A new citizens’ group called the Strategic Urban Partnership has formed, and is pushing the the city to implement the planning goals established in HRM By Design— including the demolition and redevelopment of the Cogswell Interchange. To that end, in May SUP is hosting The Cogswell Shake-Up, a public meeting where citizens will be asked what they think should be built on the Cogswell lands after the interchange is torn down.
But one of the founders of SUP is former city planner Andy Filmore, who less than five years ago wrote a secret memo to city council explaining why the city should not tear down the Interchange. ‘Sup with that?
The memo was written for a closed-door council meeting on December 9, 2008. At that meeting, council was considering two proposals from developers for construction of a new convention centre: Joe Ramia wanted to build it on the former Chronicle-Herald site on Argyle Street, while the Hardman Group wanted to tear down the Cogswell and build the convention centre there.
An evaluation team had rated Hardman’s proposal higher in a secret report to council, but bolstered by then-staffer Filmore’s advice, council secretly voted to keep the Interchange intact. (The Coast brought this council activity to light in 2010 with help from Freedom of Information laws.) By default, Ramia’s lower-scoring proposal prevailed.
Although a formal Development Agreement hasn’t been inked, excavation at the Argyle Street site is well underway, and convention centre construction will likely commence later this year.
In 2010, Filmore told The Coast that “there’s so much densification to be done in the central downtown before we open up other areas for development that it simply doesn’t make sense” to tear down the interchange.
Since Filmore uttered those words, none of the empty lots downtown have been infilled with new development (although some existing buildings have been torn down and redeveloped), so why the change in opinion? Is the Coswell a “land bank,” or not?
“There is no contradiction in anything I have said, in what HRM is doing, or what the SUP has planned,” says Filmore in response to our questions. “The only things that have changed is that downtown development is underway, four years have passed since HRM By Design was adopted, and HRM has initiated the master plan called for by the HRM By Design. I love it when a plan comes together!”
Here is Filmore’s complete explanation, sent via email:
I do not think the current energy around the Cogswell Interchange is any way contradictory to the HRMbyDesign Downtown Halifax Plan, and my position remains unchanged. There are two main points to make here:
First, HRMbyDesign identifies the Cogswell area as a land bank to be “drawn upon” (redeveloped) sometime in the mid- to long- term of the Plan’s life. As HRMbyDesign is a 25 year plan, the mid-term begins about 8 years from its 2009 adoption, or 2017 – a scant 4 years from today. The intent of pushing this redevelopment out into the future like that was, as you’ve pointed out, to give the central downtown an opportunity to begin to infill its missing teeth before new development lands are brought online. The plan says,
Once infill development on vacant sites in the central downtown is underway in the short to mid term, the Cogswell Interchange will be transformed in the mid to long term into a new mixed-use precinct functioning as the northern gateway into the downtown, and will feature a restored surface street grid. Visitors arriving at the transit terminals will immediately feel welcomed and connected to downtown Halifax as a result of the enhancement of these gateways. Much greater emphasis will be placed on walking, cycling and transit in the downtown.
I think everyone can agree that in the past two years, after several decades of slow or no growth, downtown development has indeed restarted. There has been more permit and construction activity downtown since the HRMbyDesign’s adoption than in the twenty years that preceded it, and more applications for development are on their way. So the development of vacant and under utilized sites envisioned by the Plan is plainly underway.
Second, HRMbyDesign call for the immediate creation of a Cogswell Interchange Area Masterplan (see Policy 50), which is the work currently being undertaken by HRM:
Before the redevelopment potential of the Cogswell Interchange area is realized, the vacant and under-utilized sites in the other downtown precincts should commence. Additionally, a detailed Cogswell Interchange Area Masterplan should be undertaken. These two important steps will ensure that the livability of the central downtown will improve in the short term, and that when redevelopment of the Cogswell area does begin in the mid to long term, it will follow a rational plan that yields optimal functionality and vibrancy.
All of these step—writing and approving a Masterplan, removing the interchange, creating new urban infrastructure, reconstructing a grid of streets, preparing and marketing the new development parcels, bringing them to market in carefully planned phases to ensure maximum profit for taxpayers —all of these things time; likely many years. Before any Cogswell land is ready to be redeveloped we will be well into the mid- and perhaps even long-term time frame envisioned by the 25 year HRMbyDesign plan.
Therefore everything is going according to (the Downtown) Plan. There is no contradiction here, and the only thing that has changed is that downtown development is underway, that four years have passed since HRMbyDesign was adopted, and HRM has initiated the Masterplan called for by the Plan.
I’d like to finish by speaking from the perspective of the Strategic Urban Partnership (SUP).
As a community-based, largely volunteer driven body, SUP has nothing to do with the timing of the Cogswell Masterplan work that is now underway – that process is driven solely by HRM. However the SUP, in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, is responding to this good news by holding the “Cogswell Shakeup” on May 16, 6-8:30pm, at the Harbourfront Marriott. The goal of the Shakeup is to complement HRM’s excellent technical work with some dreaming and imagining by the city’s residents about what may be next for that area. We hope to bring some excitement, energy and community input to what is one of the city’s greatest redevelopment opportunities ever.
Successful city-building is both an art and a science. HRM is managing the science piece with the technical work it is currently doing. The SUP is providing the art piece with the Cogswell Shakeup event. The outcomes of both of these pieces will be delivered to Halifax Regional Council to help them in their decision-making about what comes next at Cogswell. It is a wonderful collaboration.
So everything is going according to (the Downtown) Plan. There is no contradiction in anything I have said, in what HRM is doing, or what the SUP has planned. The only things that have changed is that downtown development is underway, four years have passed since HRMbyDesign was adopted, and HRM has initiated the Masterplan called for by the HRMbyDesign.
I love it when a plan comes together!
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This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2013.
Activity in downtown Halifax is not a result of HRM By Design.
Office towers cannot be built without signing up prospective tenants. The boom of the 80s is well past and governments are looking for less space. Commercials tenants are hard to find and are unwilling to pay the rent required to pay for new space.
Halifax is a small town and we will just have to live with the truth.
Which is why, Joeblow, the next decade or so of downtown development is going to be a lot more about creating renovating and revitalizing our existing commercial buildings, and building new residential structures, than about office towers. We’ve got enough office space for the time being; now we need people to live there.
Can you imagine if that crazy expressway got built in the 60’s? The waterfront would be a dark horrible place with an overhead road blocking any sunlight. That would have been absolutely terrible.
Get rid of this stupid overpass! It would make gottingen way much more accessible and generally link downtown to the north end. Build some apartments, live downtown, enjoy!
pigeon – families won’t live downtown, no space for kids to play and where are the schools ? Renovate old buildings sounds fine but who can afford to buy/rent them ?
Joeblow – people are having less children, not sure which decade or century you are mired in, but the majority of those looking for a place to live in this city are seniors, childless couples, and singles. Your ignorant rants about things “the way they used to be” are tired, for everyone except yourself…
dartmouthy – Have you moved to King’s Wharf yet ? What did you pay ?
Or are you waiting for a cheaper high rise ?
Halifax is a small town, check the population figures.
People with kids live in Cole Harbour, Forest Hills, Portland Estates, Bedford, Clayton Park, and Hammonds Plains and that is why the school board is closing schools on the peninsula and the province is building new schools outside of the two former cities.
And what evidence do you have to support the statement ” … but the majority of those looking for a place to live in this city are seniors, childless couples, and singles ” ??
If HRM wants density on the peninsula seniors and singles don’t cut it, and Mom and Dad and the kids is still the norm. No kids, no future. More seniors results in higher costs and a less attractive city/town, but great for drug stores – higher sales of scooters, canes, walkers and Depends.
Joeblow, feel free to use what little grey matter you still have to work with in your bloated noggin to research your own facts and figures. I don’t really care what you think, but I’ll call you out on your bullshit every time.
Say hi to your friends at the homebuilders association for me, relay to them for me I think you’re doing a great job…
dartmouthy – the figures are over on the skyscraper forum. Surely you spend some time on that website, in between trips to the Hungry Hut.
Several well read people over there, numerate and they appear to be able to put up info from StatsCan, saves me doing the work.
Got that big high rise apartment yet ?
Tim, If you had been to the HRM by Design meetings (they are public) you would know that it is not just existing buildings being razed and replaced, or renovations to existing buildings. Yes, some have not come to the committee as full on applications, and yes, many of the projects we see under construction are going up where a building stood not that long ago.
But there are projects in the works for a large part of the Sackville/Hollis/Water/Slater Block (now mostly vacant lands), and the Cunard Lands on the waterfront that have been presented to the committee as “in the works”. There is also the second property along Clyde next to the one under construction that is coming and it will sit on what’s now just a parking lot.
And of the projects approved and under construction, or ready to build, in the downtown, there are the Mary Anne, on what was a parking lot, The Library, again, a parking lot, and one of the three buildings that make up the Citadel Inn project, covering another surface parking lot.
And you may notice I have not even mentioned the Convention Centre (opps!). It is planned to goon property that has been vacant for quite some time now.
Did I miss anything? That’s a lot of new development in the works or underway on lands that were previously being banked, waiting for the planning fog to be lifted. Oh, well, there is one more, but who knows when it will go… a high rise is already approved for that triangular surface lot at the north end of the Delta Barrington.
My point is that your statement:
“Since Filmore uttered those words, none of the empty lots downtown have been infilled with new development…” is in error. And that pretty well neuters your premise here.
If you add up the projects we KNOW about, the surface area being infilled that is now surface parking – a true downtown “land bank”, there is a LOT of empty lots that have been or are soon to be infilled.
These facts tend to validate Andy’s position that we need to start now to have available land ready in a progressive manner by the time what will surely be a convoluted process of approvals (there are no other kinds in HRM) and construction of streets and infrastructure is complete, and the Cogswell lands can be developed.
Name me an empty piece of land downtown now that does not have some form of development planning for it underway. There are very few left. Only the Cogswell ones for sure, as their area and shape are not yet known.
Here is a list (from memory) of some vacant sites (counting surface parking) that are more nebulous. BUt even most of these have something happening now, or that has been tried in recent memory.
The parking lot by the Centennial Pool (where the new Y ought to be going) who knows? – the west end where the dog run is now is proposed for residential development.
The lot below the Staples on Gottingen/Cogswell (I hear something is coming there now)
The government parking lot behind the Dennis Building – in the hands of government – good luck
The George Street wharf area – recent clearing of fisheries building – recent design competition held by WDCL to raise ideas. WDCL have active design work ongoing on all their lands in the downtown, just at different stages. Including major proposal for area beside the fisheries museum where the Acadia sits.
Parking on corner of Water and Sackville – Government owned – there was an office building proposed here at one time, jointly between feds and province, the privately owned parts about to be developed by Southwest.
Corner of South and Hollis – building burned – development about to be applied for.
Spring Garden Road old Dairy Queen – Development about to be applied for.
Chickenburger short lived site…. about to be redeveloped.
Lands south of Library along Queen – Long term lease to Dalhousie for parking. Was possible courthouse site.
Two parking lots associated with current or former Federal buildings, one downtown at George and Water, the other behind a building on South Barrington.
The south end of the brewery market – there was a project applied for, I cannot recall if it was ever approved. Owner apparently wants to do something.
It looks like in 5-10 years, the lands now wasted by having a white elephant sitting on them will be in demand.
It’s also important to note that as long as we have parking or vacant lots available, that means there is less reason to look at knocking down buildings that have heritage or cultural/architectural value. That will please some people.
I forgot one. The TD Bank expansion, underway and approved via HRM by Design, includes the infill of a lot that stood vacant for a long time on Granville Street.