As directed by Regional Council, staff are considering additional site-specific requests in the Regional Centre and Suburban Area as well as housekeeping changes to the Suburban Housing Accelerator (SHA) Plan. As of September 20, 2024, public engagement has closed.
If you have questions regarding the proposed changes, please reach out to haf@halifax.ca.
Next Steps
Staff are currently reviewing feedback and are preparing to bring a report for consideration by Regional Council. Should Regional Council wish to consider these changes, a public hearing will be scheduled. Updates will be posted to this webpage and residents that received mailouts will be notified by mail.
Interactive Map
This interactive map shows the location of site-specific development requests in the Regional Centre and Suburban Area.
Please note: this map has been prepared for public information purposes only; it does not include comprehensive regulatory language and is subject to change.
Use the Basemap icon to change the basemap
Use the Filter icon to select specific proposed zoning options
Use the Layers icon to turn on and off the layers of the map
Use the Legend icon to get a description of what is being shown on the map
Click on a site to open a pop-up window that displays more information about the request. This window will provide details such as proposed zoning, recommended maximum height, and links to fact sheets.
Proposed Changes
- Suburban Area: Additional Site-Specific Requests
Regional Council has directed staff to consider a number of specific development requests as part of further amendments in the Suburban Area (please see this table for a complete list). Suburban site-specific development requests can also be viewed on the interactive map.
Recommended Sites would be assigned the Housing Accelerator (HA) Zone. The HA Zone permits a range of residential uses with maximum heights varying from site to site. Additional information about the regulations of the HA zone is available here.
Criteria
Site-specific development requests located in the Suburban Area must meet the Suburban Opportunity Site selection criteria listed below to qualify for consideration:
- The site must be smaller than 2 hectares.
- The proposal must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- located within 800 metres of a proposed Rapid Transit route.
- located within 1200 metres of a proposed Rapid Transit terminal.
- located within 800 metres of a post-secondary institution campus; or
- a site identified by the Provincial Lands for Housing Program or an affordable housing project by a registered non-profit.
- The proposal must not result in the demolition of an existing multi-unit dwelling (three units or more).
- The site must not be located within a coastal or watercourse setback.
- Regional Centre: Additional Site-Specific Requests
Regional Council has directed staff to consider the following as part of further amendments to the Regional Centre Plan:
- rezone 749 Young Avenue, Halifax (PID 40701518) from ER-3 to ER-2 and include the subject site in the Young Avenue Heritage Conservation District Study Area;
- rezone Beaufort Avenue Park (PID 00078527) from ER-3 to PCF;
- rezone 2485 to 2497 Brunswick Street, Halifax (PID 40264533 and 40264541), and 2569 to 2581 Brunswick Street, Halifax (PID 40261349, 40261356, and 41158411) from ER-2 to HR1 for affordable housing projects; and,
- rezone 2627, 2633, and 2639 Connolly Street, Halifax (PID 00079731, 00079749, and 00079756) from ER-3 to COR.
Click on the address of each request to see fact sheets for each site. Regional Centre site-specific development requests can also be viewed on the interactive map.
- Suburban Housing Accelerator Plan - Housekeeping Amendments
Minor updates to the Suburban Housing Accelerator (SHA) Plan are also being considered, including:
- reviewing the transition lines in the plan;
- permitting more than one building on a lot at 41 Cowie Hill Road (PID 00274241);
- reviewing the definition of “commercial recreation use”;
- clarifying how a storey is measured (streetline grade versus average finished grade);
- permitting a duplex apartment, which is a four-unit dwelling on two separate lots that resembles a semi-detached house with two basement units;
- clarifying amenity space requirements;
- clarifying rooftop feature regulations; and
- clarifying limitations for balcony encroachments into low density residential and park zones.
Overview
These requests were received during the initial Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Urgent Changes to Planning Documents for Housing public engagement process and Second Reading. The HAF amendments were approved by Regional Council on May 23, 2024. As part of the adoption process, Council directed staff to review a list of these additional site-specific requests (see Table A7-3) to be considered for additional planning amendments. Additional requests will not be considered at this time.
Following public consultation, planning staff will draft the proposed amendments to relevant Municipal Planning Strategies and Land Use By-laws and write a staff report for review by Regional Council. Should Council wish to consider the proposal, a public hearing will be scheduled.
Common Questions
- How was feedback on the proposed changes collected?
As directed by Regional Council, staff is following section 6(a) of the Public Participation Process Administrative Order to conduct public engagement on the proposed changes. Residents were encouraged to send comments or questions to haf@halifax.ca between August 16 and September 20, 2024. The deadline to provide feedback is now closed, however, residents are encouraged to contact haf@halifax.ca if they have questions on the proposed changes.
Residents were notified of the proposed changes via the following methods:
- Information about the proposed amendments is available on this website;
- Mailouts with information on the proposed changes were sent to residents within a notification distance of approximately 80 metres of potential sites; and
- Posts asking for community feedback were shared via municipal social media accounts.
- What is the HA Zone?
To advance developments in suburban communities that are consistent with the direction of the Regional Plan, Suburban Opportunity Sites are added to a new Suburban Housing Accelerator (SHA) Plan that was introduced as part of the initial HAF package.
The recommended sites are removed from their existing Plan Areas and included in the new SHA Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy (SMPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB). The SHA planning documents establish a standard Housing Accelerator (HA) Zone, which is generally based on the Regional Centre Plan HR-1 or HR-2 Zone. The HA Zone enables higher density developments through a modern planning framework that is compatible with the surrounding suburban community.
The HA Zone is generally located in areas that are close to a high-frequency transit service or post-secondary institutions. A broad range of residential uses are permitted, as well as local commercial uses that are compatible with residential neighbourhoods.
Maximum permitted heights vary based on the sites’ size, location and context and range from 3 to 14 storeys. The HA Zone includes requirements related to setbacks, step backs, streetwall heights, landscaping, articulation, parking, wind assessment, and transitions to low-density areas such as a setback and a landscaped buffer or screening.
For more information, please see the HA fact sheet.
- Why are these site-specific development requests being considered ahead of the Suburban Planning process?
The Suburban Planning process will create a new plan for land use and development in the municipality’s Suburban Area. Several site-specific developments were submitted for consideration as part of the Suburban Planning process.
When the Urgent Changes to Planning Documents for Housing project was initiated, some of these sites were identified as being aligned with the early direction of the Suburban Planning process and were advanced more quickly to support the creation of housing. Requests not being considered through the current package of sites will continue to be reviewed through the Suburban Planning process.
Staff will be returning to Council in early 2025 with an updated workplan for the Suburban Planning project.
- Why are these sites being considered separately from the initial HAF amendment package?
In July 2023, Regional Council passed a motion to direct any new requests for site-specific amendments to Municipal Planning Strategies in the Suburban Area to the Suburban Planning process, including development requests that may have been initially submitted for consideration through the ongoing Regional Plan Review. The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Urgent Changes to Planning Documents for Housing was identified as an opportunity to advance some of these site specific development requests that are consistent with the goals of the Housing Accelerator Fund and the direction of the Regional Plan.
Staff received approximately 127 Regional Centre site-specific development requests during the HAF public engagement process (January 17 - February 16, 2024), 62 of which staff recommended to be addressed through the initial package.
Out of the 111 site-specific development requests that were received for consideration through the Suburban Planning process, 36 sites were identified that met the site selection criteria. An additional 92 Suburban site-specific development requests were also submitted to the municipality for consideration during the public engagement process.
Due to the high volume of requests and HAF timelines, newly-requested Suburban sites were not considered in the initial package unless they were requests for affordable housing projects or were aligned with MPS amendment files that were initiated by Council prior to the initiation of the Suburban Plan. A total of 43 site-specific development requests were recommended by staff for approval through the initial HAF amendment package.
During the second reading of the HAF amendment package, Regional Council directed staff to conduct further engagement and analysis on the newly requested Suburban sites that meet the site selection criteria (identified in Table A7-3 of the staff report), as well as five additional Regional Centre sites. These requests are now being considered separately from the initial package, which was approved by Regional Council on May 23, 2024 and enacted on June 13, 2024.