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Halifax councillors have rejected a Bedford heritage development, with some saying they did not think the right balance of extra height in exchange for preserving history had been struck.
Last Monday, the North West community council turned down a heritage development agreement for the Honeycote heritage site at 1262 Bedford Highway.
The project from property owner Zagros Nova Home Developments would have restored the low-rise 1850s building, and moved it to a new foundation closer to the highway. It would be used as commercial space.
An eight-storey apartment, plus penthouse level, would go up behind it to create 30 new units. The new building would be connected to Honeycote by an enclosed glass breezeway.
“It’s gonna stand out like a jagged tooth on [the] Bedford Highway,” resident Dale Proude said on Monday during a public hearing about the project.
Proude was one of roughly a dozen residents who urged councillors to reject the development. They said it was simply too large for the area, overwhelmed the Honeycote building, would create traffic issues, and the eight on-site parking spaces would not be enough.
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Some people noted the lot’s close proximity to the Bedford Petroglyphs National Historic Site, and said there should have been more Mi’kmaw consultation, especially if there is a chance more artefacts could be discovered during construction.
“Pressing the stop button now will give you the opportunity to look at all the issues,” said resident Francene Cosman.
The zoning on the project site would usually have a two-storey limit, but this kind of development agreement allows for more density and height in exchange for preserving local heritage.
Honeycote has associations with the DeWolf family of Bedford, particularly as the home of the shipping agent and merchant, Harry G. DeWolf Sr., and his wife Kate A. DeWolf. They were the parents of Vice Admiral Harry G. DeWolf.
Municipal staff said the proposal was reasonably consistent with the intent of the city’s planning policies and strategies, and should go ahead.
But the community council rejected the agreement.
Scale of development ‘out of whack’ with area
Area councillor Jean St-Amand said he was not convinced the developer’s investment of nearly $295,000 into the heritage building, and design details including setbacks and wood-shingle siding on the lower levels of the new apartment, were enough.
“I feel very strongly that the scale of this particular development is a little out of whack, compared to what I would see as being appropriate to the area,” St-Amand said during the meeting.
St-Amand said he did not think the design met the city’s requirement that the new portion of the project be compatible with, and subordinate to, the heritage building. He also said the investment in heritage conservation was not proportional to the additional rights the developer gained in the agreement.
While St-Amand said he doesn’t have the expertise to know what height might fit both the developer’s needs and be acceptable to the community, “I just know what feels wrong.”
The developer can appeal the decision to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, or bring back a new design to the city.
Zagros Nova Home Developments declined an interview request with CBC about what they will do next.
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