Wednesday: Public information meeting, 7 p.m. in Queen Elizabeth High School cafeteria to view an application by United Gulf Developments Ltd. for a mixed-use development of the former TexPark site located at the block bounded by Granville, Sackville, Hollis and Salter streets in Halifax.

By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER / City Hall Reporter

Two developments that will bring thousands of people to suburban Dartmouth and downtown Halifax will be unveiled for the first time this week.

Clayton Developments' proposal for the west side of Russell Lake in Dartmouth - offering mixed residential and big box stores - will be shown to the public at a meeting tonight.

As well, the twin 27-storey towers of United Gulf's TexPark proposal for Halifax will be trotted out for public viewing on Wednesday.

The downtown development, located between Granville and Hollis streets at Sackville, follows the current trend of putting people closer to the business core, the area councillor said Sunday.

"People these days want to live on the peninsula," Coun. Dawn Sloane said of the district, currently home to about 55,000 people.

"And right now, we seem to have quite the boom going on."

She said downtown construction of rental and properties for sale is on the rise. "It looks like it's going to be a good infusion of people that will help keep the businesses alive in the downtown and probably attract more to come back to the downtown."

The United Gulf proposal would see a double tower being built over the property, which has been vacant since the TexPark garage was demolished last fall.

One tower would be a hotel accessed by Hollis Street. The other proposes residential condominiums and commercial space to be entered by Granville Street.

The main base bridging the two towers would house a lobby and a restaurant for the hotel.

"There are wonderful businesses on Granville Street . . . they're gems," Coun. Sloane said.

"I think it will be great to have those best-kept secrets near new residential areas."

A plan by Shaw-owned Clayton Developments proposes a 40-hectare development of single-family homes, multi-units and a large commercial business park to be located on the west side of Russell Lake in Dartmouth.

It's part of a larger, 485-hectare development, which will stretch around the west side of Morris and Russell lakes.

The Clayton proposal has not stirred exceptional community interest, says Portland-East Woodlawn councillor Bill Karsten.

Compared to the proposed interchange next to Shubie Park at Highway 118 - which has spurred residents to sign petitions and form citizens groups united in opposition - the councillor says he's received relatively few inquiries about the development.

"I think what's important to point out is that . . . staff has spent a number of years studying the potential for development in HRM," he said in an interview.

Recently, the area - and a proposal for a 266-hectare mixed commercial-residential project called Bedford South by the same developer - was ranked highest among 10 possible areas for future development in the municipality.

That's because it has access to transportation, as well as water and sewer capabilities for new residents.

The councillor said there are also safeguards in place for the lakes, around which the development will be located.

"When I look at the proposal, and I've read it thoroughly, I do believe the principles are in place to protect the lakes," Coun. Karsten said.

"And I do want to make sure that we have the proper enforcement to nip any potential problem with environmental issues regarding the lake in the bud."

Part of the success in planning the development can be attributed to a citizens group that has been meeting since the late 1990s.

"They've been going for years," he said about the Morris-Russell Lake public participation committee.

The main committee, as well as a second subcommittee, are both meeting this week.

I did'nt expect to see you here Ryan!

Hahah and who may you be skyscraper_1?? I'm guessing I know you from one of the many other forums i frequent. Hardy Palms for the Northeast maybe?

Here's what we can expect to see:



http://www.herald.ns.ca/2005/01/19/photos/1022.jpg

I love these tower so much!

I attended the meeting last night and the architect was extremely passionate about this project. It was very refreshing! :)

This sure looks like an exciting development; here's another article I found about it from The Daily News:

"Thursday, January 20, 2005
Towers, with a twist
By Shaune MacKinlay

Two downtown towers proposed for the former TexPark site on Granville Street turn slightly as they rise. (Submitted)

Siamak Hariri, the respected Toronto architect behind a bold two-tower highrise proposed for a key downtown Halifax site, says he set out to design something “the world might notice.”
Unveiled to the public last night by proponent United Gulf Developments Ltd., the design had some metro residents wondering aloud if the 27-storey, twisted glass structure is a bit too twisted for a city that trades largely on a past with more traditional notions of architecture.

“This is a big change in what was described as a fuddy-duddy old city,” said south-end resident Hugh Pullen. “And I’m one of the fuddy-duddies.”

About 80 people came out to Queen Elizabeth High School to get a look at United Gulf’s great hopes for the site of the former TexPark at 1591 Granville St.

Like nothing Halifax has seen before, the proposal met with a mix of skepticism and praise.

“I think you’ve come up with something that is truly a 21st-century building and it will be overdue when it finally hits the ground,” said central Halifax resident Mick Owen.

Part hotel, part condo, part retail and restaurant space, the project includes two towers perched atop a common low-rise base. Nearly the entire face of the structure is glass, with a transparent base that allows people to see clean through to the other side.

Inspired by such varied images as sails in the wind and Gustav Klimt’s famous The Kiss painting of a man bending forward to embrace a woman, the buildings are designed to play off each other.

Looking upward, the narrow hotel tower includes a noticeable twist, while the condo tower appears to curve away from and then toward its partner.

“The geometries of the buildings are constantly changing,” Hariri said.

At an estimated cost of $140 million to $150 million, the project will be the largest structure built in the downtown in the past 20 years, said United Gulf president Navid Saberi. Hariri credited the developer with pushing for a “spectacular” design.

While downtown resident Heather Turnaway was happy to see such “great aspirations,” Clayton Park resident Ron Schofield said it might prove a bad fit. “I think it would be a great addition to any city, just not Halifax,” he said.

Halifax Regional Municipality staff will now take a detailed look at the proposal and send it to the city’s planning and heritage advisory committees for an opinion.

Wind, shadow, and traffic studies will also be required before the project comes before Halifax regional council, likely in about six months time."

"TOWER SPECS:
Location: Former TexPark site at 1591 Granville St.
Proponent: United Gulf Developments Ltd.
Architect: Hariri Pontarini.
Estimated cost: $140 to $150 million.
Height: Two towers, 27 storeys each.
Retail: 27,000 square feet.
Office space: 40,000 square feet.
Hotel: 260 rooms.
Condos: 250 units (approx.)."

- Let them build modern architecture, or the 19th Century will have been more progressive than the present one.

Hope it goes up, would be a great addition to Halifax's skyline!

LOL! After 6 months someone finally cares. Oh boy, maybe they'll build something in Atlantic Canada. I think they have a "boom" on their hands.

thanks, oceanmdx. that was totally necessary.

it could have been that everything had already been said, and that someone new noticed it 6 months later and liked the way it looked...

but more likely we're just a bunch of backwards welfare cases who never do anything interesting. my bad.

geez...you make one little comment......sorry I took some interest in Atlantic Canada developments. Had I know it would generate such sarcasm I would have kept my mouth shut.

LOL! I was just funnin'. This section of the forum needs some Geritol.

- and Atlantic Canada needs some immigration.

Try not to feed the troll. He thrives on attention.

thanks, oceanmdx. that was totally necessary.

it could have been that everything had already been said, and that someone new noticed it 6 months later and liked the way it looked...

but more likely we're just a bunch of backwards welfare cases who never do anything interesting. my bad.

If you have a bunch of backward welfare cases just pass a law saying they can only receive their monthly cheques if they live in a highrise. The ensuing building boom will rival Toronto's, and this part of the forum will come alive. ;)

:jk:

All that aside, has anyone heard anything new on this?

All that aside, has anyone heard anything new on this?

Nothing at all :sleepy:

It is grinding its way through the approval process. I'm guessing that they're consulting with city staff and maybe negotiating with a hotel chain for the hotel component. It is the same for any project in practically any city (including a whole bunch of projects I know of in Vancouver).

We probably won't hear anything about it until there's another public meeting or it goes to council.

thats the problem with good projects, they drag thier ass like a dog on a new carpet . :)

We need to build these towers and start to grow in Atlantic Canada, we've been far behind the rest of this country for far too long. While we're at it, lets build a new metro centre and stadium complex. If we build these towers and more building, we can show to the rest of Canada that we're more than just fishermen and boatbuilders like they think we are.

you mean there is still nothing happening with this?

Its going through city council now

March 8, 2006 - The Daily News

Tower fate up in air
By Stephen Bornais

CITY HALL - The public has had its say, and now it is up to the politicians to decide whether downtown Halifax looks to the past or the future for its identity.

After nearly eight hours of public hearings spread over two days, the ball has been passed to regional council, who now must decide the fate of a $150-million development proposed for the old Tex Park site.

The public hearing actually started last Tuesday, but so many people signed up to speak - 87 in all - that council was forced to spread the hearing over two of its regular sessions.

Citizens from across the municipality were there to again argue the merits of United Gulf Developments' plan to build a pair of 27-storey twisting towers that would house a hotel, condos and commercial space.

Opponents claim the buildings will overwhelm surrounding heritage properties and block harbour views from Citadel Hill.

Supporters - and there were a surprising number of them - say the project will bring much needed investment and people to the downtown.

Those arguments were repeated last night, with the speakers almost evenly split between yeas and nays.

Speaking against the towers, former HRM councillor Graham Read said council should not choose a lesser evil to stop a great one.

"We can reduce (urban) sprawl without bastardizing our downtown," he said.

Some suggested United Gulf simply lop off a few storeys to make the towers more acceptable to opponents. Easier said than done, according to company president Navid Saberi.

"The building works with a certain height, with a certain scale," he said.

Speaking in support of the project, Greg Beaulieu said the city will remain "stuck in a time warp" if it rejects the project.

"I don't want downtown Halifax to become a movie set or a Victorian theme park," he said.

Council still has to finish hearing presentations on wind and shadow studies done on the project before it starts its own debate. That will not happen until at least March 21, when council comes back from its March break.

South End Coun. Sue Uteck said the blizzard of information and opinion is making the decision harder.

"It does make it more difficult, but I'm absolutely thrilled with the level of debate."

sbornais@hfxnews.ca

This is a great article!

Twisted design - The Coast, March 9. 2006

A pair of proposed towers have divided public opinion about the future of downtown Halifax. Lis van Berkel seeks out some professional opinions.

What stops Halifax architects Craig Mosher and Niall Savage from embracing heritage defenders is bigger than the chain-link fence that surrounds the Texpark site on Hollis and Sackville Streets; it's their imaginations.

As modernist architects, both put function before form. They prefer straight lines. They emphasize shape, light and transparency before things like the decorative window frames we see on the nineteenth-century Barrington Street buildings.

Mosher's tallest design is Stadacona, the 13-storey Officers' Quarters Building near the Macdonald bridge, says the WHW Architects designer. He's currently working on the new medium-rise Life Sciences Research Institute at Dalhousie University sited for the old Grace Memorial Hospital lot—which happens to be adjacent to the Tupper Medical Building, 16 floors of wind-tunnelling mass built in 1967.

Savage, who teaches at Dalhousie's School of Architecture and runs his own office out of the Roy Building on Barrington, is known within Halifax for designing The Music Room, an exquisite small performance space on Lady Hammond Road, and the Creighton-Gerrish Development housing project off Gottingen Street.

Both architects choose their words carefully. They want to see a beautiful modernist building built here, and they are cautiously—and deeply, one senses—optimistic about the 27-storey, two-tower Hariri Pontarini design. Like many of its supporters, they use the word "elegant" to describe the Toronto firm's work.

"It seems like an honest, elegant effort," says Mosher of the "twisted towers"—the moniker which media and critics have used to describe the proposal.

Savage points to the firm's Toronto housing and campus projects—work of a similar scale to his own—and to their National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais in Santiago, Chile: "They're good architects, so they're going render this thing in a very elegant way. And I like the way they're not just making this your basic shard in the sky. And that they're really concerned about what's going on at the street."

Steeling himself against the cold on the corner of Sackville and Granville Streets on Friday, Mosher agrees that the plinth-and-pedestal base in the proposed design will allow pedestrians to experience the building like a shorter, four-storey structure—although Mosher makes it clear that his opinion is not necessarily the same as his employer's. Mosher contrasts that with a two-storey, stepped-back section of the Centennial Building across the street: "Now that's quite clumsy looking, but it's a buffer. And it's classic solution to the wind problem—the wind gets pulled back up instead of down along the street." Mosher believes that downtown Halifax already has a wind problem.

The towers' design includes a two-storey canopied hotel entrance on Hollis, two-storey retail windows on Sackville and shops, a restaurant, and condo and office entrances on Granville; all are treatments intended to soften the street-level experience of the buildings.

So what are our local precedents for tall buildings? The Tupper was once the tallest, but it's only half the height of Halifax's most scorned high-rise, Fenwick Tower. Tall buildings have inched their way up in the downtown, starting in 1929 with the 13-storey Dominion Public Building, a modern classical design, and moving on to a spate of yet taller buildings—although not until forty years later: 1967's Centennial Building, just 14 storeys; the 17-storey Bank of Montreal in 1971; the 5770 Spring Garden Road high rise apartments in 1975 and the Aliant Building in 1977, both 20 storeys; and the 22-storey Purdy's Wharf 2 and 1801 Hollis Street, both built in the mid-1980s.

"Twenty years is too long between tall buildings," insists Mosher. "This building would be a foil to the low-rises that exist already down here. If there's no rhythm in character and form, that's dangerous. To mimic old buildings is just patronizing."

Savage uses even stronger words: "To keep all the buildings at 40 feet is killing the place." He points out that in the nineteenth century, four-storey buildings were consistent with the economic and technical possibilities—there were, for example, no elevators.

At last Tuesday night's city council meeting, the second part of a public hearing on the United Gulf Developments proposal, Savage is most convinced by a photocopied panoramic picture of the Halifax skyline. The superimposed towers, a mirage-like insertion, appear to blend in well: "It's not that tall," Savage declares. "This is the most convincing thing—the fact that it won't stand out from the rest of downtown's tall buildings. That it's part of the fabric of downtown."

Savage grimaces when one of the critics—who outnumbered the project's supporters on Tuesday—invites United Gulf to move the design to Kempt Road, where it wouldn't interfere with the view from Citadel Hill. "The problem with modernism is just that portability," says Savage. "Design became so abstract that it could just go anywhere. A post-modern design like [Hariri Pontarini's] is conceived with the site in mind."

That post-modern sensibility is also the source of the twists, which Savage explains as another way of tricking the eye into seeing the building as a penetrable mass.

Hariri Pontarini Architects prides itself, according to its website, on "producing designs that use an open collaborative process, intensive research, sensitivity to site, a dedication to detail and craftsmanship and an emphasis on enduring materials. [Our] work reflects an evolving philosophy that celebrates light and colour, material and texture, and sophisticated relationships to landscape and complex urban conditions."

Mosher pushes that relationship a step farther: "Why are tall buildings beautiful? The Eiffel Tower. The Chrysler Building. Because we're motivated by what we see in nature. By the mountains, by incredibly tall trees like the sequoias." At more than 300 feet, west coast sequoias are even taller than Purdys Wharf 2.

The Texpark site, so named because of the garage and crumbling parkade that used to be there, is a "brown field" site in LEED's books—according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the international green consensus-based standard for developing sustainable buildings, renewing it will earn the architects LEED certification points, a designation which provides incentive to build.

For Mosher, the building would be a tangible improvement on the downtown. "Look around you," he says, casting an eye back up the street. "There is so much here that's derelict." He gestures past the Chronicle-Herald building, which will likely be redeveloped—the block-sized structure went up for sale earlier this year—and at the parking lot where the Midtown tower was rejected by city council.

"And it's not like [United Gulf Developments is] proposing to build on top of Citadel Hill," says Mosher. "And they're not tearing anything down." Gazing across the rock-filled pit, he wonders of the heritage defenders: "Just what do they think they want to protect here? If the Citadel, the thing that gave Halifax its birth, ends up being the thing that kills us, it will be an incredible irony."

City council will begin formal discussion of United Gulf Developments' proposal on March 21.

Unfortunately Linda Mosher probably isn't going to be there on the 21st, which sucks because she seemed to be in favour of the development. This also means that Patrick Murphy will be the best-looking person in the room :tongue3:

edit: oops, forgot about the clerk. :)

The Globe and Mail - March 6, 2006

Contested twin towers draw student support
In an old city, young people see project as progress

PETER MOREIRA
A 27-storey twin-tower development in downtown Halifax has become the flashpoint in the dispute between a group demanding the city's architectural heritage be preserved and another demanding it be allowed to evolve.

After an overflowing public hearing ran out of time last week, the Halifax Regional Council will reconvene tomorrow night to hear further submissions on whether United Gulf Development Ltd. can build its $150-million, 285-feet-tall hotel and condo project. The council is expected to vote late tomorrow night on the twisted glass towers.

For decades, development proposals in Halifax have been scrutinized to ensure they did not adversely affect cherished old buildings, such as Historic Properties, where privateers stashed their booty in the War of 1812, or Keith's Brewery, where Alexander Keith started brewing his famous ale in 1820.

Usually the debate weighs the need to preserve the city's history with the need to develop its economy. But the United Gulf debate has a new dimension: Students and other young people are supporting the project, saying it is a sign they can participate in the city's future.

"For people my age, it is a symbol that this is a progressive city and we can plan to stay here," said Aaron Murnaghan, 23. "I would love to stay here."

Daniel Rossignol, a Dalhousie University student originally from Haiti, said: "This project is a great stimulant for international students. It is a symbol that we are welcome here."

As the home of five universities, Halifax has a large student population but suffers a perennial problem of students having to travel west to find jobs once they graduate. Mr. Murnaghan said the United Gulf development not only symbolizes progress in the city but would also mark the evolution of Halifax architecture.

Siamak Hariri, of the Toronto firm Hariri Pontarini Architects, which worked with city planners for two years on the design, told the regional council he hoped the buildings would become a new architectural icon for the city.

The twin towers would be built a block and a half from the waterfront and include a four-storey podium containing commercial space. On top of this would be two twisting towers -- a thin hotel and a larger condo tower. Though it abuts only the back of one building with a heritage designation, the project would be within a city block of Keith's Brewery and the Halifax Club, which dates to 1862.

The towers would stand just outside the view planes -- bands of the downtown where high-rise development is prohibited to preserve the views of Halifax Harbour from Citadel Hill. Yet it is the development's impact on the 150-year-old granite fortress that particularly upsets heritage groups.

"We have already been blessed with icons," Howard Epstein, an NDP member of the provincial legislature, told more than 250 people at the public meeting. "The things that make Halifax recognizable, geology has given us. We don't need anything replacing the Citadel as our iconic focus."

The top of the development would be almost flush with the fortress. The city's planning staff, which said the tower would not be visible from within the fortress itself, has approved the project, though the municipal heritage committee is opposed to it.

Opponents say the building offends other portions of the municipal development strategy, such as the requirement that buildings step down to the waterfront.

"The problem with high-rise for me is the buildings have no character once you get past the windows at street level," said Alan Ruffman, a civic activist who successfully appealed three high-rise proposals in the 1980s. He said he is concerned about the wind and shadow effects of the project, which he referred to as "the twisted sisters."

He added that if this project is approved, developers will build towers of similar scale nearby. Another company, Midtown Development Group, has already appealed a ruling barring the construction of a 17-storey hotel planned for the site of the Midtown Tavern, one of the city's oldest sports bars. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal is set to hear that case in May.

Unfortunately Linda Mosher probably isn't going to be there on the 21st, which sucks because she seemed to be in favour of the development.

That is too bad, I sat behind her at the public hearing and I really liked her, she seemed to be really annoyed with the rest of the councillor's. I really hope city council votes in favor, and that they don't lose on an appeal to the province.

"And it's not like [United Gulf Developments is] proposing to build on top of Citadel Hill," says Mosher. "And they're not tearing anything down." Gazing across the rock-filled pit, he wonders of the heritage defenders: "Just what do they think they want to protect here? If the Citadel, the thing that gave Halifax its birth, ends up being the thing that kills us, it will be an incredible irony."

This quote sums up my view point clearly. What are they defending? If you look around the downtown you see holes were potental heritage properties once stood. Yet they go after projects that clearly enhance the skyline and cityscape. Also cited is the citadel, i never understood the big fuss about it and i certainly never understood the need for view planes. Heritage defenders act like the citadel and its view is sacred. I am all for protecting the citatel itself, but it crosses a line when it starts to interfere with the future direction of the city. The citadel should work for the city - not the other way around.

so i see someone posted a rendering of it earlier in the topic but it's not working now. anyone have a copy of it to post in here?

so i see someone posted a rendering of it earlier in the topic but it's not working now. anyone have a copy of it to post in here?

http://www.unitedgulf.ca/images/building/7.jpg

http://www.unitedgulf.ca/images/building/1.jpg

http://web.mac.com/scott_marquardt/iWeb/Site/Halifax_files/UnitedGulf.jpg

I am all for protecting the citatel itself, but it crosses a line when it starts to interfere with the future direction of the city.

Personally I really love the Citadel, during the summers I always make a habit of walking up to watch the sunset (a view that won't be blocked by this development!). However all this talk about "protecting" it really upsets me, it's not being threatened! I love walking up Citadel Hill, I love the view, and I think it will only be improved by the development. I guess it's a different frame of mind, to me beautiful views are those of contrast. For instance I love Central Park, it's this huge patch of wildnerness in the middle of an urban jungle, I think it's incredible.

Oh and did anyone hear the guy at the public hearing comparing the Citadel to Mont Royal in Montreal? He basically said Mont Royal has a great view, you can see the whole city from it, but it's much taller than the Citadel. He was arguing that since the Citadel is much shorter, all the buildings downtown should be short and stumpy so you could see the roofs of them. Where is the logic there?

Those are really unique buildings offering something special in design. Hope Halifax builds them.

wow. those are awesome!!! as someone who's been there many times i just know these buildings would fit in really really well there. i hope u get them!

Meeting - Sunday, March 19 at 2pm

Over the past few years there has been a fair share of public battles over new developments in this city. The main advantage that the opponents have had is that they are extremely organized and well connected.

However we can also be organized. I think that to best do this we should meet in person and talk about how we can work together and create our own organization that fights for quality urban design in Halifax.

There are a number of important events coming up, so I would like to meet this Sunday, March 19 at 2pm, at the Paper Chase Cafe on 5228 Blowers Street. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you plan on showing up please email me first at halifaxurbandesign@mac.com and I'll give you more details.

Council meeting so far:

13 for, 5 against (I think, I left the room for a second).

Will update.

The first vote was 12-8 in favour, but 14 were required for it to bypass debate, which is what is happening now. The arguments against are pathetic.

"I don't like it" "the wind studies are wrong"

I'm surprised mayor kelly voted against!

nooooo Kelly doesn't support it. Come on now

Final vote: 15 for, 5 against!!

Yes!!!

And now comes the heritage trust's appeal.

Yesss it passed. I hope they put an end to the appeal quickly haha. 15-5 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Congratulations to everyone who spoke at the public hearings, wrote to city council and wrote in to the local papers. This is democracy in action!

This is the greatest forum in the history of the internet...well at least to me. Yes, I am a defecter to the Calgary area, but I am a true blue haligonian down to my toenails. If you scratch and sniff me you can smell the keiths...or was that the harbor?

Anyways, I am always scouring the internet for bits and pieces on this like:

Halifax 2014
A CFL team for this great city
An LRT system for the region
New developments
etc.etc...

I was about to give up after the Sentinel and Midtown and following the story of the Twin Towers and then...and then...this forum!

I know dozens of haligonians who have left our shores for the wide expanses of Alberta moving in condos, riding the C-train and enjoying all that urban life can provide...I hope that the next generation will be able to stay put and live in a vibrant progressive city that is proud of its history but unashamedly moves ahead with projects like these towers.

So many people out here think Halifax and think fishing village, costal shanty's and sou'westers...that is until they go and visit and realize the culture, the arts and the business that makes Halifax so vibrant.

I hope that these projects move forward and pave the way for a new era, an era of prosperity and national and international recognition that puts Halifax up there with Vancover, Calgary and Toronto.

Thanks for increasing awareness, standing up for progress and making a difference in the city that I love.

Go Halifax Go!

I just got back from the meeting and it was awesome!!! I'm so proud to have been involved! It is truly and day that will go down in our cities history.

GO HALIFAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also went to the meeting and I must say, I didnt expect council to be so supportive of the project. It almost made me want to applaud some of them. This is a fantastic desicion that will lilkely change the future of development in this fantastic city!

I am a defecter to the Calgary area, but I am a true blue haligonian down to my toenails.

Guess what, I'm the opposite! I was born and raised in Calgary and came out here for school. After graduating I decided to stay, I really do love it here.

I think the one thing about Calgary I do miss is that "can do" attitude. Calgarians would not hesitate for even a second to host an international event (and of coarse they already hosted the Olympics). It's true the city has a huge advantage being in what is now the wealthiest province in the country. It just saddens me when people say that world class architecture and the Commonwealth Games are great things, but "not for Halifax." It seems the naysayers and handwringers are always the most vocal.

Also if you're looking for discussion on the 2014 Games and development issues check out http://www.atlanticcanadalive.com/forum/. It's an extremely active forum with a wide variety of topics.

I think the long-term financial outcome will definately boost Halifax in its economical growth. However Calgary has a definate advantage in public opinion as they can afford...well anything.
Halifax, on the other hand, has a hard time upkeeping even rural roads in the municipality. Such as those heading out to Musqodobit, Wittenburg, Cooks Brook etc... (I frequently travel these, dodging potholes...when I can dodge them ;) )

so , are they building this project or not , cause if they are .... Im going to feel real dumb for the letters I wrote .

The towers will be built unless somebody puts in an appeal to the utility and review board who can overturn council's desicion. Though even if an appeal is made, I find it very unlikely that the desicion will be overturned.

The arcitect was given the green light ;)

However as wishblade said, appeals can be made.

Great that they are building it.
But I heard that it would take 4 years to complete; that seems a little long.

yeah they are supposed to start for a couple years even I think....which seems like a long time. I think all that they have are inicial renderings and ideas....not sure though.

what did ther Heratage group look like at the meeting? where they Jeared by PRO development types or are the people there in support of this NON growth back words mentality?

An interesting article from the Daily News... the Herald had a few similar ones but I couldn't find them online:


Taking the politics out of development

By Stephane Massinon
The Daily News

HALIFAX - It's not often a breakfast meeting erupts in loud applause mid-speech.

Vancouver's co-director of planning, Larry Beasley, accomplished such a feat by saying what many in the local development community have been thinking.

"We will be much better off when the days of politicians and lay people making development decisions fades away," he said to loud applause.

Beasley spoke in Halifax yesterday morning to a group of local developers. Being at the helm of a city that many in the development community see as a recognized leader, he was in town to offer advice to the local development community - one that's been in the news a lot lately over the "twisted-towers" debate.

His vision for cities showed local developers, heritage interests and municipal governments working - brace yourself - together.

In Vancouver, for instance, the municipality offers developers incentives for heritage work. That includes density bonuses, bonuses for saving older buildings and up to $50,000 for saving facades.

That means saving historic buildings and development in general are not polar opposites.

"It's very important that (the relationship) not be combative. For new development, heritage areas are very important because they give character and personality. By the same token, new development gives consumers to the businesses (around) the heritage buildings," said Beasley.

"If you have a heritage area and there's no one within 10 miles living around that area, then it's very hard for those businesses to survive."

Beasley stressed the importance of having people living downtown in a vibrant, complete community where single people and families can enjoy a well-designed, dense area. Downtowns need to be exciting places, filled with more than housing (things like stores, libraries, cafes, etc.).

Such a design even helps tourism, since visitors do not want to see cities that are "dolled-up and look like Disneyland."

Beasley's message depicted municipal, community and development people working together, but with smart development principles guiding the process.

Urban Development Institute of Nova Scotia president Kevin Riles agreed with the necessity of having a vibrant residential downtown.

"The business community keeps telling us that Barrington Street, Spring Garden Road, and Historic Properties are having some challenges. You can't rely on tourism alone," said Riles.

"If you have residents in the downtown, they're going to shop in the downtown."

Surprise!

Chronicle Herald | Tuesday April 11, 2006

Four groups appeal towers development vote
Heritage, community organizations oppose $150-million complex
By JOHN GILLIS Staff Reporter

Four groups are appealing Halifax Regional Council’s approval of the twin towers development in downtown Halifax.

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, Heritage Canada Foundation, Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage and Peninsula South Community Association filed appeals with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board before the Monday-afternoon deadline.

United Gulf Developments Ltd. is planning to build a $150-million hotel/condominium complex at the former Tex-Park site between Hollis and Granville streets. The proposal also calls for underground parking, retail space and conference rooms.

The three heritage groups have ties to one another. Peter Delefes, Nova Scotia representative for the Heritage Canada Foundation, is a past president of the Heritage Trust, which is also a member of the Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage.

Representatives of the groups could not be reached Monday.
In a written statement, United Gulf president Navid Saberi says the company has a strong case to make to the review board and looks forward to presenting it.

"We are not surprised that the appeal is proceeding, but we are confident that we have a good project that fully meets the requirements of the Municipal Planning Strategy," he writes. "It has been strongly supported by planning staff, the District 12 planning advisory, regional council and business groups, and has also generated a lot of interest and excitement from the public."

The appeals could lead to a public hearing.

Regional council spent two entire sessions listening to dozens of members of the public speak on the project before voting 15-5 in favour of the 27-storey towers.
( jgillis@herald.ca)

This was in both the Herald and the Daily News yesterday:




See the water: The land between the Citadel and Halifax Harbour is prime real estate. (File photo)
History vs. progress

Halifax isn't the only Atlantic city where battlelines are drawn

By John Lewandowski
The Canadian Press

HALIFAX - Since the Halifax Citadel was completed in 1856, the massive stone fortress that overlooks this port city has never been attacked.

But there's a real battle being waged below the fort's commanding heights.

Halifax regional council recently voted to approve two new highrise towers in the nearby business district, a move that has heritage groups resisting the proposal.

The conflict, one that pits history against progress, finds resonance among those living near two other famous hills in Atlantic Canada: Signal Hill in St. John's, N.L., and Magnetic Hill, near Moncton, N.B.

In Halifax, a 27-storey development, dubbed the Twisted Sisters for its modern, curvy combination of stone, copper and glass, is expected to rise on the site of an old parking garage.

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia says the massive commercial and condominium project isn't compatible with neighbouring historic buildings and will block views of the harbour from Citadel Hill.

"If this building was some kind of Victorian building reproduction that was 27 storeys high in the same place, we'd still oppose it," said Alan Parish, trust president.

The group has launched an appeal before the province's Utility and Review Board and is considering court action.

"We're in favour of a vibrant downtown and local economy. It's just that this project is going in the wrong direction," said Parish.

Although the majority of councillors voted for the $150-million project, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly wasn't among them.

"For me, it was important that the views from the hill be protected as a tourist destination," said Kelly.

In St. John's, N.L., a similar fight is being waged over a huge, hotel-condominium proposal for the Battery, the picturesque neighbourhood just below Signal Hill.

Opponents say the 10-storey project doesn't belong in the older, residential neighbourhood at the north end of St. John's harbour.

Not so, insists Mayor Andy Wells, who says cities can't dwell in the past.

"You don't want everything looking like the 19th century, like the heritage crowd around here. They get hysterical," said Wells, who supports the proposal.

"They're stuck in 1895.But architecture evolves, new styles, new forms, and I don't have any problem with that."

Wells said developer Rick Butler's initial proposal covered more ground than allowed under the city's planning guidelines, but he's convinced the project will move ahead once it is reworked.

Meanwhile, a proposed housing development northwest of Moncton had raised concerns about the future of Magnetic Hill, a popular tourist attraction that gives visitors the illusion that cars and campers can defy gravity.

For decades, visitors have driven their vehicles to the bottom of a dirt road, stopped, shifted into neutral, then marvelled as they rolled backwards, up the hill.

There were fears that the new development would ruin the illusion.

Recognizing the value of the rural site to the local tourist trade, the city hired a consultant to study the issue. In his report, John McNulty warned that the Magnetic Hill illusion was very fragile and it wouldn't take much to destroy it.

However, he said it wasn't too late to act.

"The worst damage had already taken place at the site prior to 1988, and was due primarily to unplanned development," McNulty wrote in his report.

With that in mind, Moncton made preserving the area a priority

I hate heritage groups . They are NImbies at best . string em up .

Twin towers on table

By PAUL EVEREST

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has invited the public to become involved in a hearing in which heritage groups will appeal the development of two controversial buildings in downtown Halifax.

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage, Heritage Canada Foundation and Peninsula South Community Association filed appeals with the board in April to challenge the decision of Halifax regional council in March to approve development of twin towers at the Tex-Park site between Hollis and Granville streets.

United Gulf Developments Ltd. plans to build a $150-million hotel/residential complex that will include underground parking and retail space.

A spokeswoman for the Heritage Canada Foundation said it’s expected the hearing will be held sometime in September or October.

This is good news! The city is finally realizing that it is the majority of the residents opinions that matter and not a few well organized heritage buffs. I will attend if I can.

A creative spirit
Navid Saberi has established himself as a major player in the local real estate market with a combination of hard work and respect for his adopted home
By KATHRYN HARLEY Special

IN 1983 when Navid Saberi was a teenager working in the Bedford Beanery, he likely didn’t anticipate the public outcry he’d face 20 years later over a development of his that could change the landscape of his adopted city.

Today, Saberi is the president of Greater Homes and United Gulf Developments, the proponent of the controversial downtown high-rise development officially called the TexPark project and unofficially as the "Twisted Sisters."

Back then he was an 18-year-old immigrant. His family is Baha’i and their faith placed them in jeopardy in their native Iran, where their belongings were confiscated after the revolutionary government came to power.

"We chose to come to Canada," says Saberi, "and we liked it here in Halifax. It is a nice city and the Baha’i community here is very close, so there was lots of support."

Saberi went to work as soon as he arrived and he didn’t stay in the kitchen for long. By age 19 he had moved into management and had also made his first property purchase.

"I always liked real estate," he says. "My father had dabbled in it in Iran. So I bought a house in Lower Sackville, rented it and for the next few years I bought a property every year." Still, at that stage in his career, property played second place to restaurants.

"I like hard work," says Saberi, "and the toughest business I know is the restaurant business. If you’re good in the restaurant business, you can do anything."

Saberi was good at it. In his mid-20s, he owned three different restaurants and four rental houses. "One of my co-workers suggested I franchise one of the restaurants. I needed money to do that, so I sold my real estate." But one day, while he was still considering the franchise option, he strolled by a Montreal Trust booth at Sunnyside Mall and starting talking to the agent. It was a conversation that changed his career.

"She encouraged me not to franchise but to go into real estate" says Saberi, who started working for Montreal Trust in 1990. "It was a tough time with the recession but I really enjoyed it. When the market is tough, you just have to work harder, be innovative."

Saberi quickly moved on to Re/Max where within a year he became a member of the Hall of Fame, achieving more than $1 million in gross commission earnings.

The next step was to go from selling real estate to developing it. When a piece of property with space for 24 townhouses came up for sale on Paper Mill Lake, Saberi optioned it, hired an architect and put together a package to show different builders.

"I put such a nice package together," he says, "that one of the builders said I should be doing it myself."

He formed a construction company to undertake that first project and has never looked back, often perceiving what people want ahead of much of the competition. "In a tough market, I pre-sold those townhouses," he says.

"I listened to customers, let them modify units to their own needs. And the timing was right, even though people said the market was bad."

That’s what happened in 1994, too, when Saberi decided to build his first condominium project. "I had read a lot about the aging population and how they were looking to downsize. All the articles on bigger cities supported this change.

However, many developers were still talking about the recession, so I took a hard look at the local market. I built the first condominium and it sold out, and then the second one and it sold right away. By the time the third was underway, others had picked up on the demand."

From construction, Saberi soon moved into land development. "I bought the most desirable locations for what I was looking to accomplish. I learned very quickly that people don’t buy homes, people choose neighbourhoods that meet their needs to raise their families. That’s how themed communities came into the picture — each neighbourhood is designed as a village in itself."

That’s been Saberi’s approach with Greater Homes, with developments ranging from nature-focused StoneRidge on the Park to Voyageur Lakes, an equestrian-centred project currently under construction.

"I’m trying to make it an example of what a development should be," says Saberi as he describes walking paths, parks, a street design that emphasizes foot traffic, neighbourhood owner-occupied stores and, of course, the stables, paddocks and show rings that will be at the heart of the project.

Former Bedford MLA and cabinet minister Peter Christie says, "He has made a significant contribution to the development of this area. He’s been somebody who has shown creativity and sensitivity to the environment — that’s been his hallmark."

In much the same way his housing projects have transformed subdivision development, Saberi feels the TexPark project, with its two curving, glass-encased 27-storey towers, can kick-start urban development in Halifax and bring people back into the city’s core.

"We moved here and stayed because we love the people. Nova Scotia is a great place to raise your family. But a lot of people are leaving the province. Let’s be proactive and do something so that we don’t lose the young people. We have the right ingredients for Halifax to be a true destination, but it requires strong will and the right leadership from every part of society.

"By itself the TexPark project will not do all the things I want to see, but I think it can start a new chapter. It was our mission to create a project on a scale large enough to inspire. These towers are meant to encourage other developers and the growth of Halifax."

It seems to be the view shared by John Bentley Mays, the Globe and Mail’s visual arts and architecture reporter. "As in any important new venture of the creative spirit, everything remains to be seen — though Twisted Sisters is a herald of good things to come," he wrote in a recent article.

And the Downtown Halifax Business Commission has endorsed the project. "This development will bring new and exciting architecture to the downtown core," says executive director Paul MacKinnon.

But local opponents have been very vocal, viewing it as counter to the city’s architectural heritage and an affront to the cityscape.

City council’s approval of the project has been appealed.

"Maybe they believe in what they’re doing, but they’re hurting the city, they are really hurting prosperity," Saberi says of the project’s opponents.

Still, he remains confident. "We have had tremendous support from visionary people. I believe it will go ahead. I believe it must go ahead — not for me, but for the city."

Kathryn Harley is a freelance writer living in Halifax

THE SABERI STORY
Age: 43

Marital status: Married, father of two school-age children

Job: President, Greater Homes, president, United Gulf Developments

Hobbies: Water skiing, squash and golf

Favourite quotation: "Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not."

— George Bernard Shaw

Approach to challenges: "When I was upset, I would work harder — the work became a good relaxation for me. And I always got good support from my wife Mina."

Formula for success: "If you look after your family life, your economic life and your spiritual life, success will be inevitable. Then when you’re working, there is a purpose, there is a destination."

Active Projects


StoneRidge on the Park, housing and condo development off Dunbrack in Halifax

The Waterton Condominiums in StoneRidge

The Terrace Condominiums, on Halifax Harbour approaching Bedford

The Knolls of Glen Arbour, housing development

The Village of Voyageur Lakes, off Hammonds Plains Road

The Shoppes, a mixed use development at Voyageur Lakes

Development Projects in Progress


The Tex-Park site, downtown Halifax

The Courtyard at Paper Mill Lake, Bedford

The Lakes, condo on the former Dartmouth YMCA site

Keller Estates, residential development on the former Halifax West High School site

Moirs Place, Bedford

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/photos/xlarge/ted130706Saberi1_Provincial_07-16-06_KH3277K.jpg

This was in today's Chronicle Herald regarding the twisted sisters and the new application.
----------------
Higher Twisted Sisters needed, says developer; Proposal for 48-storey Skye Halifax sure to be given a rough ride



United Gulf Developments Ltd. has changed its mind about the controversial Twisted Sisters project at the corner of Hollis and Sackville streets in downtown Halifax and is proposing instead to build the city's tallest structure.

Bound to be just as controversial, Skye Halifax, valued at $350 million, would have retail stores and five restaurants on the ground level, and a three- or four-storey hotel that would create a podium from which two 48-storey condominium towers, bent to look like a sail catching the wind, will shoot into the sky.

It would be significantly taller than the 33-storey Fenwick Tower, currently Halifax's tallest building.

United Gulf filed its application to build Skye Halifax with the city planning department Wednesday. If everything goes as planned, company president Navid Saberi says, construction will begin in late 2012.

Saberi told me in an interview Wednesday that "it always bothers me when I say it," but United Gulf spent millions to take the Twisted Sisters project through the development process. In the end, the economics just didn't work.

He has been working on the new project for the site for at least a year and a half.

"When we . . . started to seriously study the market - 'Who are the people who are going to be living in downtowns, not only in Halifax but other cities as well?' - it was so clear that leaving that design and coming up with another design just became inevitable."

The level of support for the Twisted Sisters project when it was going through the regulatory process, especially from younger people interested in living and working in the downtown, opened his eyes to a market not served by the initial design, says Saberi.

A condo developer in the Halifax area since 1994, Saberi says United Gulf has primarily focused on serving the baby boom generation of 50- to 65-year-olds. But the level of interest from the so-called echo boomers, aged 18 to 32, convinced him to try to serve both generations, which he says account for about 50 per cent of the population of Halifax.

By using a modular plan for the condos, each unit could be configured to the desires of individuals, couples and families, with the most affordable unit costing about $200,000.

Considering the level of opposition Saberi faced during his first attempt to build on the high-profile downtown lot, the Skye Halifax project is just as likely to be under attack from development critics.

In order to build a 48-storey structure on that site, city council would have to agree to make changes to the municipal plan. With the number of people concerned about highrise development in the downtown and maintaining an unobscured view from Citadel Hill, United Gulf should not be under any illusion that this project, as proposed, won't be given a rough ride.

United Gulf is countering concerns about the height by pointing out that Skye Halifax will be built following certified environmental guidelines, including geothermal heating and cooling, green-roof terraces and non-reflective glass.

Patrick LeRoy, the company's vice-president of operations, says the Skye Halifax towers may be taller than the Twisted Sisters plan, but the project will have a smaller footprint. This, combined with the design to place the towers 33.5 metres apart, should reduce the chance a wind tunnel effect will be created in that part of the downtown.

The same goes for concerns about shadows. LeRoy says they will be longer but, due to the smaller footprint, the towers will cast less-imposing ones for a shorter period.

Welcome to the forum marcelb! This is one project we'll need to keep an eye on. Although I have to admit to being more than a little skeptical of the chances it'll ever be approved.