Project foes say they’re fighting spin
Gay-friendly seniors residence will simply be far too high, neighbour says
By DAVENE JEFFREY
Staff Reporter
Some residents of a Halifax neighbourhood fear city council will greenlight a very large apartment complex out of fear of being labelled anti-gay.
St. John’s United Church on the corner of Willow and Windsor streets wants to build a sevenstorey multi-use complex which includes 65 apartments for seniors on its present site. If approved, proponents say they believe it will be the first development of its type in Canada to openly welcome gay residents.
“It’s all about spin," says Liz Cunningham, whose home backs on the church property.
Legally, the church is prohibited from asking potential residents about their sexual orientation, said Cunningham who belongs to a large group of area residents opposed to the complex. “It shouldn’t matter to council, who may or may not live there," Cunningham said.
The neighbourhood is zoned R2 which allows for no more than four units per lot.
Before the project could begin, land-use rules for the lot would have to be changed and that would be a decision of city council, said city planner Luc Ouellet.
Church board member Louisa Horne maintains that her group has heard some gay seniors have been forced back into the closet as they age because of their living arrangements.
But such social justice issues are not a concern of council, Horne s ays.
“Who lives there isn’t one of the aspects of what they look at," she said.
The complex would be run as a non-profit and offer enough assistance to allow aging residents to remain independent in their own apartments as long as possible.
The proposed structure will have a similar footprint on the property as the church does now, Horne said.
The peak of the church’s roof is five storeys and the planned complex would be two storeys higher.
But the reality of the space a steep peaked roof requires and the space seven-storeyy building will fill is a “massive difference," Cunningham argues.
And, while the size of the project matters to her greatly, Cunningham says, the population density change that the complex would bring would also negatively affect the neighbourhood.
“The church is beautiful. It’s been a great neighbour," she said. Going from a building only used a few times a week to a 65-unit apartment building open 24-7 would bring increased traffic and congestion to the neighbourhood, Cunningham said.
But that density change could also spur some positive changes for the neighbourhood like increased services and improved busing, Horne said.
Gay herself, Cunningham admits that Spirit Place is exactly the type of living situation she would like to eventually live in.
Personally, she’d like to see it built smaller, like the three-storey apartment building with underground parking already in the neighbourhood.
Because of economies of scale, Horne fears that drastically cutting the number of units would increase the costs per apartment to the point that the project would not be feasible.
The public will be able to speak out about the project at a meeting which will likely be scheduled in March, Ouellet said.
City staff will attend the public meeting and will report back to council by summer, Ouellet said.
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