[Halifax] CLC Oxford Street (former RCMP) | ? m | 25 fl | Proposed

[Bone]

Does anyone have a status update on this one? I thought this was an impressive size and it will have really nice views in the higher floors. Also a few hundred more cars on Bayers road isn’t a huge deal.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by Bone

Does anyone have a status update on this one? I thought this was an impressive size and it will have really nice views in the higher floors. Also a few hundred more cars on Bayers road isn’t a huge deal.

It appears the old concept by FBM is no longer applicable due to the new Centre Plan rules for the area; Canada Lands last update on the site appears to be this:

Canada Lands launched a broad community engagement process in 2018 and presented a preferred development concept to the community in July 2019. However, due to recently adopted municipal planning regulations that will impact the property’s development, the preferred concept is being reassessed. Pending the outcome of this reassessment, new public engagement efforts may be deemed appropriate.

The timing of the sale of the property remains to be determined as the impacts of COVID-19 on the real estate market are being monitored.

source

[TheNovaScotian]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

It appears the old concept by FBM is no longer applicable due to the new Centre Plan rules for the area; Canada Lands last update on the site appears to be this:



source

It's going to be zoned Corridor with a 20M max height.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by TheNovaScotian

It's going to be zoned Corridor with a 20M max height.

Centre Plan strikes again. What a disaster.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Centre Plan strikes again. What a disaster.

Indeed. I wonder for how long the effects of this will impede the creation of housing in the city.

Surely, on this site, variance can be allowed?

[kzt79]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Indeed. I wonder for how long the effects of this will impede the creation of housing in the city.

Surely, on this site, variance can be allowed?

They don't want the city to grow. Yet, they want more tax $ to flush... hmmm, sounds like a recipe for longterm success!

[atbw]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Indeed. I wonder for how long the effects of this will impede the creation of housing in the city.

Surely, on this site, variance can be allowed?

Variances can still be granted for height in exchange for heritage restoration if applicable, affordable housing (in-kind or as part of development) or public amenities. I see it as a way of incentivizing either the funding or creation of affordable units. The market isn't serving the lowest-income brackets, and at this point the market is incentivizing the demolition or gutting of cheap housing in exchange for medium to upper income level housing.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by atbw

Variances can still be granted for height in exchange for heritage restoration if applicable, affordable housing (in-kind or as part of development) or public amenities. I see it as a way of incentivizing either the funding or creation of affordable units. The market isn't serving the lowest-income brackets, and at this point the market is incentivizing the demolition or gutting of cheap housing in exchange for medium to upper income level housing.

That doesn't apply in the Centre Plan area. Centre Plan does have public benefit provisions, but they come into effect automatically if you want to do any development over 2,000 m2 and they don't grant extra height. I.e. any development over 2,000 m2 has to pay the public benefit fees.

There is a provision in Centre Plan to allow development agreements for sites over 1 hectare in size, however you can still only get roughly an extra floor by going the development agreement route in this case. Unless Council makes changes via Package B adoption, this site is going to be stuck at the Corridor height limit of 6ish floors.

[teddifax]

My wish is to move forward, not backward. What is the sense of restricting height in an this area? It serves no purpose but to increase the cost to the developers. It seems this center plan is too restrictive. I am perplexed to say the least.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by teddifax

My wish is to move forward, not backward. What is the sense of restricting height in an this area? It serves no purpose but to increase the cost to the developers. It seems this center plan is too restrictive. I am perplexed to say the least.

Too restrictive and too proscriptive. The entire exercise was an example of a planning dept run amok. It needs to be replaced with a more common-sense approach.

[IanWatson]

AllNS reports that the Province is buying this property. Speculation is that it could be the location of the new French-language school. If so, I hope the Province doesn’t do what they normally do with school sites that are larger than needed: leave the rest as awkward vacant land.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

AllNS reports that the Province is buying this property. Speculation is that it could be the location of the new French-language school. If so, I hope the Province doesn’t do what they normally do with school sites that are larger than needed: leave the rest as awkward vacant land.

Place your bets...

[Haliguy]

I always thought it would have been a great spot for a new HRP police headquarters.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Wow, this is a huge shame. Is the site at Windsor and Young grandfathered?

It makes zero sense why height isn't allowed in this area.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Wow, this is a huge shame. Is the site at Windsor and Young grandfathered?

It makes zero sense why height isn't allowed in this area.

Nope. Just arbitrary rules set in place by the Centre Plan that is limiting this lot as a "Corridor" aka 20 metres in height.

I agree that this is a huge loss. It would've made a great high density boundary connecting established low density West End neighbourhoods with the ever-growing North End/Young St area. We have a huge housing demand currently and while yes schools are important, I don't think such a prominent location would be an appropriate spot. I'm sure the sparse retail along Oxford would've loved it.

I also wish more people would talk about the huge amount of seemingly empty space the CAF occupies in this area of prime peninsula real estate.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

We have a huge housing demand currently and while yes schools are important, I don't think such a prominent location would be an appropriate spot. I'm sure the sparse retail along Oxford would've loved it.

Many other cities have urban schools that take up a lot less space than what's normal even for newer peninsula schools. It may have been possible to integrate a school into this development and still add some housing and commercial space.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

Nope. Just arbitrary rules set in place by the Centre Plan that is limiting this lot as a "Corridor" aka 20 metres in height.

I agree that this is a huge loss. It would've made a great high density boundary connecting established low density West End neighbourhoods with the ever-growing North End/Young St area. We have a huge housing demand currently and while yes schools are important, I don't think such a prominent location would be an appropriate spot. I'm sure the sparse retail along Oxford would've loved it.

I also wish more people would talk about the huge amount of seemingly empty space the CAF occupies in this area of prime peninsula real estate.

Well the Navy does NOT think the Fleet School at Willow Park is an empty space. That School graduates about 2,000 course students per year. Windsor Park houses a Storage facility, the ground fleet maintenance Garage ( fixes all 700 + Vehicles in CAF N.S.) and the newly constructed Armory for three Reserve units.

Halifax's Military Police unit (second largest in Canada) is also based at Willow park. About 44 Military Policemen, the dispatch center and vehicle park.

[mleblanc]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Well the Navy does NOT think the Fleet School at Willow Park is an empty space. That School graduates about 2,000 course students per year. Windsor Park houses a Storage facility, the ground fleet maintenance Garage ( fixes all 700 + Vehicles in CAF N.S.) and the newly constructed Armory for three Reserve units.

Halifax's Military Police unit (second largest in Canada) is also based at Willow park. About 44 Military Policemen, the dispatch center and vehicle park.

I'm not talking about Willow Park in general, I'm talking about how spread out and under utilized some of that CAF space seemingly is in between Connolly/Oxford/Windsor St. surrounding the old RCMP building.

I'm not in the military, so I may not be fully up to speed on the goings-on of that area.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

I'm not talking about Willow Park in general, I'm talking about how spread out and under utilized some of that CAF space seemingly is in between Connolly/Oxford/Windsor St. surrounding the old RCMP building.

I'm not in the military, so I may not be fully up to speed on the goings-on of that area.

Well a small part of the reason Willow and area is so spread out is that the Air Forces CH-149 Cormoront SAR Helicopters are not certified to land on the Hospital helipads. They are far too heavy. So if a patient has to be brought to Halifax say from an offshore merchant ship the Cormoronts land at Willow park usually in crummy weather and on the parade square in the middle of the property. Having that lowrise spread out space makes approachs that much safer.

[Mr. Hunt]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

AllNS reports that the Province is buying this property. Speculation is that it could be the location of the new French-language school. If so, I hope the Province doesn’t do what they normally do with school sites that are larger than needed: leave the rest as awkward vacant land.

And the CH has confirmed. https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/bu...illion-552096/