Case 20871 - 6070 Almon Street, Halifax

Request

WSP, on behalf of Westwood Construction Ltd., has requested to enter into a development agreement to enable a mixed-use development that consists of 5 buildings on shared private driveway on lands located between Almon Street and St. Albans Street (PIDs 00005090, 40414021, 00005108, 40414013, 40414005, 00005116, 00005272, 00005264, 00005140, 00005132, and 00005124).

Proposal

The proposal is for 5 towers on 3 shared podiums with a total of 710, 353 gross floor area and 352 residential units.  The parking is proposed under the site with two levels of under ground parking totally 368, 264 square feet and a small surface lot, identified as King Square.

The proposal has a shared street concept along Clifton Green and at St Albans and the King Street extension.  At the centre of Clifton Green is a park space between residential uses and live/work studios.

Building A: Located in the centre of the site on Almon Street, Building A is a 25-storey residential tower situated on a two-storey commercial podium (total height: 27-storeys at 287 ft./ 87.4 m.). The building is oriented towards Almon Street with retail space at ground level. The second level contains commercial space and connects to Building B through an elevated pedestrian walkway. Residential live/work studios and retail space from Building A front onto Clifton Green landscaped pedestrian/car zone and park space. At the front of Building A on the ground level is a proposed drop off/pick up location between the extensions to Clifton and King Streets on Almon Street.

Building B: Located in the centre of the site on St. Albans Street, Building B is a five-storey residential tower situated on a two-storey commercial podium (total height: 7-storeys at 91 ft./ 27.7m.). The building is oriented towards St. Albans with live/work studios, retail, and restaurant uses on the ground level of the podium. The second level contains commercial space and connects to Building A through an elevated pedestrian walkway.

Building C: Located along the North-East boundary of the site, Building C is an eight-storey residential or commercial tower situated on a two-storey commercial podium (total height: 10-storey at 121 ft./ 36.8m.) The building is oriented into the site facing King Square and contains institutional and retail uses at ground level. The second level of the podium will contain commercial uses.

Building D: Located along the South-West boundary of the site, Building D is a 10-storey residential building with one-storey of commercial on the ground floor (total height: 10-storey at 116 ft./35.3m.) Building D is oriented towards Almon Street with a five-storey extension of residential units oriented towards Clifton Green.

Building E: Located at the North-East boundary of the site, Building E is a two-storey cultural building with commercial uses located along the ground level (total height: two-storeys at 57 ft. 6 in./ 17.5m) Building E fronts onto St. Albans and King Square and is connected to Building C through the second storey.

Process

The application will be considered under the development agreement process, with a decision at Halifax and West Community Council.

Status

The virtual public hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. All oral and written submissions will be considered at that time. This meeting will occur in a virtual setting, and attending in person is not possible. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, written submissions are welcomed and encouraged in advance of the hearing itself. These submissions are distributed to all Councillors and considered at the time of their decision. Written submissions may be forwarded to the Municipal Clerk by e-mail; by fax, 902-490-4208; or by mail, P.O. Box 1749, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3A5. Written submissions must be received by the Municipal Clerk’s office as early as possible and not later than 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday April 27, 2021. Please allow sufficient time for delivery given slower than typical mail delivery times during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The virtual public hearing will be webcast and may be viewed online. Members of the public seeking to speak at the hearing, may contact the Municipal Clerk’s office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2021 to be added to the speakers list to speak by telephone. We encourage all residents who have any desire to speak at the meeting to add their name to the list. Individuals who do not want to speak at a later time may ask to have their name removed from the speakers list. 
To be placed on the speakers list:
•    Send an e-mail; or
•    Call and leave a voicemail at 902.490.4210; or
•    Send a fax to the clerk at 902.490.4208.
In your message, please include the meeting body, the planning Case number (20871) or civic address, in addition to your name, community of residence, email address, and telephone number. 

View the staff report. 

Public Meeting Feedback
On January 22, 2019  municipal staff hosted a public engagement workshop at the Halifax Forum in the Maritime Hall. Along with municipal staff, representatives from Westwood Group, WSP, and FBM Architecture were present. The purpose of the engagement session was to provide information to the public on the proposed development, explain the process involved for an application of this type, and receive feedback, hear concerns, and answer questions regarding the proposed development. View the workshop summary. 

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by municipal staff to properly evaluate the application. The documents are also available for review at the Planning Applications office in Downtown Dartmouth.