MPSA-2025-01528 – 1872-1874 & 1888 Brunswick Street, Halifax

Request

ZZAP on behalf of the property owner, has applied to amend the Regional Centre Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy (SMPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB) to a permit a reduced side yard setback requirement for the portion of a building above 33.5 metres at 1872-1874 Brunswick St. (PID 00002030) and 1888 Brunswick St. (PID 00002022), when an abutting site cannot be developed as a high-rise building due to the Halifax Citadel Ramparts Sight Lines.

This proposed change is being considered for all properties within the Downtown Halifax (DH) Zone as a broad planning response to address future considerations of similar Site-Specific requests in the urban core.

Proposal

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The applicant is proposing to develop abutting properties at 1872-1874 Brunswick Street and 1888 Brunswick Street. The proposal includes an office conversion to residential dwelling units and a new 15 storey multi-unit dwelling building. The proposal states that the development will be able to provide 219 new residential dwelling units and commercial space. The major aspects of the proposal are as follows:

• office conversion to a multi-unit residential building at 1888 Brunswick Street;
• new construction of a 15 storey multi-unit residential building at 1872-1874 Brunswick Street;
• a total of 219 new dwelling units, which includes 10 barrier free units and 1 grade-related unit:
• 8 studio units;
• 97 one-bedroom units;
• 25 one-bedroom and den units;
• 81 two-bedroom units;
• 8 two-bedroom and den units;
• 86 on-site parking spaces with 11 of said spaces being barrier free;
• level 1 will have 2,940 square feet of commercial space;
• indoor and outdoor amenity space (including balconies); and
• 87 Class A and 21 Class B bicycle parking spaces

The proponent submitted the following rationale in support of the request:

• The property’s adjacent lot at 1901 Gottingen Street (PID: 00002048) is subject to a ramparts sight line that restricts its development to less than 34 metres, as detailed by the Citadel View Plane & Rampart Certification Letter (provided below).
• The Regional Centre Land Use By-Law defines High-Rise Buildings within the Downtown Halifax (DH) zone as a main building that exceeds a height of 33.5 metres above the average finished grade. The High-Rise Feasibility Letter (provided below) explains that because of the spatial requirements for rooftop equipment and structures, it would not be feasible to construct a practical high-rise building that meets the 34 metre height limit imposed by the ramparts sight lines.
• The abutting property’s development potential has been constrained by a ramparts sight line in a way that would not permit the development of a high-rise building.
• The reduced setback would allow for a more efficient use of the property’s land and allow for 6 additional dwelling units to be contained within the development.

The Development Plans and Staff Report (provided below) outline the development proposal in detail, and includes information related to site layout, elevation, landscaping, parking, and driveway location.

Process

The application will be considered under the Municipal Planning Strategy & Development Agreement process.

Status

This application is currently in the Detailed Team Review Stage where the request is reviewed by internal municipal staff as well as external agencies. Following this stage, Public Engagement will be conducted in early 2026.

Once all public engagement has been completed, staff will incorporate all feedback into a staff report to be considered by the Regional Centre Community Council at a Public Hearing. For more information regarding this case, please see the Planner’s contact information at the bottom of the page.

November 18 Council Initiation

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

MPS Application Package (July 8, 2025)