Tag Archives: Corridor

Do you ❤️ Halifax? Then Help Stop Robie Street Widening!

FHC has learned HRM intends to demolish the last historic neighbourhood on Robie St. It plans to spend $73m to expropriate land, destroy dozens of affordable units & cut ~80 trees to add a bus lane. (Premier Houston’s government is giving $18m to purchase/demolish 10 buildings.) Even for public transit, road widening won’t reduce traffic. Instead of  wrecking a uniquely diverse, affordable community, a proven solution is signalized lane changes (i.e. MacDonald Bridge or Chebucto Road). In a housing and a climate crisis, destroying affordable homes & cutitng street trees is a bad idea. HRM’s budget gap is $69m. Write Mayor/Council to save $73m AND Stop the Robie Street widening: clerks@halifax.ca Info below:

Poster to print: Top image: The last historic neighbourhood on Robie Street looking from Charles to North St. (3-lanes) Lower image: Robie St viewed north of North Street. (4-lanes)

Write HRM Mayor & Council to let them know that...
*Wider Roads Make Worse Cities
*Even for public transportation, wider roads won’t reduce traffic.

*Citizens don’t support demolitions or widening Robie St.
*Public money should not be used to destroy a unique neighbourhood of First Nations, youth shelters, co-ops, heritage, affordable housing, business.
*The 80 historic trees slow traffic, calm drivers, clean air, reduce noise, give shade & beauty. They need protection.
*The budget costs at $73m is too much & skyrocketing.

*Cheap & proven options- time of day lane changes like Chebucto Rd & MacDonald Bridge can save money.
*Savings can be used for buses, ferries, drivers, lower fares, public safety.
*Our new Council can legally reverse the last council’s plan.
Please let friends & neighbours know. Ask them to write council c/o clerks@halifax.ca, post on social media, print & distribute our poster. The pictures tells it all.
Keep us informed.

Amend the Centre Plan, Protect Halifax Trees! Public Hearing, May 21

Halifax planning is killing urban trees. Cutting trees for the QEII hospital is part of a bigger problem. The Centre Plan reduced public open space requirements and increased lot coverage for development threatening trees & green space. And its Robie Street Transportation Corridor will cut ~ 80 trees to widen the street. See: https://shorturl.at/tCDHU

Robie Street Transportation Corridor will cut ~ 80 trees to widen the street and demolish dozens of buildings. Take a detailed look here: https://shorturl.at/tCDHU

But here’s how we can change this ! Continue reading

Renovated Robie St House Demolished & What about those trees?

 

Historic, newly renovated four-unit building at 2110 Robie Street- demolished.

Mid-town Halifax housing takes another hit this morning as an “Investor” knocks down 2110 Robie to save on maintenance and taxes and to profit from poor planning.
 
At least four units are destroyed in a recently renovated, pristine and irreplaceable building next to the North Common. (see pictures below) This is one of 450 demolition permits HRM has issued since January 2020.
Please sign the petition to Petition to Stop Demolitions – shorturl.at/dlxET
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Todd Veinotte- Why Halifax Common Pool Needs a Better Location

Halifax Central Common Pool re-do — good idea bad location.

News 97.5 Todd Veinotte explores FHC’s concerns and better ideas for where / how HRM could locate the $16 million dollar pool. (Hint: not next to a traffic corridor & 1500 cars worth of pollution)

Halifax Common Pool – HRM Dives into the Wrong End of Planning Process

(Ki’jupuk / Halifax) HRM’s ad hoc planning (get it done) vs long term (do it right) once again drowns potential for the best outcome — in this case for the Halifax Common’s new aquatic centre.

Your car, my lungs –a powerful mural by Marta Frej, via @WarszawaBezSmog)

While always supportive of and recognizing the need for a new public outdoor aquatic centre, Friends of Halifax Common continue to be disappointed with a process that now has HRM diving into an unsuitable location with an unknown building design for the Central Common swimming pool re-design. 

Ahead of any public consultation HRM established a new aquatic centre as a top objective of the 2017 Halifax Common Master Plan. On-going disregard for public consultation now lands the $16 million-dollar project ahead of a final Halifax Common Master Plan.

This predetermined outcome ignores considering other locations that would increase public open green space and save money with rationalized facility use. It also ignores the Feb 8, 2022 directive HRM staff received to “undertake public consultation and a review of the Master Plan and return to Regional Council within 18 months with the results of the consultation and any recommended amendments, along with implementation plans as may be advised.”

Most importantly better location choices would avoid the well-known harmful health impact of traffic pollution, noise and accidents that will result from the addition of at least 1500 cars using the QEII hospital’s two new $100 million dollar parking garages directly across the street. That the parkades are associated with the hospital redevelopment will not alleviate the grave and known impact that traffic emissions have on children’s health.

Locating the pool near the Citadel High School could have budgeted financial support for the completion of the upper floor(s) of the HRM recreational space inside the school. HRM has paid 7% of the building’s operational fee since 2007 but the upper ~10,500 ft2  remains unfinished and unused. 

Or locating the pool on the Centennial Pool parking lot could have expanded public green space by landscaping/naturalizing that area. And use or expansion of the Centennial’s staff offices, change rooms and washroom facilities could have reduced overall building requirements and facility costs.

HRM staff’s record of public comments at the December 2017 consultation raised concerns about predeterming the prioritization of the pool and many asked that HRM “Wait for Master Plan.” That public consultation did not find that there should be a new building. The design for the aquatic centre area from that time did not show an increase in the building footprint which evidently is now two buildings. 

There has been no public consultation on the present building design- an architectural black box – even though citizens will presumably be users of the year-round community room, kitchenette and performance space. Limiting public consultation can only curtail the imagination and creativity that might lead us to one day design and approve a natural, wild-space play area.

For the future FHC looks forward to a complete, approved and registered Halifax Common Master Plan. That final Plan should reflect proper and fully engaged public consultation and be informed by the 1994 Halifax Common Plan, not the desires of HRM staff. A Plan that protects and plans for the entire Halifax Common granted “to and for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Halifax as Common, forever” in 1763. And a Plan that is in place before beginning to implement, build, renovate or achieve any agreed-upon new elements to the Halifax Common. 

Chronicle Herald Review – Artist critiques HRM’s plans: Robie St., a case study

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