleybuses but it has a large system and it also benefits from very cheap hydroelectric power.

These days I think the time is right to look at some combination of LRT and streetcars. I don't think there's much of an alternative if people don't want to widen roads and don't new bridges. Adding more buses to normal traffic lanes won't help if there is gridlock, but transit in its own right of way has a much higher throughput for a given amount of space.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by someone123

I wonder why Halifax scrapped its trolleybuses so quickly after scrapping its streetcars. I understand how the Birney cars that the city bought used in the 1920's were probably just not suitable by the 1940's, let alone the 50's and 60's.

Vancouver kept its trolleybuses but it has a large system and it also benefits from very cheap hydroelectric power.

These days I think the time is right to look at some combination of LRT and streetcars. I don't think there's much of an alternative if people don't want to widen roads and don't new bridges. Adding more buses to normal traffic lanes won't help if there is gridlock, but transit in its own right of way has a much higher throughput for a given amount of space.

In the context of the times (1949) I think it was a reasonable decision. The old Birney cars were totally shot after WWII given the heavy use they had endured so a new fleet was required. The Birneys were cold in winter, held up traffic, did not load and unload at the curb, and were generally not up to the task. The Brill trolleys that replaced them had none of those issues and were not limited by the need for rails. So NSLP could expand the service by stringing overhead lines, not digging up the streets to install rails.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

This sounds like some propaganda out of the former Soviet Union.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

In the context of the times (1949) I think it was a reasonable decision. The old Birney cars were totally shot after WWII given the heavy use they had endured so a new fleet was required. The Birneys were cold in winter, held up traffic, did not load and unload at the curb, and were generally not up to the task. The Brill trolleys that replaced them had none of those issues and were not limited by the need for rails. So NSLP could expand the service by stringing overhead lines, not digging up the streets to install rails.

I noticed an interesting sidebar "factoid" in The Coast this week. In 1944, NSL&Power's Tram system had 31 million annual riders vs. Metro Transit's 2011 ridership of ~23 million. Amazing as this was a system that would of had a fairly smaller geographic footprint than Metro Transit.

The peninsula must have been a very interesting place back then, with population density we can only hope to get back to.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

I noticed an interesting sidebar "factoid" in The Coast this week. In 1944, NSL&Power's Tram system had 31 million annual riders vs. Metro Transit's 2011 ridership of ~23 million. Amazing as this was a system that would of had a fairly smaller geographic footprint than Metro Transit.

The peninsula must have been a very interesting place back then, with population density we can only hope to get back to.

That ridership number was hugely inflated by the enormous war effort in Halifax. In 1935 there were less than 10 million riders annually, and before the depression somewhere around 12 million annually. It's also interesting to note that automobile competition was already becoming an issue by the 1920s: suburbs had stretched beyond a quick walk to the streetcar lines; ridership was falling; and parking downtown was becoming a big problem.

[kph06]

I’ve noticed a new billboard inbound on Barrington for either the Westwood or Westbrook on Duke. It looks like roughly 3 stories in the rendering and has the same logo as Duke Tower, so I am guessing it is an addition on the corner of Duke and Albemarle. There is nothing on Crombie’s website yet that I have found.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kph06

I’ve noticed a new billboard inbound on Barrington for either the Westwood or Westbrook on Duke. It looks like roughly 3 stories in the rendering and has the same logo as Duke Tower, so I am guessing it is an addition on the corner of Duke and Albemarle. There is nothing on Crombie’s website yet that I have found.

I wonder if they will fix up the street level facade of that corner if a new office building is built on top?

[bluenoser]

Originally Posted by someone123

I wonder if they will fix up the street level facade of that corner if a new office building is built on top?

That is currently a very strange corner so I really hope so. It seems to me that if they're going to go to the trouble of building there, they should go a lot higher than three stories. Maybe there are already (small) footings in place, or maybe it's too close to Citadel Hill - in spite of the apartments across the street.

[Northend Guy]

I was talking to the project manager that does most of the stuff for WM Properties (not to be confused with WM Fares). They are currently working on construction of their second building up on Bentley drive (the 'L' shaped ones on the corner). I was asking him what their next project will be. They expect to have the green light on their Young Street property (the strip mall that houses Pizza Hut) in the next couple of weeks (already have approval - he mentioned they are just sorting out a couple of odds & ends in the DA). He said that they don't have construction documents finalized yet, so the goal is to start construction next summer.

They are going for 17 floors (2 of which are commercial). Interestingly enough, the city asked them to go for 24, but due to some logistical issues related to parking, etc., they decided to stick to 17. It's nice to hear that the city has an appetite for taller in this area! Can't wait to see what the next 5 years brings to this area based on some of the other development rumors and proposals for the area.

[kph06]

I heard a rumor the site across from QEH and the Atlantica on Robie has sold. Hopefully we will finally see activity here. If the owner doesn't act fast those healthy shrubs may have a "friends" group protecting them.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kph06

I heard a rumor the site across from QEH and the Atlantica on Robie has sold. Hopefully we will finally see activity here. If the owner doesn't act fast those healthy shrubs may have a "friends" group protecting them.

That lot has been a disaster for a long time. I remember when the run-down houses on the site were torn down, around 1999 or so (they might have been condemned for a while -- not sure). There was some kind of highrise proposal immediately after the demolition that was dropped.

[DB15]

Originally Posted by kph06

I heard a rumor the site across from QEH and the Atlantica on Robie has sold. Hopefully we will finally see activity here. If the owner doesn't act fast those healthy shrubs may have a "friends" group protecting them.

Any idea who owned it or sold it to?

[Jstaleness]

That's a nice location for a mid-high rise. Atlantica next door and other medium buildings in the area. Good spot for 15-25 if you ask me.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Northend Guy

Interestingly enough, the city asked them to go for 24, but due to some logistical issues related to parking, etc., they decided to stick to 17.

This makes me smile Let's be optimistic about the city asking other developers of future proposals for this area to also 'go taller'!