Downtown Halifax is torn up. We’ve just seen a floating boardwalk through to completion so people can avoid the mess around the waterfront, the Nova Centre construction has been going on for five years, which isn’t even related to the mess that is the rest of Argyle Street—and what the hell is going on around […]
Development
Posted inNews + Opinion
Chief planning director Bob Bjerke exits city hall
The municipality’s top planner is out of a job. That’s according to a memo emailed to HRM staff on Tuesday afternoon by chief administrative officer Jacques Dubé. “Please be advised that effective today Bob Bjerke, director of planning and development, is no longer a member of the Halifax Regional Municipality team,” writes Dubé. “We wish […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A nightmare of evocation as Halifax falls to the wrecking ball
One of my dystopian nightmares (I know that term is redundant but I want to emphasize just how scared and disgusted it makes me) goes like this: At some point in the not-so-distant future, everything that makes Halifax livable, lovable and distinct (common lands, public spaces, historic buildings, heritage neighbourhoods) has been razed and replaced […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bridging the gap
Business on the boardwalk got off to a rocky start this season. The Queen’s Marque construction site— a $200-million, five-acre development slated to be finished in 2019—has disrupted the walk along the waterfront as crowds descend on Halifax Harbour for events like the Canada 150 festivities, the Tall Ships Regatta and the Halifax International Busker […]
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Council promises new home for Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre
Plans for a brand new Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre are one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a surprise motion from Halifax Regional Council. After an in-camera discussion that began Tuesday evening and spilled into Wednesday afternoon, council voted to once again look at selling the former Red Cross building in the north […]
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Bloomfield withering on the vine
Halifax is still trying to figure out what to do with Bloomfield, more than a year after the province walked away from redeveloping the former north-end school. A staff report before Regional Council on Tuesday recommended once again selling off the Agricola Street property as surplus. Instead, council voted to defer that discussion until mid-August […]
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Historical designation sought for Great Beech Hill
When Jane Zathey first moved to Great Beech Hill 12 years ago, she became fascinated by its history. “I consider myself a steward of the area,” she says. “I’ve been, I don’t know if you’d call it talking, or praying, or meditating on that path pretty much ever day for 12 years.” But now she’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Waste of commercial space
The city should have a better grasp on a neighbourhood’s commercial needs when approving new developments, says the councillor for Cole Harbour–Westphal. Lorelei Nicoll asked for a staff report this week looking at options for including retail and commercial policy concerns in any significant development proposals and planning amendments brought to city hall. The councillor […]
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Council prunes Willow Tree development
What a difference a new council makes. After approving a 29-storey limit for the Willow Tree development last year—against the recommendation of planning staff—this week Halifax Regional Council voted to shrink that height restriction down to 62 metres (or about 20 storeys). George Armoyan’s Armco Captial, through its APL Properties, first proposed the development at […]
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The Wooden Monkey files for more than $500,000 in statement of claim
The Wooden Monkey restaurant is “leading the march” in filing its claim with the Utility and Review Board, says lawyer Ray Wagner. Wagner is representing multiple downtown businesses in a lawsuit against the municipal, provincial and federal governments, the Halifax Convention Centre Corporation as well as Argyle Developments Inc. and its parent company Rank Incorporated. […]
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City council tackles food deserts and feral cats
[Image-1] Pay-to-spay A five-year pilot project will kick off later this year to help reduce HRM’s feral cat overpopulation. “This has come a long way since we started [with] Tuxedo Stan and the Tuxedo Party in 2012,” said councillor Stephen Adams. The $50,000-a-year program was developed in consultation with Halifax’s ‘Domestic and Feral Cat Committee,’ […]
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Halifax Public Library’s new plan is on the books
While most of us, by now, are familiar with the central library’s gleaming glass and endless shelves, it seems it won’t be the only chic circulation desk much longer: Today, Halifax Public Libraries unveiled its five year plan, a vision of what the city’s 15 branches will look like by 2021. The plan, available on […]