FHC Centre Plan Submission May 2016 emphasizes the importance of public open space. As HRM’s population grows we need to protect and expand access to green land and blue sky, not just on the Halifax Common but throughout the city.
Below’s a summary of FHC requests for how the 1994 Halifax Common Plan be respected.*
Correct the labeling of the boundary of the 240 acre grant on Centre Plan maps which presently show the 30 acre North Common as the “Halifax Commons”.
Ensure policies for greenscape, historic character, streetscapes, landscaped open space and climate change be included.
Create a Special Zone Designation for all property within and bordering Canada’s oldest Common which was designated an Historic Site under the Halifax City Charter in 1971.
Protect the views towards and from the Halifax Common.
Stop rule-breaking development on and around the Halifax Common and prevent the negative impact of private high rises in proximity to the public’s land, including shade, wind and sense of openness.
Develop mobility and active transportation routes throughout the Common through a combination of sidewalks, paths and safe pedestrian crossing areas.
Re-claim the Halifax Common by recapturing the lands. (ex. former School for the Blind now the present-day VG parking lot.)
Work with nature to help deal with climate change. (ex. daylight Freshwater Brook and reintroduce functioning wetland ecosystems.
*To honour the intent of the goals and objectives of the 1994 Halifax Common Plan which commit the City (now HRM) to the following:
Section 2.1: The amount of public open space in the Halifax Common will not be decreased.
Section 3.1: The amount of land owned by the City of Halifax will not be decreased.
Section 3.2: The city will seek to increase the amount of land under city ownership through recapture of Halifax Common lands.
When FHC heard Premier Houston’s provincial government wanted Mayor Savage and HRM’s permission to cut 37 trees on Robie, Bell Road & Summer for the QEII hospital expansion, we knew there was a better option — take the building back from the edge so the tree roots were safe. Together our collective effort reduced the number […]
An idea planted by FHC led Jayme Melrose and her volunteers to transform QEHS lands into a place of productive beauty. Now the farm is evicted and still homeless. So let’s imagine the St Pat’s site with that same vision & ask HRM to transplant Common Roots to Quinpool. 95.7’s Listen to Sheldon MacLeod’s interview […]
Published July 1, 2018 June 23 marked the 255th anniversary of the Halifax Common, the 1763 Crown Grant by King George III for 235 acres of land and five acres of roads given “to and for the use of the inhabitants of the Town of Halifax as Common forever.” Clamoured for by the poor and […]
In June HRM Council ignored public opinion and staff advice to vote 10 to 6 in favour of George Armoyen’s 25-storey tower at Robie and Quinpool. The building will degrade the neighbourhood and the Halifax Common. And the decision assures an elite class of developers that democratically derived rules don’t matter to Council. Hear a […]
FHC supports the principles of the Centre Plan but believe it needs a better balance of proper densification and environmental care. Below are recent suggestions and concerns that we submitted. There are four distinct themes that build on previous asks such as growth scenarios that include commuter rail and 3-D models of what the Centre […]
May 22, 2018 Dear Mayor and Council, Re case 18966- 25-storey Armco Project As members of the Friends of Halifax Common we write to ask that you not proceed with further steps towards approving a 25-storey ARMCO building at the corner of Quinpool and Robie. We remind you that at the January 16th public hearing […]