Case 20401 - Bedford West, Bedford

Request

Application by Sunrose Land Use Consulting to amend the Bedford and Halifax Municipal Planning Strategy [MPS] and the Bedford West Secondary Planning Strategy to enable development of Bedford West Sub Area 10, Kearney Lake Road, Bedford and Halifax.

Background
In 2006, Regional Council approved the Bedford West Secondary Planning Strategy [Bedford West SPS] which provided guidance for the development of a new community on the west side of the Bicentennial Highway [Highway 102] in the vicinity of the Hammonds Plains and Larry Uteck Boulevard. The goal of the strategy is to enable quality residential and commercial development which is cost effective for the municipality to service. The Bedford West area will house a significant portion of HRM’s urban growth over a twenty-five year period. The Bedford West SPS includes objectives and policies pertaining to environmental protection, municipal services and land use.

The Bedford West SPS is divided into 12 Sub Areas [see map below]. Development agreements [legal contracts] have been previously approved for Sub Areas 2,3,4,5, 7, 8, 9.

When approved, the Bedford West SPS did not include detailed policies to enable development in Sub Area 10, 11 or 12 [Map 3]. The exclusion of these sub areas was intentional as these lands were not part of the core holdings of the majority land holder in the Bedford West area and outside the area where detailed study had been completed. The SPS identifies that a future planning process is to consider the need for amendments to the SPS to enable development of Sub Area 10. Lands in Sub Area 10 currently have multiple zones regulating their development including Residential Reserve [RR] and Institutional [SI] zones under the Bedford Land Use By-law [LUB] and Urban Settlement [US] zone under the Halifax Mainland LUB. The RR and US Zones allow for single unit dwellings on large lots [5 acres minimum] with large road frontages [360 feet minimum]. The SI zone permits institutional uses such as schools and churches.

Proposal

View the site in Google Maps

The request will evaluate current policies and determine the need for new policies and related reference materials prior to development occurring. Topics for discussion will include, but not be limited to, land use and the creation of a community concept plan [which will guide land use], density of development, and transportation [access points and roads].

The subject property is approximately 31.1 ha [76.8 acres] with approximately 1.3 km feet of street frontage on Kearney Lake Road.

Process

This application is being considered under the Municipal Planning Strategy Amendment and Land Use By-law Amendment Process.

Status

Regional Council initiated the process at its meeting on October 2, 2016 following consideration of an initiation report  presented by staff. In order to obtain community feedback on potential policy changes for this Sub Area, a Public Participation Meeting was held on Thursday March 23,2017. Copies of meeting notes will be attached to any future staff report. Staff are currently reviewing the request and are considering the need for new policies for this area of land. Subsequent to this review, staff will draft a staff report and any new policies required for this sub areas. The report will then be forwarded to Halifax and West Community Council  for a recommendation and then to Regional Council for a public hearing and decision.

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

The applicant has submitted plans required by HRM staff to properly evaluate the application. The documents are also available for review at the HRM Planning and Development office in Dartmouth at 40 Alderney Drive, 2^nd Floor.

Application Letter
Application Letter -Update
Topo Map of Site
Concept Plan
Servicing Review

Related Documents
Generalized Future Land Use Map
Zoning Map
Sub Areas of Bedford West Map (Map 3)