Big changes are in store for Gottingen Street. A new non-profit group dedicated to providing affordable housing is forging ahead with a proposal for two eight- to 10-storey apartment buildings. One is on the site of the former Diamonds bar at the foot of Cunard Street, across Prince William Street from the YMCA; the second is on the site of the much-neglected MET store, Mitchell’s Enviro Treasures, a half-block south of Diamonds, between Alteregos Cafe and the Good Food Emporium.
The Housing Trust of Nova Scotia is a new organization founded by Ross Cantwell, a real estate consultant with Colliers International who has extensive experience in affordable housing agencies. The Housing Trust’s board reads like a Who’s Who of the local development industry: It includes Cantwell, developer Louis Lawen and executives associated with many of the largest property firms in Nova Scotia.
“We’ve got designers, we’ve got guys who build things, we’ve got lawyers, mortgage brokers, the whole bit,” says Cantwell, explaining that he brought together the expertise to build new housing quickly.
To purchase the land, Cantwell’s group took advantage of funding made available through a federal-provincial agreement to create more affordable housing in Nova Scotia, but construction costs will come via a normal mortgage. For that reason, the project will be a mix of below-market and market-priced apartments.
Cantwell says each building will consist of about 100 units, about half of which will be designated “affordable,” which means that residents will spend no more than 30 percent of their income on rent, heat and utilities—about $200/month less than the market-priced apartments, depending on circumstance. The Gottingen Street ground level of each building will be retail and commercial space. The exact configuration of the buildings will await architectural renderings. “Right now, we’re interviewing three architects, and we hope to have one selected by next week,” says Cantwell. The goal is to start construction by the end of the year.
One potential stumbling block is that the buildings exceed the 50-foot height limits for Gottingen Street and 40-foot height limits on Maitland Street, the street one block down the hill, running along the rear of the new buildings. Cantwell says that with the 18-foot grade change and the lower height limit on Maitland, any building spanning the block would be “ridiculous looking.” The Housing Trust has asked the city for a variance, and he expects approval.
The councillor for the area, Dawn Sloane, is very supportive of granting that variance. “If it was for condos, I’d have a different feeling,” says Sloane. “But for affordable housing, to help people stay in the neighbourhood, I’m very excited.”
The sale of the Diamonds building was completed March 31 with no problems, says Cantwell.
The dilapidated MET building has been cited for repeated bylaw infractions and had over $300,000 in liens placed on it. Nearby residents have complained that the building houses rats and is generally a blight on the neighbourhood. In recent years several people have attempted to buy the building, but the deals have fallen through as MET owner Wayne Mitchell backed out of the potential sales. Cantwell too says Mitchell was putting up obstacles to an agreed-upon March 31 closing date, but just this morning (Tuesday) HRM reports it has received payment in full on the liens, meaning that the property is now formally in Housing Trust’s hands.
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This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2010.
This is awesome! 🙂
can we have a grocery store now, too?
js- Cantwell says he’s looking for the kind of retail the neighbourhood needs, and specifically mentioned a grocery store and a bank. A grocery store would be a hard sell in that small space, but I agree it’s much needed in the neighbourhood.
Wow, it’s great that they’re finally getting rid of that bloody building. As to retailers, hopefully they see the opportunity of putting in a Price Choppers or something like that, but don’t count on a bank. Maybe a Credit Union, but definitely not a bank.
Can we get rid of the welfare projects and let the free market do its job there?
Oh right, this is Halifax
Hfx – those welfare projects as you call em will give people with low incomes a decent, affordable roof over their heads. Now mix in the market-rate apartments and you’ll have some disposable income that means businesses will open up and be supported by everyone in the community. A grocery store for example will have a wider customer base (income-wise) compared to a trendy boutique but both could make for succesful ventures providing the income mix is right. I think it’s a positive move for Gottingen St.
Now if only HRM/NS had the balls to revamp Uniake Square, get rid of the troublemakers and make it a safe place for people to enjoy their homes. But apparently the cops in Hfx enjoy the weekly, unresolved shootings. Guess it’s job security so change is unlikely.
hfx— if the “free market” had it’s way, you’d never own anything. It would toss you out on your ass.
dr fever your statement makes no sense at all.in communist systems you will end up on your ass owning nothing.contrary to what i see in the west people own lots of things.isn’t that why greenies say we consume to much.freemarkets are the best sytem for all.keep up or suffer.
Great to see some new development, and I have no problem with a “public/private partnership” in order to get some half decent affordable housing into the core. Isn’t this how most other cities in North America approach the problem of affordable housing? I believe Vancouver mandates 10-15% of all housing built be affordable. Hopefully they’ll bring that to the darkside sometime soon too.
I’m all for development on Gottingen, especially if it provides affordable housing, but I think these developments set a dangerous precedent by violating height restrictions for the street. Councillor Sloane says she wouldn’t support such a violation if it were for for condos, but how much harder will it be to argue against high rise projects in the area if there are already two 10-story buildings on the street? The concept of preserving the streetscape goes right out the window, and frankly, I don’t trust those in city hall to not grant a variance to some condo developer they make a sweet back room deal with down the line.
Actually, the free market system concentrates ownership/wealth in the hands of the few, while a full out communist system decentralizes ownership/wealth, by having the full population control the assets. Both have their benefits, and their downfalls. I’m just pointing out the fallacy in the thinking that the free market would force those who have little to no wealth to have significant wealth, when generally those who control the free market system are the only ones who see any true wealth.
I’d like to point out that no country uses a “free market” system, even the US regulates and controls the market by having a central bank, and placing controls on trading.
Before you start waxing poetic on how the free market is the best system, go read a book about economic theory. Then read a book on how to clean up your sentence structure.
wow i never would have thought that under communism the wealth was shared. the ukranians were not starved out.i must have been fooled by all the great examples in history.how blind i was.it is also a defeatest view believing one can not become wealthy in our capitalist society.there are more millionaires being created every year.sure they do not all stay that way but they made it.you get what you work for.
the markets are controlled by consumers not the wealthy.we buy the products or we do not buy the products, our individual choice i believe.
then you say the wealthy control the markets then you later say we,(our government) control the market.do not give me no bullshit either that oh its not a democracy here its a conspiracy thing.
what book do you recommend.it must be heavily based on theory because what you are spouting is not grounded in the reality of the situation.
as for my sentence structure i do not care.if i wish to improve it i will down the road.for now fuck it.
You do realize that what was perpetrated as “communism” during Soviet rule in Eastern Europe was communism in name only right? Anyways, this is entirely off topic, and I’m wasting my breath.
like i said to much theory and not enough reality.it is impossible to have a pure communist system it is unatural.agian you own nothhing in reality communist systems the system owns you and exploits the individual as a resource.with no choice in the matter you do as your told.our system i have plenty of choices,again a reality based free market,with wages, where i work,what i do,etc.also the wealth is distributed fairly.you need the rich to create jobs in the private sector,the government should not be doing it at the rate it does.like i said more millianaires shows ann upward ttrend to wages.also have you noticed that we have public education ,medicare,paved roads ,clean water,fire services,police services,to much welfare,student loans,etc.where did all this wealth come from.
so stick to your books and proper english when you regurgitate what you learn and people may think you are intelligent.however for insight,creating your own ideas, or free thinking you seem to be lacking.transparent.
Affordable housing? Mixed-income development? All for it. Changing the Gottingen streetscape that drastically by granting the variance on the height restrictions? No. Let’s see the architect’s renderings. but 8-10 stories sandwiched on a block of 2-3 storey structures is just not the way to go. Something like Gottingen Terrace is much more sensible and sensitive to the overall neighborhood.
the economics of current planning legislation dont make sense given the price owners want for their properties. Unless additional density is allowed, the street will continue to sit in its current malaise. the key is to link/connect those projects that get additional height, with public benefits such as affordable housing. These are great projects we should support
I am just happy that that eyesore of the Met is finally going down! Happy to see income geared housing as well instead of pricey condos but some more small business in the area would be great – a grocery store, some nice clothing stores, a new/used bookstore, some professional offices things like that would be a real boost to the area. Go Gottingen!
Only in Halifax would people shoot down a really positive project in a part of town that desperately needs it by saying it is too tall… at 8-10 floors. You do realize the Italians were building 8 storey towers in the 1400s, right? Another potential step forward in this city thwarted by the leftist commie NIMBY types. Congratulations!
Has anyone here driven down the northern section of Maitland St just south of Gottingen, behind the Bus Stop, after dark before? I grew up in the north end, but only recently did I go down this street at night, and it’s crazy how sketchy it is relative to other areas on the peninsula. Just wondering what people think about how uniacke sq and maitland st will effect the rejuvination of Gottingen St, if at all….
a great chance for more under-privledged families in the community. is it possible to disregard the need to cling to our political views? when the opinions are based solely on jealousy or weak facades, the argument is mundane. there is an obvious lasting segregation in society between the rich and poor and the rift is becoming more of an obstacle. yeah it’s a great shot at bringing the much needed spotlight into the area and even greater to see the beginnings of a well organized system which includes the needs of of the needy. height only show’s the means necessary to make the first steps to closing the gap. congrats on closing the deal fellas!
Ummm, Why is this height restriction thing a big deal, less then a block away, you have ahern manor (certainly fits in the 8-10 story range) and a little bit further down, across from the George Dixon Park, you have 2406 gottingen (which i believe is 10 storeys)
To me it seems like this wouldn’t be that much out of place.
Many of these height restrictions are so seemingly out dated, its things like these that stop Halifax from truly expanding. Developers keep getting their ideas shot out of the sky because the city is to close minded..
Gottingen Street is a dilapidated shithole. Building absolutely anything would be an improvement to the present streetscape.
@voice_of_reason—-“Now if only HRM/NS had the balls to revamp Uniake Square, get rid of the troublemakers and make it a safe place for people to enjoy their homes. But apparently the cops in Hfx enjoy the weekly, unresolved shootings. Guess it’s job security so change is unlikely.” thank you for saying that!
Re: “Affordable designation” – Has anyone looked to see how long these units must keep this designation? In many instances this designation need only remain for 5, 10, 15 years following which they return to market rents.
Of course, often the province doesn’t adjust their numbers for how many affordable units are available to reflect this changing reality… Just a note.
I grew up on Gottingen St and remember how it was. It was a neigbourhood, a gathering place, a spot to have your ice-cream at the Met counter or in the drugstore. Everytime I go down there it saddens me to see what has happened to it. Coming from a person that lives on a small income…affordable housing…done for and with imput from the people who would live in it would be so welcome. So please, consult the ones who are going to make it their home and listen to them. Most of us have struggled to be citizens of Halifax who want to make it a great city. This is a good step in that direction. As for the comment on the “troublemakers” look in every neighbourhood and you’ll find them and the “welfare crowd”…live some of their lives awhile before you comment. I’ve applied for the new housing and hope and believe that it will help the area back to its once “real Halifax neighbourhood.”
This is great.