More than 6,000 residential units planned in Bedford Commons development

BEDFORD, N.S. — A developer is pitching 27 buildings between six and 33 storeys tall for the Bedford Commons.

When complete, it would mean a new neigbhourhood with 6,216 residential units, plus plenty of commercial.

“This is the first step,” said Coun. Tim Outhit (Bedford – Waverley) at Halifax regional council on Tuesday.

The application submitted by Fathom Studio, on behalf of BANC Group, lays out the vision for this area which is now home to vacant land, commercial properties, and low-density residential.

Council approved a motion on Tuesday to start the process to consider amendments to planning strategies and a land-use bylaw to enable the mixed-use development and move forward with public participation.

Infrastructure and wildlife corridor concerns

The area located between Highway 102, Rocky Lake Drive, the Bedford Bypass and Duke Street is considered an “opportunity site,” designated by the Regional Plan. Outhit said this area has always made sense for residential development but there have been concerns about the strain on the local infrastructure. He said the Burnside connector will be a big help for sure.

“We’re certainly got to have to make sure other levels of government help us with the overcrowded and aging schools in the area and of course we’ve got to make sure that transit is available in that area,” he said, adding that there is little to no public transportation in that area now.

He said he’s heard rumours that the property could be considered as a special planning area by the province — which would take planning and approvals out of HRM’s hands. It would also mean no municipal public engagement.

Jaqueline Hamilton, with planning and development, said they’ve been given no information on that.

In a report, HRM staff note that the Halifax Green Network Plan (HGNP) points out essential corridors that “provide connections between natural habitats.”

“One such important corridor passes through the subject site,” HRM staff wrote. “The planned extension of Highway 107 creates potential challenges to this corridor and a review of the implications of the HGNP for this site will need to be considered.”

Development vision

According to the application filed by Fathom, the idea is for 27 multi-unit buildings, including two, 33-storey towers which will be the tallest on the site, followed by three, 20-storey buildings and nine 17-storey buildings.

There will also be 121 townhomes and cluster homes.

“The reason for the graduated density is to ensure a minimal number of homes are impacted by highway noise from the Bedford Bypass highway and that no taller buildings in this area can shade existing homes on the south side of the Bedford Bypass,” staff from Fathom wrote in their application.

“We believe a variety of housing topologies are important for the overall success of the development.”

They also plan to extend Damascus Road to Rocky Lake Drive to serve as a main thoroughfare for the neighbourhood.

Park space

There are also two main park spaces in the proposal with an “urban square” at the centre of the neighbourhood, and a second larger park featuring active recreation facilities.

The application docs also point out that BANC has been working on rezoning applications on this property since 2012, when the original plan was for 600 units, and again for bigger developments in 2018 and 2019.

“This is an area of HRM that can accommodate significant density due to the site’s transportation connectivity, its adjacent existing facilities and services, and its lack of neighbouring residential uses which might be impacted by the development,” was written by the applicant.

“This area will provide much needed housing for workers in Burnside and in the Bedford Commons, and will provide a mixed use development to enhance the existing commercial uses in Bedford Commons.”

A neighbouring property owner, KWR Approvals, on behalf of Target 1 Realty, has requested the consideration of five parcels of property along Rocky Lake Drive to the opportunity site.

Timeline

It’s early days of course, but in the application, Fathom staff wrote they don’t have a phasing plan for construction. Instead the developer expects to build “at least one building per year” with a complete build out of about 10-12 years.