Five-Tower Development Approved For North End Halifax
HALIFAX — A major development made it through a public hearing last night, clearing the way for five large towers to be built on a swath of land in North End Halifax.
Halifax’s Westwood Developments is the firm behind the project, which was once called “Midtown North” but is now being branded as “Richmond Yards.”
It will see five towers, connected by a 550-space underground parking garage, built over four acres of land near the intersection of Robie Street and Almon Street.
The towers will each hold a mix of commercial and residential space. Together, they will contain 620 residential units and have more than 50,000 square feet reserved for retail.
The development’s tallest tower will stretch more than 100 metres and reach 30 storeys. A second, nearby tower will rise eight storeys high.
Two more towers along the property’s boundary will both reach 13 and 12 storeys, respectively. A final building will be a 10-storey mixed-use tower.
The development will also include several townhouse-style units.
Westwood has been trying to get the project approved since 2016 and the design went through several revisions and rounds of public engagement before arriving before Halifax and West Community Council on April 27.
RELATED: More on the history of the development here.
That evening, the project was subject to a public hearing before council voted to approve a development permit for the site.
Only one person spoke at the hearing, expressing concerns about parking for businesses in the area.
During the discussion, however, Coun. Patty Cuttell voiced her own concerns about the amount of open, public space in the neighbourhood.
Cuttell pointed out the project will be “one of the densest developments on the peninsula” and questioned if enough attention had been paid to the amount of open space in the area.
She said creating public space is important, especially considering other ongoing developments will add even more density to the area.
“When we look at things in silos we kind of miss the bigger picture,” she said. “I do think density is a good thing but we have a responsibility on our end to ensure that what we’re allowing to happen supports the citizens and potential residents.”
Susan Fitzgerald, presenting to council on behalf of Westwood, agreed with Cuttell and argued the development helped address her concerns.
“Two things are lacking in this neighbourhood… those are public space and green areas,” Fitzgerald said. “One of the project’s main objectives is to add these for both the residents and the citizens.”
She pointed to King’s Square, a plaza in the middle of the property that will be used as surface parking and event space. She said the space could be used to host things like food trucks, street markets, or celebrations.
Danny Chedrawe, the president of Westwood Developments, told council he wants the development to be a positive part of the neighbourhood.
“Truly our vision for this site is diversity and inclusion. We’ve spent many years, seven different plans, and I believe this time we have it,” Chedrawe said.
He pointed out that most new developments on the peninsula contain smaller units and highlighted that most of the units in this project will be larger than 1,000 square feet. Many will also be two- and three-bedroom units.
Chedrawe said Westwood has hired a special firm that is applying with the Canadian Mortgage And Housing Corporation to support affordable housing in the development.
He also argued the project “embraces not only active transportation but public transportation.”
He said Westwood donated land to create a protected bike lane along Almon Street and plans to devote 100 spaces in the parking garage for neighbourhood use.
“Our dream and our vision is that someday when HRM invests enough money in public transportation, we can take space there and turn it into community space because we’re not going need it for parking,” he added.
“This is our vision for this project. It’s not just about building a building here; we’re hoping this project becomes a project that people look towards as a benchmark of good development and being a good citizen of this city.”
For the most part, members of community council bought into Chedrawe’s vision.
Coun. Waye Mason said he appreciated that Westwood had taken the recommendations from the city’s Planning Advisory Committee seriously and wasn’t worried about the parking situation, especially since 50-70 percent of people in the neighbourhood walk or bike to work.
“If we don’t have this intensity of development in the peninsula, you end up with development farther out and those cars are still driving on the roads,” he said.
He said he had some concerns with the overall design of the project but not enough to withdraw his support.
Coun. Cleary was more effusive. He said he hoped other developers would model their projects after this one.
“I’m very excited to see several hundred new people moving here over the next few years,” Cleary said, arguing that local will be more successful as more people move to the neighbourhood.
Coun. Lindell Smith, meanwhile, hammered home the importance of having affordable housing included in the development.
The municipality can’t compel a developer to include affordable units in a project, and Smith urged Westwood to come through on its promises.
“It’s been said many times by the landowner to the public, to us, on record, so I hope they live up to the commitment of making [units available] for affordable housing,” Smith said.
Eventually, council unanimously approved the development agreement. That means that, after a final few (mostly procedural) steps, the full project can officially move forward.