New details on Halifax’s Centre Plan released at open house

The Halifax municipal government released new details about its Centre Plan during an open house on Monday night.

The open house, which attracted more than 100 people, was held at Citadel High School.

The recommended options include building tall buildings (seven or more storeys), moderate-height buildings (four to six storeys), low-rise buildings (three storeys or fewer), and infill homes (semi-detached, townhouses, etc.).

The regional centre is expected to grow from 97,000 to 130,000 people by 2031, according to the plan. The growth can be accommodated through five areas: established residential areas (16 per cent), primary growth areas (28 per cent), downtowns (14 per cent), future growth areas (21 per cent), and secondary corridors (21 per cent).

READ MORE: First Halifax Centre Plan meeting an opportunity to provide feedback

The primary growth areas are Agricola, Gottingen, Spring Garden, Quinpool, Young, and Wyse.

The growth potential of those areas were determined on seven factors: level of transit service, access to open space, land availability, development interest, proximity to key employment areas, community assets, and servicing constraints.

Depending on the proposed scenarios for growth, the Wyse area, for example, could see the development of four 10-storey buildings and 23 five-storey buildings, or 10 10-storey buildings and nine five-storey buildings.

READ MORE: Housing a concern for many at Halifax Centre Plan workshop

The details of the plan will be posted on the project’s website on Tuesday.

More meetings will be held throughout the summer. Before going to the Halifax Regional Council, a final draft is set to go to the Community Design Advisory Committee in December.

5:41 Centre Plan Open House

WATCH ABOVE: Jacob Ritchie, urban design program manager for the municipal government, talks about Halifax’s Centre Plan in an interview.