HRM Planning Information Meeting – Wednesday Dec 7th 19 proposals at 1 meeting

Please attend this important meeting and make comments on the 19 proposed developments…

The classic 3-storey Coburg Apartments, is an Edwardian-era building on the South Common that is under threat from the Two developers hope to erect 16 & 30 storey and 20 & 26 storey high-rises in the single block between Carlton, College, Robie and Spring Garden Road under debelopment agreement applications. targeted growth area- Spring Garden Road bounded by Robie, College, Summer Streets and Camp Hill Cemetery.

The classic 3-storey Coburg Apartments, an Edwardian-era building at Spring Garden and Robie, on the South Common,  is one of a dozen+ buildings that will be demolished by two developers if their plans for 16 & 30 storey and 20 & 26 storey high-rises in the single block between Carlton, College, Robie and Spring Garden Road are approved.

Most of the 19 proposals are for highrises that break existing height restrictions and are out-of -scale with neighbourhoods. They’ll cause dozens of affordable small-scale, mixed-use residential units, commercial spaces & historic houses to be demolished. This will harm Halifax’s Common in various ways. Examples are:

  • 13 storey on Robie, Cunard – Compton
  • 14 storey on Robie St, Pepperell – Shirley
  • 16 & 30 storey on Spring Garden Rd & Robie west of Carlton
  • 20 & 26 storey on College & Robie St west of Carlton

These planning amendments that will lead to development agreement applications are being considered prior to the adoption of the Centre Plan (which will bring in new regulations and planning guides) and as such, are unconsidered and uncontrolled last-minute attempts to circumvent the process before the plan comes into place!

Since 2010, HRM Planning staff have worked on 179 development agreements that have been breaking existing HRM construction regulations. Instead if working on the Centre Plan, the attention of City Staff has been divided between these ‘special applications’ that are unnecessarily using up staff time and money and pre-empting plans for future land use and design for HRM’s building.

“Exceptional” projects are creating tension between some developers that break the rules and citizens who don’t what out-of-scale projects.

These developers must be asked to wait until the Centre Plan is in place and we have time to consider that there are many buildings of great value at stake here.

Its time to say no to special treatment for developers who want exceptional development approvals and to demand that the city develop specific criteria for controlling when demolition permits may be issued.

Wednesday, December 7th at the Atlantica Hotel
from 12–2pm and again
from 6–8 pm
Details: https://www.halifax.ca/planning/applications/PlanningPolicyApplications_RegionalCentreDetailsPage.php