Case 22539 - Dunbrack St. & Ruth Goldbloom Dr., Halifax

Request

Application by WM Fares Architects, on behalf of the property owner, requesting amendments to an existing development on lands at the intersection of Dunbrack Street and Ruth Goldbloom Drive, Halifax to allow for the development of a either a 5 storey hotel with minor commercial uses at grade or a five-storey, 76-unit apartment building with commercial uses at grade. 

Proposal

The applicant wishes to amend an existing Stage I and Stage II development agreements to allow for the development of a 5 storey Hotel with minor commercial uses at grade or an apartment building with commercial uses at grade. 

The existing Stage I development agreement designates the site for minor commercial uses (those uses permitted in the C-2A Zone of the Halifax Mainland Land Use By-law and enables a building up to four storeys in height. The existing Stage II development agreement specifies the detailed design for the site and permits a 2-3 storey commercial building

The major aspects of the proposal are as follows:

• Allow a hotel with ground floor minor commercial uses or a multi-unit dwelling with ground floor commercial (minor commercial uses and hotel);
• Permit a commercial building to be five storeys instead of four storeys only on the subject site;
• Increase the permitted number of multiple unit dwelling units in Rockingham South from 828 to 904 and increase the maximum number of persons from 2,245 to 2,408. 
• Amend the Stage II development agreement to add the appropriate schedules to show the detailed design of the proposal;
• Proposed hotel will be 72 suites with an overall height of 5 storeys;
• Proposed parking will be provided onsite via an external surface lot and interior below grade; and
• Bicycle parking and vehicular parking will be required as per the requirements of the Land Use By-law for Halifax Mainland.

The Development Plans (provided below) outline the development proposal in detail, and include information related to application letter, building location, parking locations, access, and building elevations.

Process

The application will be considered under the Substantive Amending Development Agreement Process for changes to the Stage I Agreement and the Non-Substantive Amending Process for the changes to the Stage II Agreement.

Status

In December 2020, a postcard was sent to surrounding residents asking for feedback on the revised proposal. Staff have requested all feedback be submitted by end of day January 8, 2021 to ensure it is captured in the staff report.

The application was originally to enable the development of only a hotel. In November 2019, a mailout was provided to surrounding residents asking for comments on the hotel proposal. The applicant has since revised their application to include the option to develop an apartment building on the lands. Staff are undertaking a detailed review of the proposal changes.

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by municipal staff to properly evaluate the application. 

• Application Rational
• Site Plan and Building Plans (note: site plan and elevations are the same for the hotel and apartment proposals)
• Traffic Impact Statement for the Hotel
• Traffic Impact Statement for the Apartment Building