[Dartmouth] Europa Tower | 85 m | 27 fl | Approved

[q12]

Third highrise at Mic Mac Mall awaits approvals

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1229998.html

By BILL POWER Business Reporter
Fri, Feb 25 - 4:55 AM

A third residential tower proposed for a site adjacent to the Mic Mac Mall is inching its way through the approval process.

"Things are proceeding but very slowly," Otto Gaspar, president of Can-Euro Investments Ltd., said Thursday.

He said he recently received environmental approval for the $30-million development that will be built south of the mall on a site that is currently home to a couple of residential towers called Horizon Court and The Summit.

His company has also begun work on a required development agreement with Halifax Regional Municipality, Gaspar said.

The agreement is needed because the density of the development slightly exceeds existing municipal guidelines, Geoff Keddy, the building’s architect, said.

"It’s very much a minor variance and we are not expecting any problems," he said.

Gaspar said getting approvals for the project could take all year.

"We hope to be in a position to begin construction next year, but this is all very much in the early stages," he said of the project.

The new development, Tower III, will be about 27 storeys. It will feature rental accommodations and commercial space on its first three floors.

The building will be curved to make maximum benefit of solar heat and will feature an internal floor plan providing most apartments with views of Halifax Harbour, Keddy said.

"We’ve not yet finalized all the design details, but we’re looking at the possibility of a coffee shop or atrium on the roof top with a garden as a common area for the building," he said.

The company hasn’t got the final costs for the building’s construction either, but "certainly, for a project of this magnitude ($30 million) would be a pretty accurate guess," Gaspar said.

Besides Horizon Court, which is 17 storeys, and The Summit, 19 storeys, Can-Euro Investments also owns Adriana Court and Garden Stone Estates near the Mic Mac Mall.

[Northend Guy]

Oh boy...Otto Gaspar...can't say too much, but lets just say I have worked for him in the past, and there is no way in hell we will be working with him again. He's the same cat that brought the 1st two concrete monoliths.

I hope I am wrong, but I highly doubt that the finished product will bear even a remote resemblance to what is shown in Geoff's rendering.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Northend Guy

Oh boy...Otto Gaspar...can't say too much, but lets just say I have worked for him in the past, and there is no way in hell we will be working with him again. He's the same cat that brought the 1st two concrete monoliths.

I hope I am wrong, but I highly doubt that the finished product will bear even a remote resemblance to what is shown in Geoff's rendering.

This is where typical development agreements fail the public. The agreements are concerned more with parking, setbacks, density, landscaping, timelines etc. and the look of the building falls through the cracks to the point where ugly Horizon 1&2 are allowed to be built. There must be more control on appearance and adhering to proposed materials. Often the agreement will be wide open and state things like the exterior may be curved with high quality glass or stone like material. This always means ugly crap like Horizon 1&2.

[Dmajackson]

Third Can-Euro highrise to be energy-efficient tower
Company president discusses vision for Dartmouth site
By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist
Fri, Mar 4 - 7:34 AM

OTTO GASPAR is reluctant to talk in detail about construction plans for a third residential highrise he plans to build next to Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth because he believes speculation about the 27-storey building is "a little premature."

"We will apply, we will make a pre-application hopefully next week and the process takes eight months, I’ve been told by the planning department. So the earliest possible to start would be next year," says Gaspar, president of Can-Euro Investments Ltd.

Can-Euro was recently given environmental approval for the proposed $30-million building to be located on Horizon Court next to the company’s 18-storey Horizon Estates and 17-storey Summit.

Can-Euro also owns low-rise rental developments in the vicinity —GardenStone Estates and Adriana Court on the other side of the mall, a stone’s throw from Lake Banook.

"I have the land, it’s a nice building, we hardly have any vacancies, not many, so it’s a good market," Gaspar told me during a conversation Thursday.

Can-Euro is beginning the process of negotiating a development agreement with the city. That’s because the new building exceeds the current density plan for the area, but Gaspar says his building is the type of development the city is looking for. Its location next to the mall also means there is plenty of access to public transit.

The new structure is temporarily called Tower III but he says it will be given "a good name" before it is completed.

"From when you start next year — in the spring, let us assume — it takes two years and nobody should tell me it’s less. And this only if nothing happens," says the veteran developer, who calls South Tyrol, a German-speaking region of northern Italy, his home.

"I have no objection (to Nova Scotia), you have a nice winter, but I am an old man and you can’t transplant an old tree," he says.

If everything goes as planned, the third highrise might not be the last development on the site. Gaspar says he has room for another 100 units, more or less, depending on how negotiations go with the city planning department. That building would be totally separate from highrises and would probably not be more than five storeys in height.

"That’s totally down the road and I haven’t made any decisions in this respect," he says.

It’s a good concept, he says of the design for his new highrise. The site is like a triangle, which opens up to the south to take advantage of the sun and the view of the harbour.

Designed by Halifax architect Geoff Keddy and Associates, the building’s south-facing view has a practical side too. That side of the tower will be mostly glass to maximize the positive effect of passive solar heat, while the north side of the building will have fewer windows.

Solar heat will be used to provide in-floor radiant heating for the building, as well as to heat water. And during the warm summer months, balconies that wrap around the south side are designed to provide shade to help keep the apartments cool.

Gaspar says that from his experience, highrise-buildings are usually energy efficient because one apartment is heating another and the heat is travelling up.

"I don’t think that’s our problem. It is heat-efficient."

Can-Euro has been developing properties in Dartmouth for 25 years. Gaspar’s interest in Nova Scotia began when he and a Canadian friend teamed up on a property development in Ottawa, but he says his friend always wanted to start a project back home in Nova Scotia.

About half of his tenants are former homeowners who have decided to downsize. But not by too much. Gaspar says his building is offering 1,500 square feet of net rentable space, "which seems to be what people are looking for.

"That’s my market; I don’t build the small apartments."

[worldlyhaligonian]

How long before we hear the screams of "its too tall"... "it will disrupt the ecosystem of the lake"... "think of the children!"

[sdm]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

How long before we hear the screams of "its too tall"... "it will disrupt the ecosystem of the lake"... "think of the children!"

I doubt you will hear much to be honest as developments outside the core are more or less not subjected to the b.s. on height.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by sdm

I doubt you will hear much to be honest as developments outside the core are more or less not subjected to the b.s. on height.

Well, the towers proposed nearby at the lake got a ton of criticism.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Well, the towers proposed nearby at the lake got a ton of criticism.

I think people are more pretective of Lake Banook than Mic Mac Mall or the swamp near this site. If I remember correctly a big argument against the Lake Banook buildings were the effect they would have on wind currents down the lake. It's somewhat resonable since it's now considered a world class facility.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by kph06

I think people are more pretective of Lake Banook than Mic Mac Mall or the swamp near this site. If I remember correctly a big argument against the Lake Banook buildings were the effect they would have on wind currents down the lake. It's somewhat resonable since it's now considered a world class facility.

thats the reason for that area, but highly doubt that will be an issue with this respective site.

There are only two things i can think of that might see the height reduced is the developer decides to reduce it, or the density of the site exceeds HRM's allowable amount. Its more likely that the former rather then later would be the case.

anyhow, excellent design and will be a welcome addition to the skyline. To bad we could get a building like this downtown.

[TheNovaScotian]

I was sitting at the mall waiting the other day wondering why on the backside of the mall near the new bus terminal no one ever thought of adding a residential tower connected directly to the mall and a garage where the bay parking is now, hopefully being able to effectively stretch the mall closer to this development and the others already there because people that i know that live there usually take their car to go shopping, call them what you will but I'm guessing they are the norm and would it not be smart to connect a few of these dots with something, not really a pedway but to expand the mall in the direction of this large population base plus if they built a parking garage it would free up chunks of their parking lot to redevelopment like the lot fronting the 118 anyways just a thought.
this is my 2nd posting and just wondered what all the diehards think about it

[Jonovision]

Originally Posted by TheNovaScotian

I was sitting at the mall waiting the other day wondering why on the backside of the mall near the new bus terminal no one ever thought of adding a residential tower connected directly to the mall and a garage where the bay parking is now, hopefully being able to effectively stretch the mall closer to this development and the others already there because people that i know that live there usually take their car to go shopping, call them what you will but I'm guessing they are the norm and would it not be smart to connect a few of these dots with something, not really a pedway but to expand the mall in the direction of this large population base plus if they built a parking garage it would free up chunks of their parking lot to redevelopment like the lot fronting the 118 anyways just a thought.
this is my 2nd posting and just wondered what all the diehards think about it

Thanks for posting
I've often thought it would be nice for MicMac to gradually fill in their parking lots with residential development. Build parking underground or a parkade or two and line everything with the shops from the mall. Gradually turning the mall inside out into a walkable mix used neighbourhood that could blend in better with the surrounding residential.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by TheNovaScotian

I was sitting at the mall waiting the other day wondering why on the backside of the mall near the new bus terminal no one ever thought of adding a residential tower connected directly to the mall and a garage where the bay parking is now, hopefully being able to effectively stretch the mall closer to this development and the others already there because people that i know that live there usually take their car to go shopping, call them what you will but I'm guessing they are the norm and would it not be smart to connect a few of these dots with something, not really a pedway but to expand the mall in the direction of this large population base plus if they built a parking garage it would free up chunks of their parking lot to redevelopment like the lot fronting the 118 anyways just a thought.
this is my 2nd posting and just wondered what all the diehards think about it

I think its pretty smart, I would like to see more towers around MicMac and for the mall to offer more in the way of professional services like doctors, dentists, etc... Pedways would be super cool.

This whole big parking lots model is so flawed... Lets build on these lots and underground any spaces!

[TheNovaScotian]

I appreciate the feedback the other post i made was drowned out in the stadium thread
There already are some of those professional services like the dental clinic but you probably would have problems getting a clinic in there due to the Woodlawn Medical Clinic moving into their new digs on main street but you never know
I did not take the idea past the basics but yes i agree Jono that having that area as a mixed use neighborhood instead of a winter doughnut drivers heaven would be more efficient use of land that might have been on the fringes 10 years ago but now is right in the middle of DC, the high end homes down on the lake and Crichton Park and any residential development would only strengthen Mic Mac's position and plus anything would be more inviting than the rusted retaining wall fronting the *111 if that parking lot was deemed surplus after a large modern parking garage was built.

[Dmajackson]

There was a small tidbit about this project in a Chronicle Herald article today. Apparently this will be going to Harbour East Community Council in a few weeks for approval!

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

There was a small tidbit about this project in a Chronicle Herald article today. Apparently this will be going to Harbour East Community Council in a few weeks for approval!

This is good news. The area around Mic Mac is developing quite nicely and could easily become a TOD (Transit Oriented Development) area for an LRT stop.

It also sets up Mic Mac so that if the mall starts to see a decline, it could become something more. For instance adding offices to the mall (say a 5 or 6 storey office tower). The fact a major transit terminal is there, helps a lot.

[JET]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

This is good news. The area around Mic Mac is developing quite nicely and could easily become a TOD (Transit Oriented Development) area for an LRT stop.

It also sets up Mic Mac so that if the mall starts to see a decline, it could become something more. For instance adding offices to the mall (say a 5 or 6 storey office tower). The fact a major transit terminal is there, helps a lot.

Then we could call it 'East End Mall'

[worldlyhaligonian]

Although West End mall is certainly dead (mainly professional offices) the Sobey's, Winners, Walmart and other stores do really well because of the Mumford "terminal". HSC appears to be still alive.

I think with more people, Mic Mac will be the eastern HSC... I feel like BL is the DC of Dartmouth, but won't kill Mic Mac. Is maybe Penhorn maybe the East End Mall given its similar fate?

[someone123]

It seems really common for the more upscale regional malls (HSC, Mic Mac) to do well while the local/discount malls (Downsview, Penhorn) have been pushed out of business by the big box stores.

It makes a lot of sense. A big Wal-Mart probably offers about as much as a little mall did in the 1970s, but if you're going through a bunch of clothing stores you don't want to be driving all over Bayers Lake.

[Dmajackson]

No link available yet but there is a PIM scheduled for this proposal;

Wed, 7 September, 19:00 – 21:00
60 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth NS
(Alderney Gate Library, Helen Creighton Room)

Case 17143 - Application by Geoff Keddy, for lands of Can-Euro Investments, to enter into a development agreement for a 27-storey residential building with office and commercial space on the first 3 floors. The subject property is located at the corner of Mic Mac Boulevard and Horizon Court, Dartmouth.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

No link available yet but there is a PIM scheduled for this proposal;

Wed, 7 September, 19:00 – 21:00
60 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth NS
(Alderney Gate Library, Helen Creighton Room)

Case 17143 - Application by Geoff Keddy, for lands of Can-Euro Investments, to enter into a development agreement for a 27-storey residential building with office and commercial space on the first 3 floors. The subject property is located at the corner of Mic Mac Boulevard and Horizon Court, Dartmouth.

Bump ...

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