A major development near Wyse Road has been given the green light by the community council, despite objections from staff. Harbour East Community Council voted in favour of the project during a meeting on September 2.
Developer Joseph Arab can now build two towers (11 and 9 stories tall) on a large parcel of land on Rosedale Drive. The property also has frontage on Floral Avenue and Fraser Street.
According to a development agreement application submitted in 2020, the two towers will hold 205 residential units, along with ground-level commercial space. It will also have underground parking lots.
The Rosedale development was proposed before Halifax’s new Centre Plan was put in place. That means the project had to meet requirements under Dartmouth’s old guidelines.
Dartmouth Centre councillor Sam Austin says the old rules stated new developments had to be “consistent and compatible” with the surrounding area. Staff rejected it because no other structure in the area was 11 or 9 stories high.
“There’s nothing else that tall in the area, so staff couldn’t come to an agreement that it was consistent,” said Austin.
Staff and the developer did examine how the towers could look if a design was resubmitted under the new centre plan. The towers could be shorter (about 6-7 stories), but wider with more density and that would mean less greenspace.
“The crux of the debate on this became do we want something taller but further away with more green space, or do we want something that is shorter, that fills more of the site and is closer to neighbours,” explained Austin.
But the developer prefers the old design. A Dartmouth architecture firm, Fathom Studio, worked with the developer on the design. Rob LeBlanc, President and director of planning with Fathom, said the open greenspace was vital to the project.
“It would have meant more density for the developer (under the Centre Plan),” says LeBlanc. “It would have been a nasty thing for us and the developer because it would have just packed in a whole bunch of buildings. There would have been little or no green space.”
LeBlanc said an open green space is important for sunlight, the microclimate, community gardens, and connectivity to the Wyse Road area. But LeBlanc said he understood why staff recommended the council reject the development under the old standards.
“Staff’s hands are tied with old policies and old policies don’t necessarily meet today’s best practices,” he said.
But Austin said the community council heard from members of the public that they preferred the original, taller building design. He also said he agreed with the consensus that the design has merit. So, the development was ultimately approved, despite staff’s objections.
It’s unclear when construction will begin or when the project will be complete.
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