[Dartmouth] The Bello (2 Montobello) | 19 m | 6 fl | U/C
 

I thought it was worth opening a thread for this development. Harbour East Marine Drive Community Council considered a revised proposal from developer G2J Residential Holdings (Tony Chedrawy) at its meeting on 6 August.

The proposal is for a 40-unit residential construction at the corner of Waverley Road and Montebello Drive in the Westphal area, with potential commercial space on Waverley Road. The building will take in three lots (246 Waverley and 2 & 4 Montebello currently zoned R-1; three additional lots on adjacent Micmac Street would also be incorporated).

The community council agreed with staff to recommend to HRM council a rezoning to WR Mixed-Use, requiring a public hearing. An earlier public information meeting, in September 2017, heard some support for the original 56-unit proposal but also concerns about traffic and size. While it's true the building will replace single unit homes, it is also true there are numerous commercial uses surrounding the property (a Tim Hortons; two strip malls; two auto repair shops) and a couple of three-story apartment buildings a few blocks east.

Case 20756

Community council minutes

Five storeys on Waverley Road:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7e9c7d8a_c.jpg

Three storeys at rear of property:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e5b47b55_c.jpg

Looks like it could be nice. I like how it handles the grade.

This is not terrible. | don't live in this specific part Dartmouth but I'm there often enough. I approve.

The application for the development agreement portion of this approval process is now underway. Apparently the developer is also upgrading Waverley Road in front of the development to include a right-turn lane and extend the bike lanes to the intersection.

Case 23374 Details

Fencing went up around the site this week. To the best of my knowledge, there has not yet been a staff report to community council. (Public consultation phase wrapped up in mid-June.) I assume the developer is preparing only to demolish the existing properties.

https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/com...munity-council

The staff report was included in the November 4th HEMDCC meeting, staff recommendation was against, but community council approved it for a public hearing

Good catch, thanks!

I've read the staff report, which recommends community council reject the developer's proposed development agreement. I find it a curious document. It rightly notes that the 42-unit structure is larger than any other in the vicinity and that it backs on single-family properties on Micmac Drive. [Irrelevant sidebar: What happened to HRM's goal of eliminating confusing and duplicated street names? There are at least five streets in the municipality bearing the unfortunate "micmac" label.] It suggests no more than 22 one-bedroom units should be allowed, applying R-3 principles to this mixed-used zone.

The report acknowledges that the property is bounded on three sides by commercial uses, taking care to underline that these rise no more than two storeys. But it seems to dismiss the import of this, something that will be a surprise to most residents in the area, who could reasonably point out that these uses produce far more traffic, noise and disruption than the proposed development ever could: a busy Tim Horton's immediately next door; two auto-repair shops; two retail plazas; and a bar/nightclub. One wonders, if the developer proposed to erect a McDonald's on the corner instead, how the planners could reasonably argue it was incompatible with the neighbourhood.

The report also contends that the nearest large residential development of "comparable scale" is Horizon Court, 1600 metres away. Why this is relevant is unclear to me, but it is also demonstrably false. The 66-unit Admiral Long Term Care Centre (Admiral St) is 1500 metres away; two eight-storey apartment buildings are 1400 metres away (Kennedy/Churchill), with over 240 units combined; all those buildings are in primarily low-density residential areas.

Many of those who spoke during the public information process felt the project was an improvement to the neighbourhood; some spoke to the promise of being able to stay in the community if they were to downsize from their current homes. One hopes those voices will be heard during any public hearing.

A variation on Shakespeare's famous line seems appropriate here: "The first thing we do, let's fire all the planners." :yes:

A construction permit has been issued for this site. It is listed as 42 Units / 6 FL.

Driving down The Circ today I noticed a crane going up in the distance beyond Lake MicMac. I think it must be this site. Can anyone confirm?

Developments HFX on Facebook had photos of the orange base over the weekend.

I drove right beside the site yesterday down Montebello. The tower pieces had been erected with the crane itself had yet to be installed.

I was there last night. Crane is fully up and work continuing.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/22f394be...cd4b9ce777.jpg
Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

Thought it was timely to post an update on this one.

The building has topped out, and underground utilities seem to have been completed (and resurfaced) within the last couple of weeks. It's likely the crane will be removed soon.

Given staff's opposition to this modest development, it will be interesting to see how the process will play out for the 13-storey proposal now in the works for 217 Waverley, 500 metres and a couple of blocks away.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9bc10c59_c.jpg

Thanks for posting the update. I wonder if staff ever follow up to confirm the property tax value depression that occurs after these Blade Runner style developments cause abandonment of adjacent properties. ;)

I can only attest that construction over the last year has only been a windfall for the Tim Hortons next door and, I’m guessing, for the Subway and Leo’s Pizza across the street. 😁