| A Public Information Meeting was held October 13, 2011 at the Lake Echo Community Gymnasium. Please click here for an overview of the application process to date. |
Request - Information Summary
Mountain View Mobile Home Park Limited has applied to amend the Planning Districts 8 and 9 Municipal Planning Strategy in order to consider development of a new mobile home park in Lake Echo.
Process - Initiation Report
This application is being considered under the municipal planning strategy and land use by-law amendment process.
Status
At the June 22, 2011 meeting of Marine Drive, Valley, and Canal Community Council, staff presented a supplementary report responding to directions from a previous motion made on November 22, 2010. Staff reported that the original Case 01278 application had changed significantly and recommended holding another PIM in the community. Council passed a motion requesting staff hold a public information meeting in order for the developer to present changes to his amendment request to the residents of Lake Echo.
A Public Information Meeting was held October 13, 2011 at the Lake Echo Community Gymnasium. Staff was present to discuss the application and the applicant presented changes to the original Districts 8 and 9 MPS/LUB amendment request.
Documents Submitted for Evaluation
The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by HRM staff to properly evaluate the application. As the documents are transferred into an electronic format, they will be made available below. All documents are available for viewing at the Planning Services office in Dartmouth.
Site Concept and Developable Areas
Sample Lot Plan and Rendering
Traffic Impact Study
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
Darrell Joudrey, Planner
Planning Services, Eastern Region
Telephone: 490-4181
Fax: 490-4346
Email: Darrell Joudrey |
Mail: HRM Planning Services,
Eastern Region
PO Box 1749,
Halifax, NS B3J 3A5
Attention: Darrell Joudrey, Planner |
History of the Application
A public information meeting (PIM) was held in Lake Echo on July 29, 2009 (minutes) to advise the public that an application had been received and to allow them to comment at an early stage in the process. HRM staff and the applicant were present to explain the application and to answer questions and receive comments and concerns.
Concerns from the public largely focussed on:
- environmental issues arising from the proposed on-site sewage treatment facility;
- traffic impact from the additional number of dwelling units in the community;
- potential impact on property values from presence of another mobile home park;
- the high proportion of mobile homes in the community;
- the capacity of schools to handle additional students; and
- provision of adequate protective services.
A second PIM was requested to be held after the applicant prepared a Traffic Impact Study as requested by Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR), and HRM staff had received written comments from NSTIR following their review of the Study.
The second PIM was held on January 14, 2010 (minutes). Staff reviewed the application and process, as well as reported back on comments received from NSTIR, Nova Scotia Environment (NSE), Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, Halifax District RCMP, and Halifax Regional School Board.
The applicant presented a proposal for the mobile home community, along with additional information requested at the initial PIM: a rendering of a typical dwelling site in the development, and a map showing all the potential developable areas within the lands (available here). Questions from the public in attendance were for the most part based on the same concerns as the first PIM. Staff again described the process that the application will follow.
On June 9, 2010, Marine Drive, Valley, and Canal Community Council (MDVCCC) discussed a staff report dated May 20, 2010 (20.3 MB) regarding an application for amendments to Planning Districts 8 and 9 Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law to allow a new mobile home park in Lake Echo. The recommendation of the report was to take no action but wait until the process for community visioning was in place. This recommendation was based upon staff's opinion that this site specific request impacted the character of the community. The presentation of the staff report generated a number of questions from Council that staff was requested to respond to in a supplementary report. Council requested that staff look at such things as:
- other development options available to the applicant;
- comparing a mobile home park and a residential subdivision development requirements;
- comparing affordability implications of a mobile home park versus a standard residential subdivision and condominium development;
- what environmental reviews are required;
- what questions have frequently been asked about this application;
- background of mobile home development;
- items of correspondence received.
On November 22, 2010 MDVCCC met in Lake Echo and an overview of the supplementary staff report dated November 4, 2010 requested at the June 9 MDVCCC meeting was presented. The supplementary report carried forward the recommendation from the May 20, 2010 staff report to take no action on the current request to amend the planning documents and wait until such time as the community visioning exercise is in place.
Additionally, staff presented update information regarding the current watershed study for Porter's Lake, Tantallon and Lake Echo that is required before community visioning may begin and the topsoil removal permit that was issued to the applicant for the subject properties.
MDVCCC moved that the Mobile Home Park By-law, currently being reviewed, include the modular home standard as well as the current permitted mobile home standard. Councillor Hendsbee took this request forward to Regional Council on December 7, 2010. MDVCCC also requested that staff meet with applicant to review the current application process to determine the implications of making application for a development agreement at this time and to look at the creation of a development agreement and report back to MDVCCC; further, based on the outcome of the current watershed study, that MDVCCC make a request to Regional Council that the community of Lake Echo be placed higher on the priority list for the community visioning exercise. MDVCCC also requested staff look into the possibility of including Lake Echo in the component of the watershed study that will assess the impact of alternative treatment technologies on receiving waters. Currently that aspect of the assimilative capacity study was to only be generally applied to Lake Echo.
Current Status
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