Reinventing Downtown Halifax

Anyone who has passed through a neighbourhood in Halifax's Regional Centre recently has likely come across a construction project. Development means more than just newer, fancier buildings.  Residential and commercial development in the Regional Centre benefits all of Halifax.  These projects create jobs and increase density, infusing more money into our local economy and translating into more opportunities for people to both live and work in Halifax. Building a vibrant and attractive Regional Centre is a priority for our city (see Halifax's economic strategy AGREATERHalifax for more). While development in Halifax is a good thing, there needs to be a coordinated effort to ensure that our city grows and thrives in the right way. That’s why episode 4 of Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s Big Day Downtown series focused on planning and development in the heart of the city. Host Kristen Pickett met with Andy Fillmore, project leader of HRMbyDesign, to discuss the city’s 25-year vision for growth in downtown Halifax, a plan that was developed based on a shared community vision.   Andy talks about the plan’s potential to reinvent the city’s core, with buildings that give Haligonians more opportunities to live and work downtown.  One such development is the former Sam the Record Man building on Barrington Street, now slated to be a commercial mixed-use building that will give the area a major facelift. There are currently 40 development projects either on-the-go or in the works in downtown Halifax alone, for a combined worth of over a quarter-billion dollars. And according to Andy, this is just the first part of HRMbyDesign’s broad vision.So the next time you walk by a construction site in your neighbourhood, look beyond the concrete. There’s a whole lot more going on than just a new building.Development projects in Halifax: View Development in HRM in a larger map Development Stats Knowing how important development is to the strength of our city, it’s encouraging to read recent development-related statistics. In 2011, Greater Halifax saw: Construction begin on 2,954 residential units; Non residential construction worth $382.1-million; and Building permits worth $805-million. Author: Mike MacKenzie Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.   ...

Anyone who has passed through a neighbourhood in Halifax’s Regional Centre recently has likely come across a construction project.

Development means more than just newer, fancier buildings.  Residential and commercial development in the Regional Centre benefits all of Halifax.  These projects create jobs and increase density, infusing more money into our local economy and translating into more opportunities for people to both live and work in Halifax.

Building a vibrant and attractive Regional Centre is a priority for our city (see Halifax’s economic strategy AGREATERHalifax for more). While development in Halifax is a good thing, there needs to be a coordinated effort to ensure that our city grows and thrives in the right way. That’s why episode 4 of Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s Big Day Downtown series focused on planning and development in the heart of the city.

Host Kristen Pickett met with Andy Fillmore, project leader of HRMbyDesign, to discuss the city’s 25-year vision for growth in downtown Halifax, a plan that was developed based on a shared community vision.

 

Andy talks about the plan’s potential to reinvent the city’s core, with buildings that give Haligonians more opportunities to live and work downtown.  One such development is the former Sam the Record Man building on Barrington Street, now slated to be a commercial mixed-use building that will give the area a major facelift.

There are currently 40 development projects either on-the-go or in the works in downtown Halifax alone, for a combined worth of over a quarter-billion dollars. And according to Andy, this is just the first part of HRMbyDesign’s broad vision.

So the next time you walk by a construction site in your neighbourhood, look beyond the concrete. There’s a whole lot more going on than just a new building.

Development projects in Halifax:

View Development in HRM in a larger map

Development Stats

Knowing how important development is to the strength of our city, it’s encouraging to read recent development-related statistics. In 2011, Greater Halifax saw:

  • Construction begin on 2,954 residential units;
  • Non residential construction worth $382.1-million; and
  • Building permits worth $805-million.

Author: Mike MacKenzie

Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartcityBlog/~3/M_sEF_54EIM/developing-downtown-into-a-population-hot-spot-.html

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