Will Highrise On Gottingen Street In Halifax Finally Get Approval?
HALIFAX — Joseph Arab’s years-long quest to build a highrise behind the historic Victoria Hall on Gottingen Street appears to be coming to a close.
On July 13, Halifax And West Community Council voted to send Arab’s proposed development to a public hearing—the last major step in the city’s development process.
The project would see the (historically insignificant) back wing of Victoria Hall torn down to make room for a highrise on the property.
The development has been in the works for several years, with councillors consistently expressing reservations about plunking such a large tower so close to a heritage building.
However, council has been reluctant to quash the project entirely, largely because Arab has promised to spend $3-million on badly needed renovations to Victoria Hall itself.
The result has been several years of revisions that have whittled the tower down to a size and scale council can live with.
RELATED: Council Balks At 16-Storey Highrise On Historic Property
Arab’s original plan was to build a 19-storey tower on the property. But in 2020 he came to council with a plan for a 50-metre, 16-story highrise instead.
That building would still have towered six times as high as Victoria Hall and both council and city staff agreed it would be too visually overpowering.
Council rejected the plan but told the developer to come back with a modified proposal. In March, Arab did just that, presenting a new plan for a 13-storey tower.
At the time, city staff told council many of the previous issues had been fixed: less of the new highrise would be visible above Victoria Hall from Gottingen street and the simplified design meant the hall’s colourful façade would remain dominant.
RELATED: Highrise On Historic Victoria Hall Property Clears Another Hurdle
Those assurances were enough for council, which on Tuesday agreed to move the project forward.
As it stands, the proposed tower would contain 130 units of housing. Those would be bolstered by 30 more units inside Victoria Hall itself.
The development will feature townhouse-style units fronting Creighton Street, as well as a pedestrian walkway from Creighton to Gottingen.
The project will also have an underground parking garage with space for 62 vehicles. City staff has said the traffic impact from the new tower will be “minimal.”
At the July 13 meeting, Coun. Shawn Cleary said the latest design allows for more density in the neighbourhood, doesn’t overpower Victoria Hall, and will see the hall itself get a much-needed facelift.
“I think we finally hit on something that our heritage planners and heritage committee and our staff think is a good thing to have,” he said.
“I think this is a good thing [that] will not only add density but actually rejuvenate a part of Gottingen Street and a very historic building that definitely needs some TLC.”
Cleary and the rest of Halifax And West Community Council agreed to send the latest version of the development to a public hearing.
At the hearing, council will her feedback on the new design from members of the public before deciding whether to give what is essentially its final blessing.