Highrise On Historic Victoria Hall Property In Halifax Clears Another Hurdle
HALIFAX — Joseph Arab’s plan to build a highrise behind the historic Victoria Hall on Gottingen Street has cleared an important hurdle.
Arab’s proposal passed through council’s Heritage Advisory Committee on March 9. Council agreed to let the developer make substantial modifications to Victoria Hall so he can build an apartment building directly behind the building.
The plan, as it currently stands, would see the back wing of Victoria Hall torn down to make room for a 13-storey apartment building on the property.
The back wing was added long after the hall was built so the Heritage Advisory Committee felt its loss would not have a dramatic impact on the building’s historical character.
Arab has also promised to spend $3-million on badly needed renovations to Victoria Hall itself, which city staff say is in “desperate need” of work.
Council Support Appeared Tepid
Although some on council were happy to see money being put into Victoria Hall’s restoration, support for Arab’s project appeared tepid.
Lindell Smith, who represents the district the building sits in, said he had mixed feelings.
“I think there are some positive aspects to this application as we talk about the heritage, but there are some concerning aspects when we talk about the planning pieces, and I think we need to dig a little deeper on the planning aspect of it,” he said.
Smith said he wants more discussion about what kind of impact the building could have on the community, and how it fits into the overall neighborhood.
He will get his wish.
Yesterday’s decision was one step in a longer process Arab must go through to make his project happen.
Now that he has permission to alter Victoria Hall, he must go through the development agreement process, where things like the building’s height, character, and fit in the neighborhood will be hashed out.
“I will support this for today but will be very critical as we move forward in the planning process,” Smith said.
Concerns About Neighbourhood Fit
Council has already said no to Arab’s past plans for a highrise on the Victoria Hall property.
Originally, the developer wanted to build a 19-storey tower. That plan got reworked to a 16-storey building, which council rejected last summer.
At the time, city staff argued (and council agreed) the project didn’t fit with the character of Victoria Hall and would visually overpower the historic building.
RELATED: Council Balks At 16-Storey Highrise On Historic Property
On Tuesday, staff told council the latest, 13-storey building doesn’t have those same problems: less of the new highrise will be visible above Victoria Hall from the street, and the design has been simplified so the hall’s colourful façade remains dominant.
Councillor Paul Russel said he supported moving the proposal forward but was uncomfortable with the current plans.
“I recognize that we need the density and need the development. It is a shame to see this kind of thing happen to this building,” he said.
In the end, all but one member of council voted to move the project forward. Patty Cuttell voted against, expressing her “great concerns” about how the building will mesh with the “historical streetscape of two-storey homes” on Creighton Street.
Once the project enters the development agreement process, council and the public will have a chance to weigh in on the height, character, and fit of the project.
Trevor Nichols is a staff writer with Huddle in Halifax. Send him an e-mail with your story suggestions: [email protected].