Dartmouth-area councillor Tony Mancini says his only concern with a new proposal for Dartmouth’s Shannon Park is ensuring housing is affordable.
“What the community and myself really want to see, top of the list in this community — other than making it a complete community — is the affordable housing piece,” Mancini, who represents Harbourview-Burnside-Dartmouth East, says in a Zoom interview.
A development proposal put forward on behalf of Canada Lands Company would see a significant change to the former military housing site, if approved.
According to an HRM staff report, the plan includes the following:
- 23 new city blocks
- 3,000 dwelling units within a range of building forms
- around 145,000 square feet of commercial space
- around 7.5 acres of public parkland, including a waterfront park
- both on- and off-street active transportation trails and pathways
- new public streets, municipal services such as water and sewer, and a transit hub
The development is proposed to be constructed over four phases.
Canada Lands Company purchased about 86 acres of DND land in 2014.
“For most people, every time they travel on the MacKay Bridge,” Mancini says, “they would look down and say, ‘What’s going on with Shannon Park?'”
He says he frequently gets the same question — one that he now has a tentative answer to.
“This is what’s going on, we’re ready to move forward,” Mancini says. “It’s been a long time coming to finally get to this stage.”
Mancini and his Harbour East – Marine Drive Community Council colleagues gave first reading to a motion Thursday night that will send the development proposal to a public hearing.
“We’re really excited about re-engaging with the Dartmouth and Halifax community, that this is a transformational project, it’s an exciting time,” says Mary Jarvis, the acting senior director for Canada Lands Company in the Atlantic region.
“We’re well aware that affordable housing is a priority to the Dartmouth and Halifax community. It’s a priority across the country,” Jarvis says. “Across the country, (Canada Lands Company), as per our corporate mandate, is committing to 20 per cent of all new resident units within our communities being affordable.”
Mancini is planning to throw his support behind the idea.
“I support what’s in front of us, but we have to hear from the community,” he says.
Canada Lands Company says it has a working relationship with Millbrook First Nation, which owns nearby land.
If approved, Jarvis says the housing would take five years until people could move in. Developers would purchase land from the company.
There’s no date yet for consultation, but Mancini says it would be part of a community council meeting in Dartmouth in February or March.
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