What may be viewed as a bold move, Nova Scotia has scrapped the Halifax’s Regional Plan and is taking immediate action to spur housing and development.
The province says they are making all of HRM an interim planning area.
Minister John Lohr told our newsroom the 1,000-page regional plan was a year and a half late and had elements they didn’t like.
“We felt it didn’t go far enough to enable density; it didn’t go far enough on affordability. There were elements that would make housing less affordable in the future,” explained Lohr.
It means there will be a dozen or more projects that will be fast-tracked while the city and province work on a new regional plan, with a deadline of the end of the year.
Nine locations have also been pegged as areas for opportunity for future development, which Lohr says would still need approval from council.
– Dunbrack Street and Lacewood Drive, Clayton Park
– Downsview Mall, Lower Sackville
– Herring Cove Road at Dentith Road, Spryfield
– Mill Cove, Bedford
– Portland Street/Baker Drive, Dartmouth
– Portland Street/Eisener Boulevard, Dartmouth
– Tacoma Drive, Dartmouth
– Woodlawn Mall, Dartmouth
– Melville Heights/Herring Cove Road, Armdale
Lohr said, there is interest from developers in all of the locations.
Council in the dark?
In a news release, Mayor Andy Fillmore said Halifax shares the same goal as the province and he will continue working closely with Nova Scotia on building housing, faster.
However, whether or not Halifax Council was aware of the plan, is unclear but Lohr said city staff and the mayor were in on it.
This is not the first time the province has asserted power over municipal jurisdiction.
Premier Tim Houston gave council an ultimatum in July to reverse making Morris Street– a busy downtown roadway- one way to make room for bike lanes, or he would do it for them.
This happened at the same time there was a lot of chatter around Strong Mayor Powers for Mayor Andy Fillmore.
When asked whether or not the province is frustrated with Halifax Council’s decisions, Lohr wouldn’t say.
“Well, I certainly respect Council,” said Lohr. “I would say, maybe we differ on process. I think the goal of seeing the city prosper and grow is something we all share.”
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