New Halifax Development Would Replace Quinpool McDonalds With Eight-Storey, Mixed-Use Building
HALIFAX — Plans are moving forward to construct an eight-storey, mixed-use building on a Quinpool Road lot that currently houses McDonalds and Fitness FX.
Earlier this week, Halifax And West Community Council voted to move the proposed project along the city’s development process and schedule it for a public hearing.
The project is being put forward by Dexel Developments, which says it wants to create a building that would house commercial businesses on the ground floor and 160 units of housing in its upper levels.
The building would rise eight storeys high, in addition to a penthouse that would sit on what would essentially be the ninth floor. In total, the building would stretch 72 metres, which is as high as the zoning policy it’s being considered under allows.
It would also be significantly higher than surrounding buildings, which are mostly low-rise commercial structures.
The side of the building opposite Quinpool faces Pepperell Street. There, Dexel plans to build three-storey, townhouse-style homes.
The project would also include 160 parking spaces in an underground garage accessed from Pepperell Street.
The project has been in the works for about three years and is being considered not under the city’s new Centre Plan, but under an old set of development rules.
However, previous councils have said the project has to “generally align with the urban structure proposed in the… Centre Plan.”
Members of the public have already had a chance to weigh in on the project. However, a second hearing still needs to happen before council can make a final decision on granting a development permit.
The date for the second public hearing has not yet been set.