[Halifax] The Alexander | 65 m | 24 fl | Completed - Page 23

ILoveHalifax · #**441** Posted **Aug 13, 2015, 4:18 PM**

Wow ! ! !
That is amazing that they could clear a parking lot in just 3 days

counterfactual · #**442** Posted **Aug 13, 2015, 7:24 PM**

*sings*

It's the development that never enddddds.
It just goes on and on my frienddddds.

Sing it with me, everyone!

David1gray · #**443** Posted **Aug 13, 2015, 9:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by counterfactual

*sings*

It's the development that never enddddds.
It just goes on and on my frienddddds.

Sing it with me, everyone!

Great, now that is stuck in my head. Thanks

fenwick16 · #**444** Posted **Aug 14, 2015, 12:37 AM**

Killam Properties doesn't seem to be promoting the tower with revised renderings (they aren't available on the internet that I know of). This is likely because the tower will be rental units as opposed to condos and there is no need to pre-sell units.

Once construction starts, I assume they will have a billboard showing the tower (hopefully).

counterfactual · #**445** Posted **Aug 14, 2015, 3:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by David1gray

Great, now that is stuck in my head. Thanks

Welcome.

Dmajackson · #**446** Posted **Aug 14, 2015, 7:53 PM**

Bishop Street sidewalk and an encroachment permit has been issued.

Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

counterfactual · #**447** Posted **Aug 14, 2015, 8:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Bishop Street sidewalk and an encroachment permit has been issued.

Hmm...

someone123 · #**448** Posted **Aug 15, 2015, 4:02 AM**

Not sure if the plans have changed at all but the 2008 reports called for the tower footprint to cover only part of the lot. There was to be a small lane off of Bishop Street and then the Hollis Street front would be a subsequent phase.

I guess it makes sense to fence the whole thing off, whether or not the intent is to start the Hollis Street portion at the same time.

Nouvellecosse · #**449** Posted **Aug 15, 2015, 5:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

I think the proposal is in a bit of a time warp stylistically. It was proposed around 2003 and this material still looks dated. It's not clear that the end product is going to conform to the renderings though. I'd say the opposite is more common in Halifax; developers tend to come up with final drawings that are very different from early renderings.

On the net positive side this is one of the ugliest parking lots downtown. It'll be hard to build something that looks worse.

You're right. I will be thrilled to see this lot built up.

Jonovision · #**450** Posted **Aug 17, 2015, 10:52 PM**

Not the best quality as my phone sucks at night time pictures. But this shows the new lighting scheme on Keith's Hall.

Keith P. · #**451** Posted **Aug 18, 2015, 1:48 AM**

I'm sure it won't be long before the Ecology Action Center or other enviro-loons decry the effect of the electricity consumption on global warming, light pollution of the night sky or other calamitous results.

Jonovision · #**452** Posted **Aug 26, 2015, 5:45 PM**

Construction in full swing.

someone123 · #**453** Posted **Aug 26, 2015, 6:49 PM**

I remember seeing renderings when this was first proposed around 2003 or so. It is interesting how most developments in Halifax do seem to happen eventually even though it can take many years. There are definitely some developments that have been proposed and cancelled (Salter is probably the biggest), but for the most part they have been built more or less as planned (well, usually less; it's very common for a few floors to be lopped off).

ScovaNotian · #**454** Posted **Aug 26, 2015, 9:06 PM**

There are two slides toward the end of this that suggest that this will be built in two phases.

fenwick16 · #**455** Posted **Aug 26, 2015, 9:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScovaNotian

There are two slides toward the end of this that suggest that this will be built in two phases.

Nice find ScovaNotion. I have been periodically looking for a large rendering for a couple of months now (Jonovision had posted a smaller version a while ago).

The development agreement also shows it as being build in two phases, with the second phase yet to be designed. Luckily the tower is Phase I. (actually in the development agreement, Killam's phase 2 is shown as phase III, which is the last yet to be designed phase, and Killam's phase 1 (Alexander tower) was phase II, since Salters Gates was phase I but it was built by Halkirk before Killam became involved - http://www.halifax.ca/council/agenda...0909ca1114.pdf)

The rendering below is from the document that you provided a link to in your post - https://www.killamproperties.com/sit...ck%20Final.pdf

terrynorthend · #**456** Posted **Aug 28, 2015, 6:39 PM**

Lots more excavation on site today. This thread may need to be changed to U/C!

fenwick16 · #**457** Posted **Aug 28, 2015, 9:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Lots more excavation on site today. This thread may need to be changed to U/C!

These are exciting times for the city of Halifax.

Will there be enough people to fill all the apartments/condos under construction and planned for the downtown core; I hope so. The downtown core will be a much more vibrant area during the day and at night with all the people who will be living there.

teddifax · #**458** Posted **Aug 28, 2015, 11:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

These are exciting times for the city of Halifax.

Will there be enough people to fill all the apartments/condos under construction and planned for the downtown core; I hope so. The downtown core will be a much more vibrant area during the day and at night with all the people who will be living there.

YEEHAH, bring them all on..... can't wait to see the new skyline in a few years!

someone123 · #**459** Posted **Aug 29, 2015, 3:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Will there be enough people to fill all the apartments/condos under construction and planned for the downtown core; I hope so. The downtown core will be a much more vibrant area during the day and at night with all the people who will be living there.

These new buildings are going to have a huge impact. Bishop's Landing was pretty transformative for that stretch of the waterfront and it has slightly fewer units than the Alexander. I think the Alexander, Maple, and Roy are each going have a similar localized impact on their blocks. The 3 buildings combined have about 700 units, which could translate into over 1,000 new residents.

The two downtown census tracts these buildings fall in have a population of only around 5,000 people (0008 and 0009, Cogswell to Morris). They grew from 4,000 people in 2001 to 4,750 people in 2011 (these are uncorrected census counts, so the true value is a bit higher). 1,000 new people is a big change in terms of density.

Density calculations would be interesting but they're not very meaningful because some census tracts include industrial land, large parks, etc. I think the densest tract in Halifax might be 0004.02, which is just below South Street and east of Robie. It has 4,649 residents in 0.49 square kilometres. This works out to 9,500 people per square kilometre. Paris (city) is about 21,000 per square kilometre. Of course, that's also a city-wide average, not an average for one little area. Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough is around 12,600. Still, parts of peninsular Halifax have densities characteristic of medium-sized cities and I think this is a big driving force behind the vibrancy of the city. If the downtown census tracts had population densities of 10,000 per square kilometre instead of 5,000 per square kilometre they would be more active. They are heading in that direction with the new construction that is happening.

counterfactual · #**460** Posted **Aug 30, 2015, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Will there be enough people to fill all the apartments/condos under construction and planned for the downtown core; I hope so. The downtown core will be a much more vibrant area during the day and at night with all the people who will be living there.

I think so. The usual suspects continually underestimate the demand for nice, modern, downtown residential. Boomers are retiring and are abandoning the suburbs. Echo Boomers don't like living in the suburbs. Halifax is not immune to the stay demographic forces felt elsewhere.

Build it and they will come. Just watch.