[Halifax] 11Ninety (1190 Barrington) | ? m | 8 fl | U/C

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by LikesBikes

The same thing could be said about preserving arbitrary zoning rules making it impossible to build more housing where we already have infrastructure in place. Easy to defend anti-new-housing zoning when you already own a home and don't care about housing unaffordability or homelessness.



Except in NS, where the Liberals want a stop to the Conservative plan to double the population...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...id%20Churchill.

The first is a commonly used trope intended to make anybody who has a concern - any concern - look like the bad guy. Well played.

Regarding the second, the LPC is the federal govt, who have unexpectedly added something like 1.5 million new people per year, all looking for housing, to our country over the last few years (as you are aware, I’m sure). While I don’t agree with Houston’s plan either, as I think it is too much too soon, at least he appears to have a plan, whereas the feds did not seem to see any further than opening the floodgates and seeing what happens.

[LikesBikes]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

The first is a commonly used trope intended to make anybody who has a concern - any concern - look like the bad guy. Well played.

Regarding the second, the LPC is the federal govt, who have unexpectedly added something like 1.5 million new people per year, all looking for housing, to our country over the last few years (as you are aware, I’m sure). While I don’t agree with Houston’s plan either, as I think it is too much too soon, at least he appears to have a plan, whereas the feds did not seem to see any further than opening the floodgates and seeing what happens.

No need to be so defensive all the time, brother. I'm just saying there's a cost to the status quo that's hurting a hell of a lot of folks.

Also, What's the PC plan for population growth in HRM? Build highways in rural areas? Study LRT on the Cape? AFAIK they don't have a plan at all for population growth in HRM. While it's probably too little too late, at least the Feds are doing something about housing (HAF) and transportation (new ferry terminal, funding for BRT plan) for the city. I guess the province is building the Burnside Connector and JRTA (which could fizzle out into nothing) but those probably would have been completed even if we weren't experiencing much growth.

[egb]

To be clear I’m sympathetic to having buildings that look nice but I think we have to be honest that rule making is incredibly difficult. It’s not that you shouldn’t ever try (that would just be giving up) but regulations can be highly costly if you’re not careful in what you choose to do.

On the second point I want to be careful here because message boards live on miscommunication and I really do sympathize. I also live in a similar neighbourhood and if the whole street got turned over it would probably make my life worse rather than better in many ways.

But I think it’s worth picturing who might benefit from a four plex being built down the street and the difference it would make in their lives. It’s not that there are no costs to neighbourhood change only that the benefits to others are so large that costs begin to seem rather small.

And this is not a debate about immigration to me. Unless you don’t want to see Halifax grow at all these kinds of changes we’re going to have to come one way or another.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by egb

To be clear I’m sympathetic to having buildings that look nice but I think we have to be honest that rule making is incredibly difficult. It’s not that you shouldn’t ever try (that would just be giving up) but regulations can be highly costly if you’re not careful in what you choose to do.

On the second point I want to be careful here because message boards live on miscommunication and I really do sympathize. I also live in a similar neighbourhood and if the whole street got turned over it would probably make my life worse rather than better in many ways.

But I think it’s worth picturing who might benefit from a four plex being built down the street and the difference it would make in their lives. It’s not that there are no costs to neighbourhood change only that the benefits to others are so large that costs begin to seem rather small.

And this is not a debate about immigration to me. Unless you don’t want to see Halifax grow at all these kinds of changes we’re going to have to come one way or another.

Fair points.

On the last one, it’s not about being anti-immigration or anti-change, it’s about the recent high rate of influx into the area that has exacerbated the housing crisis and resulted in forcing the hand of governments to upend everything just to have places where people can live and hopefully afford. Won’t get into the strain on healthcare, traffic congestion, etc., it was just a poorly planned move to try to increase GDP artificially, and everyone is paying the price, including those who immigrated here, expecting to find better circumstances than they are being faced with.

But yeah, it doesn’t need to be in this conversation. That is one butt ugly rendering, though.

[Nouvellecosse]

There's a bit of a difference between the federal and provincial levels in that housing is not considered a federal responsibility while it does fall under the purview of the provincial and municipal governments. So while the federal government could have done a better job coordinating with the lower levels, it's ultimately up to those responsible for housing to adjust their policies in response to changing growth rates. The big problem there is that while the LPC uses rhetoric intended to paint itself as left-learning to protect its left flank from the NDP, it's very much a centrist, "faith in the market" party. As a result, they have faith in the power of a market to address whatever supply problems might arise. Which might work ok when the market is unrestrained, but not when it's strangled by regulations resulting in the majority of residential land being off-limits due to exclusionary zoning. So there's a bit of a federal blind spot there, but the feds seem to have realized that which is why they're trying to push municipalities to loosen the restrictions.

But it's absolutely true that there are good reasons for existing residents to be concerned about proposed changes or want to block development. But it's a very different question as to whether governments should side with them when making policy over the concerns of people who need housing or want the freedom to control their own land. It's similar to the way we make shoplifting illegal even though there are potentially many valid reason why someone would want to do it. Everything from the cliched "stealing bread to feed one's kids" to normal cost of living concerns or because a store ripped them off at some point and they want justice/revenge, etc. But we side with the protection of property rights because that's a higher priority.

So I don't agree with demonizing people for expressing concerns or reluctance over development. I remember there was a person, I believe on this sub forum, who mentioned how they or a friend/family member had been happily living in a house for years until a development went up beside them that robbed them of light and privacy. I genuinely felt bad for that person, much like i genuinely feel bad hearing some of the reasons people shoplift. But using government power to enforce exclusionary policies isn't the answer any more than legalizing shoplifting. There's just more potential for it to do harm than good.

[Dmajackson]

HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Photo by David Jackson)

[Dmajackson]

This is on my regular downtown walking route so I post updates of it way more often then is cross-posted onto this forum.


HalifaxDevelopments.ca (Photo by David Jackson)

[Liam MacDonald]

I took some pictures of this building on March 1st 2026
My first post by the way. I don't know if this will work.