Posted Apr 10, 2009, 3:25 AM
|
|
Moderator
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: B3K Halifax, NS
Posts: 9,354
|
|
High-rise plans concern Clayton Park residents
Halifax News Net
By Lindsay Jones – The Weekly News
Local residents are worried about how a developer’s bid to build a 23-storey condo tower on the Bedford Highway, near the entrance to Clayton Park, might affect the view, traffic and light pollution in their community.
About a dozen residents, many of whom live on nearby Laurentide Drive, came out to an April 2 public information session organized by the city to allow the developer to address the community.
The developer, WM Fares Group, wants to build the oval-shaped glass condo tower at the current site of the Bayview Motor Inn. The proposal includes 150 condo units and 104 hotel rooms, with mostly underground parking.
Glane Gorveatt of Laurentide Drive said he thought the developer and architects put forward a thoughtful proposal, but he was concerned about light pollution in the area.
“Light pollution, especially in this age of conservation, disturbs me,” Gorveatt said. “I’d like to think this building would be as dark as possible, also because of (bird) migration.”
Cesar Saleh of WM Fares Group said the development agreement would make sure that the light doesn’t extend beyond the site. He also pointed out that there is a thick buffer of trees at the back of the site.
In his presentation, Salah outlined plans to combine the various access points and make a shared driveway for the new building and two adjacent car dealerships. The plan also includes installing a traffic signal and widening the Bedford Highway for left-turning vehicles.
“The proposed project provides better and safer access to the Bedford Highway and improves traffic flow along the Bedford Highway,” Saleh said.
But Gorveatt raised concerns that having an extra set of traffic lights along the Bedford Highway would create even greater traffic woes.
Marcel Hacquebard, a resident of Laurentide Drive, says the height of the proposed project isn’t in keeping with the scale of the neighbourhood. He said it would be a “pimple on the Halifax skyline” and said two eight or nine-storey buildings, as the developer originally proposed, would blend in better with the neighbourhood.
“All of this benefits the users of the building. None of this benefits any of the surrounding people,” he said.
Clayton Park Coun. Debbie Hum asked the developer to look into making trails for pedestrians and cyclists to get on and off the site.
Regional council still has to amend the municipal planning strategy to permit the developer to submit the project. If approved, Chebucto Community Council, which is made up of five city councillors, would decide whether it gets the go-ahead. The community will have its final say at a joint public hearing before both decisions.
The developer’s goal is to have the tower built and occupied by 2012
|