Thanks to those of you who confirmed that the test message got through.
There are still some bugs to be worked out, but we may be operational.
I realize that it is a little late in the game, however I wonder if
anyone thinks it would be a good idea to try to organize an outdoor
candidates meeting before October 17. The park on Ontario is an obvious
choice for a venue. Otherwise, I have been told that there is a quite good
spot on Fort Needham with good acoustics.
Any thoughts on the matter?
Pete
We are trying to get bnranews up and running again. If you get this
message, please confirm by sending an email to our other account
bnra(a)chebucto.ns.ca
Thanks,
Pete
Good morning neighbours,
Just wanted you to be aware of a proposed zoning change for our
neighbourhood, part of Centre Plan "Package B." To start, the Bloomfield
Neighbourhood, defined in the Centre Plan as follows...
...will be a proposed "Heritage Conservation District". This
acknowledges the "/largely intact and contiguous tree-lined streetscapes
of the Bloomfield District, west of Gottingen in Halifax's North End,
contain[ing] an important collection of Georgian, Victorian and
Edwardian grand residences representing the merchant class of the 19th
century/."
I am not opposed to the HCD designation, but HRM has also automatically
assigned the "ER-1" zone to any proposed heritage conservation district.
Here's the rationale: "/The ER-1 Zone [lowest-density zone in the Centre
Plan] is applied to these proposed HCDs, regardless of existing unit
types, to help discourage redevelopment of heritage assets prior to the
creation of the HCDs. This approach is intended to reduce the risk of
major redevelopment, while still allowing existing uses and the
development of secondary and backyard suites/."
Fifty properties (26%) in our neighbourhood currently contain two or
more units, and it concerns me that ER-1 zoning will make these
duplexes/triplexes/etc. "nonconforming," while also prohibiting future
duplex conversions. Over time, this may result in a reduction in the
neighbourhood’s population density and affordability, as rental
properties are gradually converted back to single-unit dwellings.
(The neighbourhood is currently zoned R-2 under the Halifax Peninsula
land use by-law, which permits up to four units on a property, subject
to lot size and other requirements.)
I've written to HRM to say I actually want _more_ people living in the
neighbourhood; density uses existing services more efficiently and helps
to build a strong, cosmopolitan community. As one of the only 10-minute
neighbourhoods in all of HRM, I think we should be encouraging more
people to live in the Bloomfield Neighbourhood, not fewer. Applying the
ER-2 or ER-3 zone instead would acknowledge the existing multi-unit
dwellings and would not grant any more height or building size
permissions than ER-1.
Hope this makes sense. If you have concerns about this (whether you
agree or disagree with me!), you should email your feedback to
planhrm(a)halifax.ca. It would be a good idea to CC our councillor
(lindell.smith(a)halifax.ca) as well. More details on Centre Plan are
available online here, if you want to read up further:
http://centreplan.ca.
- Kyle
Hello candidates,
A couple folks posted questions to our BNRA FaceBook page a few days ago, but I haven’t noticed any responses yet. Please consider having a look.
All the best,
Ron Skibbens
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