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Originally Posted by IanWatson
I've just done my first read through of the documents and am very happy with them. We can argue about heights and FARs and all of that, but the reality is that Centre Plan is a HUUUUUUUGE improvement over the current planning framework(s). Just as the DT Halifax Plan isn't perfect, but spurred a ton of development, I think we'll see the same thing in the rest of the Regional Centre. No more 7-year fights for modest residential develops.
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It is not perfect but Halifax does well with this type of planning compared to a lot of cities. In fact it's hard to find a city in North America that is as old as Halifax but as flexible in permitting new development. Most are either Sunbelt type sprawlers or trapped in NIMBY amber.
The right question to ask isn't whether the Centre Plan is perfect, it's whether it's better than the status quo. The unpredictable delays make the status quo very bad. The unknown delays and arbitrary changes of the old system are a much bigger deal than midrise vs. highrise height limits.
That being said I do think the height limits in the CDD areas are too low. 20 m does not make sense around the West End malls (pure commercial areas with good transit connections; the type of areas that have large towers in other cities) or on the old Pierceys store (which is right across from blocks with houses on them that are zoned for 90 m). But then again the 90 m areas around the North-Almon area are probably a bigger planning "win", while there is a lower likelihood of community opposition to bumping up heights on the large commercial sites.