HRM council approves new development rules for Halifax, Dartmouth

New development rules for established residential neighbourhoods in peninsular Halifax and parts of Dartmouth were unanimously approved by Halifax regional council on Tuesday night.

Planners have been working on Centre PlanPackage B since 2018. They say the updated rules will pave the way for 49,000 new housing units.

"This is another piece of the puzzle for us, for the growth of Halifax," said Mayor Mike Savage. "We need the housing this will provide.It's exciting to get to this point."

Coun.Sam Austin, who represents downtown Dartmouth, agreed the approval of the new rules is an important step for the municipality.

"Before, there was no clarity on what sort of development we wanted where and it turned every single project into a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood fight," said Austin."With the Centre Plan and the stitching of the second half to Package A we have closed the door on that era."

Public hearing

Thirteenpeople spoke at the public hearing. A few of them did not agree that the rules were taking the municipality in the right direction.

"This whole document is based on a pre-COVIDsituation," said Beverley Miller."We know that a lot about our lives now has to change."

Caden Hebb spoke on behalf of a group called Development Options Halifax. He presented a petition with 500 names. The group called for a focus on renovating or repurposing existing buildings and lowering the height limits along corridors.

"There are better options for growth," said Hebb.

A number of presenters talked about the impact the new development rules will have on their specific properties or projects.

Councillors did ask planners to look into some of the concerns and come back with a report. That will take two to three months, and if amendments to the plan are needed, further public hearings will have to be held.