Halifax micro-loft developers want to build mixed income lots

A father-and-son urban design teamin Halifax isusing plans formicro-lofts they built last year to develop a new mixed-income housing projectthey say will better developfuture residential in-fills.

Urban developer Kerry Lynch is working with his father, award-winning retired architect Andy Lynch, on Stanley Street Homesa redevelopment that covers four vacant residential lots near the Hydrostone Market in Halifax's north end.

Through the project, the father and son hopeHalifax willreview its zoning laws to better accommodateduplexes, backyardsand multi-unit housing at an affordable price.

"A lot of the structures and incentives in place through Housing Nova Scotia and CMHC[Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation]are geared towards affordable-to-rent," Kerry Lynch told CBC News.

"We feel there's an opportunity to explore affordable-to-own as an option on Stanley Street. To allow someone to create some equity in their home, maybe move up the property ladder."

Building more gentledensity

Kerry Lynch says the project will be basedon another residential in-fill development he and his father built in central Halifaxbuilt last year. On Hunter Street,three micro-lofts were added to the back of two properties with existing houses. All three-units are around 51 square metresin size, spread out over two stories.

The Stanley Street Homes development will be structured under a condominium corporation to allow for individual units to be separatelyowned,Lynch said, as current zoning rules do not allow more than one livable dwelling in a single-family residential zone.

The Hunter Street development got an exemption to those rules,but those units are only rentals. Using a condominium corporation structure with Stanley Street is the easiest way to achieve ownership of individual units there.

"I'm not sure that the city planning staff are thrilled about the rules as they currently have to implement because they do not address today's demographics on the peninsula," Lynch said.

Using zones to their favour

He and his father would like to see more general residential zoning (R-2) and general residential conversion zoning (R-2A) to allow for more density.

"There's two ends of the spectrum right now: you've got your high-rise density, and you've got your single-family home," Lynch said.

"The R-2 zoning allows for up to four units, but there are very few lots on the peninsula that have the criteria that allow for that type of density. We're hoping the Centre Plan discussions will loosen up those rules a bit."

Halifax is now holding public consultations to help craftthe Centre Plan, a new comprehensive set of development rules that will simplify and streamline existing bylaws both on the peninsula and Dartmouth within the Circumferential Highway.

Building 'affordable units'

Lynch says the affordable units in the Stanley Street development will be priced to synch up with the findings in last year's municipal housing needs assessment.

He said the assessment identified the target demographic for affordable housing as those making between$42,000 and $65,000

"So, that person can afford a mortgage of somewhere between $170,000 and $250,000. Some of the criteria will be part of deciding who that person is for the affordable units."

The remaining market units in the development will be sold at rates comparable to the sales prices for houses in the Hydrostone, Lynch says.

Lynch says he's waiting on city planning staff to sign off on some key documents before he and his father are able to go ahead with construction on Stanley Street Homes. He hopes to start construction this summer.