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Originally Posted by Drybrain
And it's rare here too, isn't it? When a project is legal and conforming to zoning, I can't think of many situations where it's been kiboshed. I can think of a bunch of situations, though, where council has permitted developers to exceed zoning. So I think it's a bad rap Halifax gets.
Spirit Place is a good example to the contrary though.
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I think HRMxD has provided some development certainty in the core, but everything outside of it-- which must go by the traditional DA process-- it's a much different story. Outside the HRMxD zone, I don't think it's rare at all. The front cover of MetroNews is another example -- the latest Wellington proposal is being strongly opposed by NIMBYs. I bet it'll also die, like the last one.
The reason why NIMBYism is so effective outside the HRMxD area, is that we have zoning and planning rules that haven't been updated for almost half a century, so they offer no incentives or accommodation for more recent planning objectives -- density, density bonusing, etc-- and more modern development proposals. And, most importantly, since zoning and planning rules are so out of date, every single new proposal beyond a single unit house requires an MPS/LUB amendment to proceed.
That means, the amendment must be approved by Council-- which itself is subject to NIMBY pandering-- and also the DA must approved too, and the DA must go to community councils, where they can be killed by a majority (4 out of 6 votes, and the DA is dead). And, what is more, community councils have councillors local to the NIMBYhood and are thus more likely to pander to NIMBY complaints.
This forum is littered with killed developments due to NIMBY complaints. They're not hard to find.