E-News December 2023

Happy Holidays Welcome to an abridged December E-News. I always like to reflect a little on the year that was in the December edition and 2023 was a definitely a challenging year. HRM was beset by fires and then floods, driving home that climate change isn’t some distant reality, it’s …

Council Update: Infill Bylaw and Dartmouth Cove

Agenda, November 14 Harbour Infilling:The question of infilling was back at Council on Tuesday. Before us was a staff recommendation to initiate planning amendments to the Centre Plan and Halifax Mainland plans to prohibit infilling in the Northwest Arm. What wasn’t included was the same prohibition for Dartmouth Cove where …

E-News October 2023

News Crichton Avenue – Micmac Boulevard Park ImprovementsI have heard from a number of residents in the new Terraces at Kings Grove building on Micmac Boulevard over the last several months. The concern has been the condition of the land behind their building. The land behind the Terraces is HRM …

Council Update: Federal Housing Program

Housing Accelerator ProgramThe main item on what was otherwise a fairly quiet Council meeting was HRM’s response to the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Program and its implications for zoning throughout HRM’s urban and suburban neighbourhoods. The federal program is meant to incentivize and support initiatives that are under the control …

Council Update: Secondary Units, Short-Term Rentals, Halifax Water & Affordable Housing

Agenda August 22, Regional Council Secondary UnitsIn the fall of 2020 HRM adopted new planning rules to allow for secondary and backyard suites throughout the municipality. A secondary suite is a small secondary unit in a property’s main building, while a backyard suite is a small unit in an accessory …

E-News July 2023

News Housing CrisisI wanted to take a moment to update my email from last month regarding the awful way the Province closed the Christ Church Shelter, forcing vulnerable people with no other options to go live in our Parks (if you missed it, read it here). Since June, some space …

Council Update: E-Scooters, Regional Plan, Inclusionary Zoning

Agenda June 20 Regional CouncilAgenda June 20 Committee of the Whole (Regional Plan)Agenda May 9 Regional Council Micromobility (e-scooter regulation)Coming before Council for first reading was the new micromobility (e-scooters) bylaw. E-scooters have grown in popularity over the last few years and HRM now has businesses offering point-to-point scooter rentals. …