The developer behind a pair of controversial developments in the historic Halifax neighbourhood of Schmidtville went before a meeting of area residents on Wednesday night.
Alex Halef of Banc Properties, a company behind condo projects the Mary Ann and the Margaretta, met with members of the Brenton-Schmidtville Livability Group (BSLG) at the Halifax Central Library on Wednesday night.
“We just want to have a level of communication open,” Halef told Global News.
The meeting provided some insight into the growing pains that Halifax is enduring as the regional municipality works to attract people to the heart of the city.
“The plan is to make the Halifax peninsula and the Dartmouth core as well, the place were we can accommodate up to 30,000 new residents over the coming years,” said Tiffany Chase, a senior communications advisor with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
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Many residents see the perks of urban living in Halifax.
But members of the BSLG, a citizen-led organization that gathers and raises concerns about impacts on Schmidtville’s historic character, are concerned about how the new projects could affect the neighbourhood’s livability.
“It’s a particularly vulnerable neighbourhood,” said BSLG member Larry Haiven.
“Most of you know that a lot of those buildings are more than 150 years old.”
Construction of the Mary Ann and the Margaretta has some group members concerned about everything from rodents to the impacts of development on people’s health.
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Residents had a chance to air their concerns about the projects, but the meeting also gave them an opportunity to meet face-to-face with the developer for what Haiven said was the first time.
“I think that’s a terrific thing because we’re starting to act like neighbours,” Haiven said.
Halef said he wants to work with neighbourhood residents to ensure their concerns are being addressed.
“It’s just simply, just giving them a voice, knowing who to call, talk to if there’s a problem,” he said.
“We want to work together.”