‘Just say no’: Many Halifax residents speak against 30-plus storey towers

HALIFAX, N.S. — Facing displacement from a double-tower development, Teal Burns said they don’t know where they’re going to go.

“The proposed demolition leaves many of us with no option but to allocate a significant part of our income to over-priced rentals or live in a tent,” Burns said.

Burns was one of several people who spoke in front of Halifax regional council at a public hearing on Tuesday night regarding the future of  a 30-storey, double-tower development planned for the corner of Spring Garden Road and Robie Street. Most spoke against the development citing environmental, affordability and concerns about destroying the neighbourhood. There were, however, a few who spoke in favour of it.

“This is a location that could support 30-storey highrise buildings,” said Ray Ritcey

But Burns said developments should be geared toward solutions “rather than intensifying the existing increasingly awful housing issues we have in Halifax.”

“The social fabric of our city is at stake and decisions made today will resonate in the HRM for years to come.”

Asking for changes

Dexel Developments Ltd. on behalf of owner Lowen Properties Ltd. wants to make more changes to the development they first submitted paperwork for in 2015. 

HRM approved bylaw amendments in 2019 to enable the development, but the project “continued to evolve.” 

Now they’re looking for several amendments, or exceptions to HRM’s restrictions, including reducing the separation between the towers from 23 to 19 metres and adding a one-storey residential penthouse as a rooftop feature, pushing the 30-storey towers over 31. The project also involves the rehabilitation of four municipality designated heritage buildings.

The residential and commercial buildings will have a shared, four-storey podium supporting the 26-storey towers.

The affordable question

Campbell McClintock, who has worked with unhoused people and advocated on their behalf, asked council to say no to this proposal until there is a plan for more deeply affordable housing.

“What I see in these plans is not a future for myself or my family, but a demolition project for a vacant lot that I’ll likely be staring at for years to come.”

Louie Lawen with Dexel Developments, said across the country it’s only non-profits across that can build deeply affordable housing these days.

“We are a conduit that takes a piece of land and these opportunities to provide housing. I never thought I’d be an essential service provider before COVID, but housing to me has become a way of enhancing people’s lives through housing,” he said.

Their developments are full of people “and the people are what make the city.” He said their requested changes will allow for larger sized units, not an increase in the number of units.

And as for those who are being displaced, he said they don’t have anything in place other than providing them with ample notice and the option of renting in their other properties.

This isn’t the time to talk about broader issues of affordable housing, said Coun. Shawn Cleary (Halifax West Ardmale), this is about deciding on changes to an already approved development.

“We need more builders and developers to do more of this, not less of this if we’re going to meet the housing needs we have,” he said. “Affordable housing is only going to come when the federal and provincial governments put money and intervention into the system.”

Public benefit

Developments of this size must contribute to the public good through density or incentive bonusing. Usually it’s a contribution to a fund distributed through the HRM to non-profits who build affordable housing. In this case, 90 per cent of their contribution is tied to the rehabilitation of the four heritage buildings. Staff wrote that the remaining 10 per cent of the contribution “will be determined at a later stage by the developer and will need to follow the provisions of the regional centre land-use bylaw.”

Howard Epstein, with Friends of Halifax Common, urged councillors to make the developer abide by the restrictions or renegotiate the development agreement. He said the current proposal is flawed, the number and size of units won’t be determined until later and HRM isn’t getting anything out of it for the public good in return.

“Just say no and send it back for further negotiations,” he said.

Coun. Patty Cuttell (Spryfield – Sambro Loop – Prospect Road)  said she too believes the developers could have worked within the rules. Making changes, particularly shortening the separation of the towers, means there will be less sunlight on Spring Garden Road.

In the end, hers was the only no vote. Councillors voted to approve the amendments and the new development agreement.

Actually, it’s four towers

This development is very similar to another two-tower development in progress on the same block. The Rouvalis family was approved for two towers (29 and 30 storeys high) called The Promenade on the corner of Robie and College streets. Like the Dexel development, this one also involves the restoration of heritage properties, however one was destroyed in a crane lift in March 2023.

There will be an opportunity for both developers to collaborate on access points and underground parking.