Skye Halifax’s 21-storey, two-tower development approved by Halifax council

HALIFAX, N.S. — Council approved a developer’s appeal for a double-tower development in downtown Halifax.

Upland Planning and Design and United Gulf Developments Ltd. are proposing Skye Halifax, two, 21-storey mixed-use towers with a shared base. It’s intended to be a hotel with 69 rooms, ground-floor retail, five levels of underground parking with 394 spaces and 349 residential units (55 per cent are two and three-bedroom units). Once known as the Twisted Sisters in another life, the project is planned for the corner of Sackville, Granville and Hollis streets in downtown Halifax.

In 2019, the design committee approved a substantive site plan application for this project, against recommendations from HRM staff. 

United Gulf received a demolition permit and brought down a vacant office building on the property. They also received a building permit for the 2019 approval.

But in the course of developing their detailed building plans, they flagged some adjustments that would be needed to “accommodate mechanical and structural considerations.” They also made several tweaks to the design — the most significant related to the tower design, the space between the towers and the podium design. 

Those six variances or exceptions required a new site plan approval.In Dec., staff recommended the design review committee reject it because it didn’t fit with HRM’s design manual and they did. The developer didn’t wait long to appeal it to council.

Rejection recommended

Dean MacDougall, HRM planner told council on Tuesday night that HRM staff are concerned with several issues, including that the top of north tower lacks distinguishing features. 

The developers also want a through-block plaza, but staff feel it’s too close to the street and pedestrians would likely stay on the sidewalk, MacDougall said.

Staff once again recommended that the application (and the appeal) be rejected.

Improvement on the 2019 design

But Jacob Ritchie, president of United Gulf, fought for the project at council on Tuesday night.

There isn’t a lot of respite for pedestrians downtown, just the sidewalks and the occasional park, he said. Great cities have small respite spaces, like this plaza, that are privately operated and allow retailers to spill out into the space and create activity, Ritchie said.

And as for the design on the roof, he said they’re trying to avoid the monotony of the 1970s concrete towers that are evident around town.

“And not every roof needs to look like a skateboard ramp,” he said. “These roofs don’t provide that woosh but they do provide the fretting and the architectural detail that will make these buildings stand out as much as anything else on the Halifax skyline.” 

Ritchie said the update is an improvement on the 2019 design.

“We’re so proud of our downtown and we want Skye to be a part of it.”

Unanimously supportive

Councillors were unanimously supportive of the appeal.

Coun. Waye Mason (Halifax South Downtown) said it could be better “but this is a very good building.”

Mason also said that he applauds the developer for “sticking with it.”

Coun. Sam Austin (Dartmouth Centre) said the plaza feels like a ‘70s or ‘80s dead space between buildings but hopes he is proven wrong.

And Coun. Becky Kent (Dartmouth South – Eastern Passage) said they can’t let perfect get in the way of good “and this one is really good.”