Zoning changes approved for proposed women and kids shelter in Halifax area

A Halifax-area women's shelter is one step closer to a new home after a community council approved zoning changes on Thursday evening.

The changes will allow a Dartmouth church to sell some land it owns to Bryony House.

The shelter wants to build a three-storey, 24-bed facility complete with counselling services.

Maria MacIntosh, the executive director of the Halifax Transition House Association, is excited about the news.

"Building a new shelter will allow us to create programs in a different way, will allow us to provide more space, more autonomy, different types of children's programming," she said.

Since Bryony House is a safe house for women and children who are fleeing domestic violence, CBC is not disclosing the location of the land.

Rev. Matthew Sponagle, the rector of St. Luke's Anglican Church, said selling the property makes sense for the church on multiple fronts.

"The church is willing to sell it because we believe in what they do and we believe it falls in line with what we believe our mission is to the world, to God's world," he said.

The sale will also allow the church, which is faced with declining attendance, decreasing income and rising maintenance costs, to continue offering its services.

Construction expected to take 18 months

MacIntosh said she hopes the sale will be finalized within the next four weeks, while Sponagle offered up a timeline of two to three months.

According to zoning documents, the build is expected to take about 18 months, which will likely mean the shelter wouldn't be finished until 2020.

In October 2016, federal and provincial government officials announced they would provide millions to help with construction of a new building.

In recent years, Bryony House has faced a number of challenges. 

Four years ago, the ill-fated Dare to Dream lottery failed to raise any money for the charity and stalled Bryony's planned expansion. The lottery dispute landed in court.