Halifax Council Approves Two Skyscrapers Despite Public Concerns
HALIFAX — Two nearly 30-storey skyscrapers planned for Robie Street near Spring Garden Road have been given the green light.
On September 8, Halifax and West Community Council approved a development permit for the Rouvalis family’s project, which has been branded The Promenade.
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The development is a mixed-use complex that will cover eight properties along Robie Street and College Street.
It consists of a 28-storey plus penthouse tower and a 29-storey plus penthouse tower, stretching approximately 90 metres high, sitting atop a shared podium. It will feature 577 residential units and commercial space on the ground floor.
Its two towers will sit beside another major project that’s slated for the same block. To make way for the two developments, as many as 110 units of comparatively affordable housing will have to be demolished.
No Support For Project At Public Hearing
On September 7, Halifax And West Community Council held a public hearing on the project. The hearing is the last step before council votes on the development agreement that will allow the project to begin.
About a dozen members of the public showed up to the hearing. All of them were against the project.
Several members of the lobby group Development Options Halifax gave a presentation outlining what they feel are serious environmental and planning issues with the project.
A big concern for DOH is that the Rouvalis development isn’t being considered at the same time as the other big project planned on the neighbouring lot.
Hadrian Laing, a NSAA intern architect, showed council a 3D model of the two projects together. It depicts four tall skyscrapers crowded on one city block, something the DOH says isn’t acceptable.
Laing argued that, in public engagement sessions, people are only being shown one project at a time, which isn’t telling the whole story.
He said he showed his 3D model to people who live next to the proposed development and that “they felt betrayed; they felt helpless.”
Demolishing Affordable Units To Make Way For Towers
Judy Haiven, another DOH member, argued densification “should not be used an excuse for poor development.”
She pointed out that about 110 units of commercial and residential space, many of them fairly affordable, will need to be demolished to make way for the two developments.
“That does nothing for the vulnerable, it actually harms them,” she said.
Hannah Bing, a student who used to live in the neighbourhood set to be razed, echoed the DOH’s concerns.
She said the neighbourhood was one of the only places she was able to find affordable, accessible housing in the city.
She questioned if knocking it down to put up, “shiny” and “expensive” highrises makes sense in the middle of a housing affordability crisis.
“When big decisions like this are made it can be quite easy to remove yourself from the reality of the situation but I am here to remind everyone that this decision will leave people without homes, whether we want to address that or not. And to remind everyone that there are other options,” she told council.
Is Infill An Alternative To Skyscrapers?
In their presentation, members of the DOH argued for another option.
They said the densification council is looking for with big projects like the Rouvalis development can also be achieved by “infill” development.
Instead of knocking down a bunch of buildings for a skyscraper, the group argues carefully designed, smaller projects up to about six storeys could be scattered across a neighbouhood.
That helps preserve a sense of community, and would also have less impact on wind, shadow, public space and infrastructure, the group says.
They also pointed out that skyscrapers have a much heavier carbon footprint than infill developments. They argued that should be a serious consideration in approving any development given the pressing nature of the climate crisis.
Council’s Scope Is Limited
When it came time for council to make its decision, Coun. Waye Mason kicked things off by pointing out the limited scope of the decision he and his colleagues were there to make.
Community Council was there, he said, to say whether the Rouvalis project followed the rules set out in the city’s planning bylaws.
The scope of those bylaws — things like how tall and how close to other buildings a development can be — were already decided when council passed the Centre Plan.
He said the public was consulted extensively during the Centre Plan process and that this neighbourhood was consistently identified as a prime place for more density.
Mason also pointed out that the Rouvalis development has already been extensively redesigned based on feedback from the public.
“[Several] things have changed because staff said, ‘council you shouldn’t do what the developer wants, you should do what the public wants,’ and we listened to them,” Mason said.
Project Passes Almost Unanimously
However, other members of council appeared less convinced.
Coun. Patty Cuttell evoked big developments of the past, like Scotia Square, and pointed out how many don’t believe they’ve stood the test of time.
She wondered if the two major developments slated for one block might fall into the same category.
“As an urban planner, I cannot say this is great planning. This simply is not. This is not something you would do on a single block,” she said.
She argued the transition from the heritage buildings to the main tower is too stark and that the impact of shadows of all four buildings is “unknown.”
“From an urban design perspective there are some real flaws in this building,” she said.
Although councilors like Iona Stoddard also expressed concerns with the project, in the end, it passed through council easily; every member except Cuttell voted to approve the development agreement.
Trevor Nichols is a staff writer with Huddle in Halifax. Send him feedback or story suggestions at: [email protected]. To read more stories like this, sign up to receive Huddle’s free daily newsletter.