In a letter, Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr told Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore that the regional plan “didn’t go far enough.” Photo by Ryan Taplin /THE CHRONICLE HERALDArticle contentHalifax Regional Municipality will go back to the drawing board after the province rejected the municipality’s regional plan, saying it didn’t do enough to improve the housing situation in the region.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn a letter to Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore, provincial Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr said, “While we were encouraged to see some proposals that would work towards improving the housing situation in the region, left as is they didn’t go far enough.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentIn the letter, Lohr said the document included many proposals that appear intentionally designed to impede housing. Those included clauses that would change setbacks from 20 to 30 metres, the requirement of electric vehicle-ready parking spaces and minimal changes in zoning to allow more people to build as-of-right.Article content“This is unfortunate and, as a result, after careful consideration and a thorough review I simply cannot accept the plan as submitted and must therefore refuse to approve the plan,” Lohr said in the letter to the mayor.Article contentHalifax council passed the regional plan by a 13-4 vote in June. It was to replace the current regional plan from 2014 by updating the municipal planning strategy and changing a slew of bylaws and planning documents.Article contentArticle contentThe upgrade was needed to prepare the region to support one million people, which municipal staff projects Halifax could hit by 2050 under certain scenarios.Article contentArticle contentA staff report said that the 1,900-page 2025 regional plan represented a new planning framework to guide growth and development in the municipality through a set of policies and regulations that will support the goals of building healthy, complete communities and a sustainable future.Article content“They have thrown out the baby with the bath water here,” Coun. Shawn Cleary (Halifax West Armdale) said in an interview Monday. “Our planning and development staff has been working with them for a month or two on the issues that they’re having problems. That could have easily been resolved. The minister has the power to make amendments. He could have changed it. So the fact that they just rejected everything is confusing.
Nova Scotia government rejects Halifax regional plan, says it doesnt ‘go far enough’ to improve housing situation
