New Development Would Add More Density Near Halifax Forum
HALIFAX — Halifax’s Design Advisory Committee made way for more density near the Halifax Forum this week when it gave conditional approval to a mixed-use tower just off Windsor Street.
WM Fares Group, a local design and development firm, applied on behalf of Alessandra Investments Limited to build the tower at 6189-6191 Young Street.
Plans for the project show a nine-storey tower that holds 58 residential units, ground-floor retail space, and one level of underground parking.
The tower will replace the single-storey commercial building housing a tattoo shop and furniture store that currently sits on the site.
The new project is being considered under Halifax’s Centre Plan and, according to city staff, meets all the requirements set out in the bylaw.
The committee’s job is to provide feedback and recommendations on the design of the building before the development officer’s final decision.
One of the committee’s main concerns was windowless sections on the east and west facades of the tower. That means some bedrooms wouldn’t have access to natural light.
WM Fares’ Roberto Menendez told the committee those specific walls must be windowless because the building sits right at the edge of the property line.
The property at 6189-6191 Young Street is relatively small and surrounded on two sides by a much larger lot that’s been slated for significant development.
That project, which WM Fares is also involved with, will feature 240 residential units and 77,000 square feet of commercial space spread across three towers.
However, Menendez stressed that the windowless walls of the nine-storey tower exist only because of building codes and have nothing to do with plans for neighbouring buildings.
Committee members also took issues with other aspects of the building’s design and suggested expanding rooftop greenery to cover the entire roof, changes the placement of a bicycle and garbage room, and doing more to beautify one of the building’s walls.
Ultimately, the committee recommended the project move forward if those design concerns are addressed. However, its recommendations are non-binding.
With the committees’ blessing, the next step for the project will be a full site plan approval application.