Halifax regional council voted unanimously in favour of amendments to the redevelopment plans of the CBC and YMCA buildings on the corner of South Park and Sackville streets.

Those amendments, if the project moves forward, would allow the project to be double the current height limit allowed in downtown Halifax.

It passed 20-0 following a public hearing that lasted more than four hours Tuesday night.

“The peninsula has been dying for years,” said Coun. Dawn Sloane, who said downtown needs the project.

“This is the best for our residents,” she added.

But Coun. Bob Harvey was concerned about the planning aspects.

“It’s the 17-storey elephant on the corner of Sackville Street in the room,” he said. “My concern is the exception will soon become the rule.”

Coun. Bill Karsten said he would not only lend support, but was honoured to do so for such a worthy cause.

Coun. Jennifer Watts, who was previously opposed to the development, said she would also vote to support the proposal.

“I’m willing to take a risk on this,” she said.

Coun. Barry Dalrymple said he thinks the evidence of the public benefit was overwhelming.

“This has everything I think the downtown has needed for a very long time,” he said.

Prior to the vote, residents stepped up to the microphone to speak at a public hearing to discuss the redevelopment proposal of the CBC and YMCA buildings.

A number of them were in support of making changes to existing rules of HRM by Design to allow for the development.
Residents have their say

“The building is no longer sustainable in its current condition. It has been serving our community for 60 years and it is tired,” said Suzanne McDonough.

“We all know that health care costs are going through a crisis and the YMCA is a community that offers prevention and care to people of all conditions.”

“For love nor money, I can’t think why anyone would not want something like this for our city, because it reaches out to Halifax, like me — low income people that need something like this to be a part of our city,” said Garth Wooster.

The public hearing was to give Halifax regional council an idea of how the public felt about a building that would be 49 metres high — twice as high as the current limit.
The YMCA wants to change the area’s height limit from 23 to 49 metres.The YMCA wants to change the area’s height limit from 23 to 49 metres. (YMCA)

There were some people against the development.

“The idea was that there would be a blueprint — a plan — and the developers would have to conform to that plan,” said Alan Parrish.

“What’s happened is we’ve got a project coming forward and the amendment of the plan is conforming to the development, which is backwards.”

Part of the concern for those against the project is the view planes to the Public Gardens and Citadel Hill would be altered.

The facility would include a fitness centre, daycare, retail and office space and possibly residential space.

“This mixed-use development will be providing a $22-million … recreation centre at no cost to the capital or operating budgets of HRM,” said Bette Watson-Borg, president and CEO of the Halifax/Dartmouth YMCA.

AT TIMES it seemed less like a planning hearing than a popularity contest.

Supporters of the Halifax YMCA pleaded with councillors this week to amend building height and setback rules near Citadel Hill and the Public Gardens, so the Y can go ahead with a new fitness and community centre that will be subsidized by commercial space and two 17-storey residential towers. Praise for the Y’s contribution to community recreation, childcare and health services paid off. Council voted unanimously to amend the HRM by Design plan, allowing the Y to proceed with finding a developer for the $22-million project.

Does this sort of thing turn planning into a game of Developer Idol where popular proponents get all the breaks? That’s always a risk when council has discretion to waive the rules.

But in this case, public support gave council good reason to exercise its discretion in a way HRM by Design provides for. The plan’s policy 89 directs council to consider plan amendments that offer significant economic, cultural or social benefits. And it’s surely legitimate evidence that a project provides a special level of community benefits when a good cross-section of the community shows up to endorse it.

Council also had the support of planning staff in allowing amendments, though its design review committee gave thumbs-down on the height of one tower. Staff said providing an aquatic complex, track, gym, fitness areas, meeting rooms and childcare to an underserved area is the sort of benefit intended by policy 89. Based on shadow studies, it found the towers allowed adequate sunlight for the Public Gardens. It also saw a chance to create a landmark building at an entrance to the downtown.

The approval looks like a fair trade. And it only applies if the final project includes a 6,500-square-metre recreation centre. (It would also require final design approval.) If this isn’t in the project, normal height rules will apply.

That puts the onus on the Y to come up with a developer who will deliver the promised community benefits — and put them in a building the city can be proud of.

Whatever replaces the Art Deco CBC-Radio building, once the headquarters of Fred Manning’s Superline chain of gas stations, should be a landmark. The Y’s initial drawings pick up the sweeping streamline-era curves of this funky neighbour of the Citadel and the Gardens. It would be great to see that imaginative salute to the city’s modern history (and “moderne” design) make the final product.

Halifax Regional Council has unanimously voted to let a development move forward, even though it exceeds height restrictions laid out in HRM By Design.

The proposed YMCA building at the corner of Sackville and South Park streets includes two residential towers, one of which is more than double the current height restriction of 23 metres.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, councillors voted 20-0 to give the project an exemption under a policy clause that allows height rules to be broken for projects of significant “cultural, social and economic” value.

“I have no reservations whatsoever,” said Coun. Barry Dalrymple (Waverly - Fall River - Beaver Bank). “The sheer preponderance of evidence leading up to tonight and certainly stated in so many elegant and wonderful ways, positive ways. I think the evidence is absolutely overwhelming of public benefit.”

People from all walks of life spoke in favour of the project during the public hearing, from lawyers to teachers and from volunteers to doctors.

“I’m excited for the immense social, health and economic benefits this project will add to our community,” said Cunard Street resident and YMCA member Peter Graham.

“We think this is a good project for Halifax and we support it,” said vice president of the Atlantic Canada Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Luc Erjavec. “Critics will say this project contravenes HRM By Design. In this case it works. HRM By Design anticipated one-off, special projects.”

However, there was a handful of people who also spoke against the proposed development, saying “public good” is a subjective term.

President of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, Peter Delefes, called on council to turn down the proposal, saying the towers would overshadow the Public Gardens and block the view from Citadel Hill.

“The Citadel and Public Gardens are significant public recreation facilities which also confer economic, social and cultural benefits on all citizens of the HRM and on visitors to the city as well,” he said. “The proposed development negatively impact these public benefits in a significant way.”

The YMCA will now launch the search for a developer and a capital campaign to raise funds. Officials will also meet with the city’s design and review committee.

YMCA president and CEO Bette Watson-Borg said having the backing of all the councillors will help them move forward.

“We really believe this is a wonderful thing for our community so to go forward with that kind of unanimity is a really great foundation to be doing the next part of our project,” Waston-Borg told reporters following the meeting.

The HRM Staff report recommended this action based on the following reasons:

1) There is a strong urban design rationale in permitting greater height at the corner of South Park and Sackville Streets as an entrance to downtown.
2) The establishment of the YMCA’s recreational facility would confer significant economic, social and cultural benefits to HRM.
      Public Hearing

The HRM Public Hearing for the YMCA-CBC project has been scheduled for Tuesday March 20th 2012 6:00pm at Halifax City Hall.  A public hearing is an opportunity for community members to speak about a proposed project or plan that is in front of Council.  Regional Council typically votes at the conclusion of the Public Hearing.

This Public Hearing is the official municipal approval event that, if successful, will allow the vision of a new YMCA Centre of Community, a legacy project for our community, to become a reality.  This visionary project has been unfolding over the past 4 years and has involved countless hours of work and community consultation by both YMCA volunteers and staff.  We are very pleased to be at this stage.

You can find more details on the YMCA Centre of Community project at: www.NewhalifaxYMCA.ca

Details on the HRM Staff report are found at: http://www.halifax.ca/planning/PlanningAppsDetailedInfo.html

Another tall development looking for an exemption to HRMbyDesign is moving ahead.

The YMCA is planning a 46-metre development with twin residential towers and a recreation complex on the corner of Sackville and South Park Streets.

It would take over the current YMCA building and also the CBC building on the corner — across the street from the Public Gardens. Height restrictions there are 23 metres.

With a few clarifications, but no debate, Halifax regional council voted on Tuesday to move on to the second reading for amendments to planning documents and bylaws the development requires, and to schedule a public hearing.

Staff is recommending the development under Policy 89, which offers exemptions for projects that offer economic, social or cultural benefits.

It’s the same policy council used to proceed with Skye Halifax, a 150-metre-tall development, last week.

In an interview outside council chambers Tuesday, Coun. Dawn Sloane said the YMCA project does have significant public value, but council needs to get its act together.

“I think we’ll hear from developers in future that they’re probably going to stop developing in the downtown because of the uncertainty of HRMbyDesign,” Sloane said. “I’m very concerned with these developers who are saying to me, ‘I don’t feel too certain about things, so I’m not going to build.’”

Richard Harvey, senior planner, recommended the development and said it won’t significantly cast shadows on the Public Gardens or cause a “wall effect” around the Citadel.

“There is merit in taller buildings (on) the corner of two important streets,” he said, adding it would be a gateway to downtown.

The YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth is headed to city hall with a proposed $22-million redevelopment at South Park and Sackville streets, president and CEO Bette Watson-Borg said Friday.

It’s headed there even though an advisory committee rejected the plan last week.

“The proposal represents the culmination of about four years of community consultations,” Watson-Borg said of the redevelopment the YMCA is pursuing for downtown Halifax in partnership with CBC/Radio Canada.

“We believe this is an opportunity to bring a much-needed health and wellness centre to the community.”

The CBC property, located at the intersection, will be rolled into the redevelopment of the site if required height restriction amendments to the municipal planning strategy win approval at city hall.

Watson-Borg said the economics of the undertaking require raising the height restriction to 46 metres from the current 23 metres. Relaxing the height restriction would allow the proponents to build a residential complex that would be about 15 storeys high on one portion of the property.

“The taller portion (of the complex) is setback significantly from the street,” said Watson-Borg.

A design review committee, acting as an advisory board to Halifax regional council, rejected a proposal to amend the city’s municipal plan to allow taller buildings in the area.

Concerns were raised at that session about keeping area development in context with the both the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site and the Halifax Public Gardens.

However, the committee’s decision is non-binding and regional council can still approve the requested change to the building height restriction regulation.

“We understand council can approve a development in this context if it is in the best interests of the community and we believe this is such a situation,” said Watson-Borg.

“We want to bring a full-service health and fitness facility to the community and by adding additional development to the site, we can keep access costs reasonable at the new Y facility,” she said.

Richard Harvey, a senior planner with the city, said a report on the design committee’s rejection of proposed changes to height restrictions at South Park and Sackville streets will likely be forwarded to city hall within weeks.

He said council will schedule a formal public hearing before voting on amendments to height restrictions at South Park and Sackville streets, if council decides to follow that route.

The YMCA, which Watson-Borg said has about 2,000 members at its South Park facility, wants to build a 70,000-square-foot complex with an aquatic complex, indoor running track, childcare, outdoor garden and gym and fitness area.

There is also 5,700 square feet of retail and office space along South Park Street, 300 parking spaces and a passageway between South Park and Annandale streets.

Another 330,000 square feet of residential space would generate an estimated $9 million and $10 million from a developer, which Watson-Borg said would help the non-profit organization cover the cost of the health and wellness centre.

CBC/Radio Canada has announced plans to relocate from the intersection to the CBC building on Bell Road that is getting a multimillion-dollar makeover.

(bpower@herald.ca)

A multimillion-dollar makeover of the CBC building on Bell Road in Halifax will add a gleaming new presence to the streetscape and open up a massive new production area for public viewing.

“When people are in town we want to be a destination that doesn’t require a special invitation,” Andrew Cochran, the broadcaster’s managing director for the Maritimes, said Friday in an interview.

One portal into the renovated and enlarged complex will be a window bordered in red that will light up when a live broadcast is underway, sending an invitation to people at street level that they are welcome to view the action. Increased public access will also be provided in the main foyer.

The innovative design of the CBC building — by WHW Architects Inc. in Halifax — will get its first public viewing today at 75th anniversary celebrations for the public broadcaster at the Bell Road site.

“All Halifax operations will be under one roof for the first time,” said Cochran.

He said the challenge for architects was to provide some sort of nod to the past — including the landmark CBC Radio building at Sackville and South Park streets — and to reflect the evolving role of the broadcaster moving into the future.

There are some white motifs featured in the gleaming exterior of the new structure, as a nod to the CBC Radio building that will be vacated when the renovated and enlarged structure on Bell Road is ready for occupancy early in the summer of 2014.

A tender call for a builder is expected to go out late in December and staff in the Bell Road building will be relocated to the CBC Radio building when renovations begin next summer.

All radio, television and online operations will be consolidated into one large production space, which will actually occupy the space where the parking lot is currently located.

This will put about 170 staff in one central location, but this number does not include assorted freelance broadcasters and independent producers who will be using the facility.

“The availability of parking will be affected and we’re going to be working on that with staff,” said Cochran.

The completed project will enlarge the current 57,000-square-foot building to about 90,000 square feet. CBC has not released a cost estimate on the overhaul of its Halifax broadcast centre. CBC is reducing its environmental footprint at Bell Road with natural light to supplement room lighting, and energy efficient heating and cooling systems and LED lighting systems.

The CBC Radio building — noted for its art deco-like styling — will likely come down as part of a redevelopment of that portion of South Park Street that includes the existing YMCA building site.

HALIFAX - The CBC and YMCA buildings occupy a prominent corner in Halifax - a stone’s throw from the bustling Spring Garden Road, the Citadel and Public Gardens. In recent years, its neighbours have undergone extensive changes, including the addition of the Martello atop Park Lane Mall and the construction of the Paramount Apartments, directly across from the Public Gardens. And while much of the block has “grown-up”, the CBC building and the adjacent YMCA have sat comfortably, tucked away between civic landmarks, new residential towers and a busy retail strip. But now, the CBC and YMCA are ready and willing to work together to exploit the potential of the strategic place that they hold in the city.

For more click link above

A proposal for a major expansion of the Halifax YMCA was met with both accolades and criticism during a public information session at city hall Thursday evening.

Some feared the proposed $22-million structure, which would require the city to amend its height restrictions, would be another Fenwick Place tower, an eyesore that would be out of character with the neighbourhood.

“I’m firmly opposed to putting another Fenwick on the corner,” said Joseph Skerry, who lives nearby in Martello Tower.

Skerry said he realizes some sort of development will go ahead at the YMCA/CBC site at the corner of South Park and Sackville streets, but he is “violently opposed” to the proposed 46-metre-tall structure because of its height. (Current rules restrict buildings to 23 metres in that area around Citadel Hill.)

“It would be asinine for anyone to think that site would not be developed,” Skerry told the crowd of about 70, adding that he thinks the nearby Trillium complex is “an abomination.”

“I think we commit a crime allowing (the YMCA expansion) to take place on that corner.”

Others said the proposed complex would be a “friend” to the nearby Public Gardens and Citadel Hill. It would include a vast atrium allowing people inside to have views of Citadel Hill. Visitors could also see the Public Gardens and adjoining local streetscapes, supporters said.

The glass, art deco-inspired front, with two towers stepped back and a covered glass laneway along Annandale Street in between, would include 330,000 square feet of residential units and possibly even a boutique hotel.

Representatives from Michael Napier Architecture, the Halifax firm in charge of the complex’s design, said they had come up with a respectful proposal that would be a “comfortable” fit in the neighbourhood.

The higher parts of the structure, which would be residential areas, would be stepped back from Sackville and South Park streets so as not to interrupt the view from Citadel Hill, they said.

Kenzie MacDonald, who lives with his family in the area, called the proposed expansion “a tremendous asset” to the area.

“There are very few options for the public for recreation south of Citadel (Hill),” he said.

Jim MacFadzean, who lives in the city’s south end and said he is a member of Friends of the Public Gardens, addressed concerns about viewplanes from Citadel Hill toward Spring Garden Road and southward.

“I don’t believe that many people go up Citadel Hill to gaze on South Park and Sackville streets,” he said.

MacFadzean said the development would not be “perfect for everybody” but would greatly enhance life in the area.

Throughout the session, several proponents called the proposal “critical” to downtown Halifax.

Jennifer Powely of the Ecology Action Centre wondered why the city is considering changing its height restriction after just completing the HRM by Design initiative.

“Why are we looking at changing that?” she asked.

Michael Napier said his firm’s design complies with city bylaws except for the height restriction, and even then only a portion would be in violation.

Napier’s company has been involved in a downtown YMCA project in Vancouver and in several mixed urban complexes in Europe.

A Halifax YMCA representative said the expansion is badly needed as the existing infrastructure can’t handle the community’s needs.

Richard Harvey, a senior planner with Halifax Regional Municipality, said people need to consider two key points: the kind of impact a higher structure would have on Citadel Hill and its surroundings, and whether the public benefit from the proposed complex would support amending the height restrictions.

Harvey said his department welcomes all input and historical data so it can provide a well-rounded report to regional council. Once that report, with its recommendations, is before councillors, they will decide whether to send it on to public hearings, he said.

( ehoare@herald.ca)