N.S. designates new special planning area near Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes
HRM to start infrastructure plans for two areas tagged for fast-tracked housing development
The Nova Scotia government is trying to spur more new housing in the Halifax area by adding another piece of land to the list of areas fast-tracked for development, and calling on the city to start work on development plans for two areas.
Colton LeBlanc, the minister for growth and development, announced Friday morning that he's designated 255 hectares of land west of Highway 102 between Kearney Lake Road and Lacewood Drive as a special planning area. The corridor of land abuts the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes area.
LeBlanc also asked Halifax Regional Municipality to start secondary planning work for the Highway 102 area and the Sandy Lake special planning area. Secondary planning looks at infrastructure needs that include water, sewer and transportation. A spokesperson for the municipality said it will be a "multi-year effort."
"What we'll see here is, over five, 10, 15 years, a controlled growth of housing in these two areas to help fill the gaps in our housing needs," LeBlanc told reporters.
LeBlanc said both areas were identified for potential growth as far back as 2006. In the case of the Highway 102 corridor, the Annapolis Group previously tried to develop the area, but the city refused to give approval, prompting a lawsuit.
Vicki Elliott-Lopez, associate deputy minister of growth and development and chair of HRM's executive panel on housing, spoke alongside LeBlanc at a new conference Friday.
Elliott-Lopez suggested there is time for the lawsuit to play out as the municipality goes ahead with secondary planning, but wouldn't comment any further on the case, which is currently in the midst of a trial.
"Good land, quite frankly, is really difficult to find for development these days," she said of the new designation. "It's getting more scarce, particularly around HRM and this will free up that opportunity."
LeBlanc said there are no requirements for affordable housing in the special planning areas.
But Claudia Chender, leader of the Nova Scotia NDP, said there actually is land in the urban core that is waiting for development that the province should focus on, like the former school sites of Bloomfield or St. Patrick's-Alexandra in the north end of Halifax.
She said the NDP brought in legislation that would allow the province to take these sites back from developers that have yet to build anything.
"To address the housing crisis, we need to build housing that's accessible and affordable in places that people can move to and from easily. And this is none of those things," Chender said Friday about the Sandy Lake and Highway 102 areas.
Development at Sandy Lake has been protested by several groups and individuals, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Members of the group have referred to the Sandy Lake area as Halifax's lungs and said it should be protected.
Dr. Laurette Geldenhuys – a pathologist and member of CAPE – said she's disappointed to see things moving forward at Sandy Lake.
"Sandy Lake is an exceptionally biodiverse area with an exceptionally pristine lake, and it's also a wildlife corridor between several wilderness areas," she said in an interview.
Geldenhuys said the health benefits of being in nature are well evidenced, and Sandy Lake is an example of how precious natural spaces are.
"Of course, as a physician, I'm also deeply aware of the severe negative health effects of not having housing or having inadequate housing, but this does not seem to be the best solution for it," said Geldenhuys, noting that housing in these areas will likely "be more of benefit to people who are affluent."
Reports from Stantec Consulting outline current plans for major developments proposed in both areas.
In the Sandy Lake study area, Clayton Developments wants to build a new neighborhood on Hammonds Plains Road with a mix of housing types ranging from single-detached homes to high-rise apartment structures of four to 20 storeys. It would result in about 7,630 units and a population of 18,300 people, or slightly less if a school was built on the land.
Other proposed developments in the study area would bring the total housing units to about 8,050.
For the Highway 102 corridor, the B.D. Stevens Group is planning a high-density, mixed-use community called The Lakes that includes commercial space.
The Annapolis Group proposes a mixed-use community in their development which partially falls within the Highway 102 study area. Together, the two proposed developments would create about 11,400 units with a population of 21,326.
In both areas, the reports say major transit and road infrastructure changes will be needed to handle the planned growth from these and other nearby developments. The consultants recommend widening Hammonds Plains Road to the west, from Gary Martin Drive to Bluewater Road, by the Clayton Park development near Sandy Lake.
Derek Mombourquette, interim leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, said the PC government should release the report from the Joint Regional Transportation Agency that contains suggestions for how to improve traffic and congestion throughout the Halifax region.
"We're going to be watching it closely, but also advocating to ensure that as the developments proceed, that they're also looking at the infrastructure piece … as well to make sure that external infrastructure ... is there," Mombourquette said Friday.
LeBlanc said environmental concerns were looked at in studies that were recently completed for the special planning areas and mitigation efforts "will be looked at."
"Nova Scotians take great pride in our environment and our government … would not do anything to jeopardize our environment," LeBlanc said.
