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Originally Posted by someone123
Aren't there a bunch of sites that got effectively up-zoned by the Centre Plan, relative to the old as-of-right zoning, where there are no particular expectations that the owner or future developer would contribute anything beyond taxes and fees?
The idea that a property owner should or could offer up goodies to butter up council seems wrong. Either the development's appropriate for the site or it isn't, and HRM already raises money for public services though taxes and fees.
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It was upzoned through the centre plan from Parkland to HR1 or HR2. He can do a few hundred units easily byright on the site as is. He can submit for a permit tomorrow. But he wants to build 600+ units. It's not about buttering up Council, but a property owner who wants to amend the plan, a plan less than 2 years old. You need a reason for that and public benefit can be one of those reasons. This isn't anything unusual, whether through density bonusing in Downtown Halifax, Section 37s in Toronto and increasingly CBAs and contract agreements in Vancouver and elsewhere.