Category Archives: ACTION

An initiative that takes the form of an action. Could be an action by an affiliate.

Photographic Exhibition, Corridor Wasting Disease: Robie Street, a Case Study

Exhibition:
9 AM – 5 PM, Oct 4 – 31, 2017  (Wed 9 AM – 8 PM and Mon – Closed)

Location:
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
1747 Summer Street,
side entrance, bottom corridor
https://naturalhistory.novascotia.ca

Opening Reception:
Wed Oct 4th, 5 PM – 7 PM

Canada’s Endangered Places Committee (EPC) has added hundreds of Halifax homes on the brink of extinction to its List of Endangered Places. Corridor Wasting Disease (CWD), an infectious disorder introduced and spread by the Halifax Centre Plan, is responsible. Using abstract frameworks and inflated population projections, the Centre Plan will grow a dozen+ streets into “Corridors” to better accommodate cars and buses.

Highly contagious, CWD will spread by increases to height limits from 2-3-storeys to 4-6-storeys along designated streets. Once contaminated, symptoms such as property-owner-neglect gradually lay waste to small-scale affordable housing and commercial properties, trees and habitat. CWD can incubate in parking lots or may erupt as glass and concrete real estate for urban elite. Adjacent streets can suffer side effects including parking lots, dumpsters, wind, shadow or general ugliness. CWD may also be linked to political campaign contributions.

The Centre Plan has failed to adopt preventative therapies such as retaining height limits, creating incentives for building on vacant land and automotive dealerships. Healing remedies such rail, transit, cycling and walkability are under funded. A comprehensive demolition permitting policy based on a sustainability check-list is the highest order solution against CWD. This would first consider waste reduction through renovation/repurposing for immediate health benefits such as creating twice as many jobs but using half as many materials as new construction, ensuring ecosystem diversity to accommodate multiple dwellers/users and, addressing climate change by reducing energy consumption.

Corridor Wasting Disease: Robie Street, a Case Study is an exhibition of endangered homes along the western edge of the Halifax Common at risk of extinction (sample population ~100). It is part of the Species Survival Public Education Plan to alert citizens to the dangers of CWD. All of us can help protect these treasured species by becoming better informed, and by taking better care of the city, the Halifax Common, or other habitat where we live. Historic buildings have cultural, social, environmental, and economic value that common citizens share. In cities as in nature everything is connected.

Please write to HRM Councilors to express your concerns; clerks@halifax.ca.  

 

Good News – Bad News Purcell’s Cove Backlands & Halifax Common

PAC meets Monday for input on Dexel’s proposed 14-storey highrise at Robie, Shirley, Peperell – directly across from the Common Roots Urban Farm and beside Hotel Atlantica. We need Halifax Common’s Master Plan not another high rise.

There’s good news- a few days ago HRM issued an RFP for the Master Plan for the Halifax Common. Next Council agreed to pay $4.1 million to help protect the Purcell’s Cove Backland. Mayor Savage’s statement, “As our city grows, it is more important than ever to preserve natural recreational spaces,” supports what many citizens believe and want. But planning for the preserving natural recreational spaces requires more than words.

Take the example of the Common Roots Urban Farm on the Central Common-it demonstrates the role nature can play in our lives- healing our spirit, minds and bodies and at the same time grow good food! Although Continue reading →

Enough with the Developer Shock and Awe

Quinpool Road’s proposed future under the Centre Plan (this image does not include rule-breaking developments in process) Click on image to enlarge. Source: draft Centre Plan (March 2017) 107; heights added by the Willow Tree Group

In “A nightmare of evocation as Halifax falls to the wrecking ball,” author Larry Haven (The Coast Aug 17) gives a satirical glimpse into why we worry that Halifax is “surely and inexorably being destroyed by rampant developers and an obliging council.“

The worst is yet to come. A recent Willow Tree Group essay describes the draft Centre Plan’s proposed future for Quinpool Road, one of several targeted growth areas. Its illustration shown on the right is a mini-look at one of multiple Centre Plan areas where height restrictions will be increased to up to 20 storeys. It doesn’t include the proposed Robie Street Corridor where increased heights of 4-6 storeys all along the western edge of the Halifax Common, slowly killing off 100+ historic buildings so more cars and buses can zoom by. And what’s really missing is the huge number of rule-breaker developments approved in advance of the Centre Plan.

HRM Council recently added ~22 developments to the list. These buildings Continue reading →

News 95.7 Rick Howe; Privatizing the Halifax Common

The 1886 lease for the Wanderer’s Grounds to the amateur, non-profit Wanderer’s Amateur Athletic Club for sports such as baseball, lawn bowling, rugby and snow-shoeing ended in 1959 when the city took over management of the property.

Friday June 23rd is the 254th anniversary of the granting of the 235 acre Halifax Common “to and for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Halifax, as Commons forever”.

No difference to HRM Council which fast-tracked its further privatization by approving a for-profit private stadium at the Wanderers Grounds. Rick Howe interviews FHC on why this privatization is not in the best interests of the Common or the commoners.

Citizens are increasingly upset with HRM’s disregard for both their interests and the common good. About $1 million in citizens’ tax dollars is being spent to improve the Wanderers Grounds but amateur sports players will have at least 20% less field time. The developer has a stated agenda of locating a permanent sports and entertainment venue on the site. FHC is not opposed to the Stadium, just the location and it objects to yet another ad hoc decision being made before there is a Masterplan as committed to by the city of Halifax in 1994. 

 

Wanderer’s Grounds Facing Privatization

On Tuesday, June 20th Mayor Savage and Council approved the proposal for a private stadium on the public Wanderers’ Grounds. Friends of Halifax Common (FHC) have outlined our serious concerns about the bias of the City’s Staff Report and the staff’s recommendation to fast-track the approval for the pop-up stadium in a letter we delivered to City Council. In the letter, we do not object to the private-for-profit “pop-up” stadium proposal, but we do oppose the Wanderers’ Grounds as the location. See letter: 2017 FHC Mayor & Council, June stadium, staff report

Illustration of Proposed Pop-up Stadium on the Halifax Wanderers’ Grounds (a section of the publicly-owned Halifax Common)

The private stadium developer has stated that, “By two years of that three-year cycle, I think we’ll have a great idea on whether or not that site works and is there a desire for something more permanent on that site.” read more…

This important public civic space is already used to near-capacity by amateur sports players of all ages. The Stadium proposal favouring a professional team would take away at least 20% of present public use and entertain passive spectators to make a profit. HRM Staff do not address the pro-ponent’s stated goal of having a Continue reading →

Speak or Write for the Common Good – 6pm Tues. May 23

Urgent – Tell the Mayor & Council to say “No!” to APL’s proposed 20 or 29-storey highrise at Robie & Quinpool

A Public Hearing at City Hall on Tuesday May 23rd at 6pm is your last chance to voice your concern.  APL’s proposal will be a permanent looming intrusion on the Halifax Common and neighbourhood with shadow, wind and blocked view of the sky.

This highrise cannot be legally built under the present rules nor under new draft Centre Plan rules. Do not let HRM ignore the rules and the input of hundreds of common citizens who have told them 20-storeys is not a compromise.

Please plan to attend and to tell City Hall to make a decision for benefit the Common not a private developer. If you can’t attend the public hearing please write clerks@halifax.ca

Help spread the word with social media or by printing this poster .

Does Halifax need Missing “Gentle Density” or Armoyan’s 20-storeys?

FHC’s latest letter to City Council asking them to not approve a 20- or 29-storey highrise at Robie & Quinpool, at City Hall’s April 25th public hearing included Brent Toderian’s

Brent Toderian, former Vancouver city planner now advocates for what his photo shows Halifax already has, “gentle density”.

“Canadian Cities need more gentle density to address housing crunch” article from Halifax Metro. The former Vancouver city planner writes that ground-oriented housing that’s denser than a detached house is the “missing middle” in housing needs.
Something has changed since Mr. Toderian’s keynote speach for the Dexel Group’s 2016 PR campaign promoting towers on the single block of the Halifax Common at Robie, College, Spring Garden and Carlton. Now it seems he would agree that 16-, 23-, 26- and 30-storey highrises are the wrong kind of game changer as they are not conducive to “preserving community building blocks” as part of planning for resilient, diverse, complete and affordable neighbourhoods. But as he describes, this same block is an ideal candidate for in-fill within the middle of the block that would respectfully compliment the existing mixed-use, small-scale historic neighbourhood. Continue reading →

April 25th Public Hearing on 20-storeys is About Taking from the Common

Imagine standing on the North or Central Common and looking to the west, to see a 20-storey building, (2 storeys taller than the new convention centre) blocking the sky.

HRM’s Public Hearing for Armoyan’s proposal for the Willow Tree is April 25th, 6 pm at City Hall. But Friends of Halifax Common 10-year effort to have HRM honour its 1994 commitment to develop an integrated master plan for the Halifax Common is ignored.

The 240 acre Halifax Common is a unique parcel granted by King George III in 1763 “to and for the use of the inhabitants of the Town of Halifax as Commons forever”. FHC acknowledges the blight of the legacy of colonialism, but uniquely, the Common belongs in equal measure for joint use to the inhabitants of the Town of Halifax, forever.

It is wrong for HRM Council to be taking decisions outside of the context of a master plan, on matters that have a long-term, bad implication for the Halifax Common. Of the 240 acre grant only the remnant of the North Continue reading →

Please, Write to Stop this Shady Dealing!

Tell the Mayor and Council to Stop this Shady Dealing! Download the ‘poster’ here: Stop This Shady Dealing

HRM Council moves one step closer to approving a 20 or 29- storey mega-lithic money-maker tower for APL (George Armoyan) at Robie & Quinpool on March 21st. That’s against what 99% of citizens who spoke at public meetings or wrote letters want.

But letters don’t get carried forward so if you didn’t write in March, Councillors won’t know you are against this project!  You still have time to write to tell them to not continue the approval process. Ask them to focus on the Centre Plan and the Halifax Common Plan, not individual developers.

FYI – 20 storeys isn’t a compromise-its twice as high as what’s allowed, as what’s there & two floors higher than the convention centre.

This is the thin edge of the wedge as other developers are chomping at the heels of staff and council to get break rules for their proposed projects for  13-, 14-, 16-, 20-, 25-, 26- and 30-storeys on or next to Continue reading →

Write to Stop 20+ or 29-storeys at Quinpool/Robie

Armoyan’s proposal comes before Council on Tuesday, March 21. As a next step, a public-hearing date will be scheduled. Please write to say: re Case 18966: Do not approve APL’s 20 or 29-storey tower at Robie & Quinpool at this time. Wait for the Centre Plan.

Dear Mayor and Council:
Please say “No!” to the proposed 20- or 29-storey Armoyan tower at Robie & Quinpool. What’s there, a 10-storey office tower, is what’s permitted. Don’t spot-rezone to advantage a private developer. Wait for the Centre Plan. Wait for the Halifax Common Master-plan.

To date, 120 individual written submissions, 3 community group submissions and a Willow Tree survey have opposed increased height at this corner. That’s 99%+ of all participants. Evidence in HRM’s staff report recommending 20-storeys (2 storeys higher than the convention centre) at this site is thin, biased and misleading.

Citizens’ right to peaceful enjoyment of their neighbourhoods, the Halifax Common, the Oval, the Common Roots Urban Farm or the skate park must be respected. Regulations for height restrictions at this corner exist precisely to protect the area against more or higher towers, wind, shade, blocked views, traffic etc. The existing towers are non-conforming anomalies, mistakes that should never be repeated or made worse.

Respect the citizens. We support responsible development; that is why you must respect the regulations and stick to the Plan.

Keep the Common Good.

Yours truly,
Name & Address

 

Please Comment on 18 Spot Re-Zoning Projects

There is worrisome trend for the developer tail to be wagging the HRM Centre Plan. And for some folks to not have to follow the rules. HRM is asking the public to comment on 18 projects (many on or near the Halifax Common), that break rules and will hand hundreds of millions of dollars in extra floor space for developers to rent or sell – is this the best way to plan a city? Continue reading →