Sprawl 'doesn't sit well' with Dartmouth developer Francis Fares

Kings Wharf developer Francis Fares says the Halifax Regional Municipality could be doing more to encourage people to live in downtown Dartmouth and Halifax.

"I'm not understanding all this dormant and silence about the urban sprawl growing and growing," Fares told CBC News in an interview Tuesday.

"The budget keeps growing and the citizen moves from the urban centre to the outskirts. It doesn't sit well with me."

Fares says a lot of money is being spent to build and maintain new roads and sidewalks.He says taxpayers should be concerned.

"What I'm saying is in the downtown core, there is already the infrastructure. It's not costing taxpayers more to plow the street because the street is already there," he said.

"It'snot costing taxpayers more to shovel the sidewalk because the sidewalk is already there."

More incentives needed

Fares says downtown developers aretaxed too much and more incentives are needed to draw people to live in the core.

"They need to give incentives to people taking the courage to building in the downtown core, not tax them to death so that they are running out of business and cannot survive."

Centre Plan factor

Much of the future development in downtown Dartmouth and Halifax depends on the municipality's Centre Plan.

The plan, which has been in the works since 2006,touches on everything from the height of buildings, to transit options, to municipal parks.

It will be used to update existing rules and regulations that have beenin place since the late 1970s. Municipal staff expect to have a first draft ready by December.

Mixed messages

Until there is a finalized Centre Plan, Dartmouth CentreCoun. Gloria McCluskey says the municipality is sending mixed messages.

"How can we get density in the peninsula and in downtown Dartmouth when we're approving applications which are outside the peninsula and downtown area?" said McCluskey.

"We're expected to get a percentage of new residents and yet we keep doing that, so we talk out of both sides of our mouths."

Downtown needs a boost

Paul MacKinnon, executive director of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, says he would like to see more development. He says there were 30,000 more people living on the peninsula than there are today.

"Although there's fear about over-development and buildings perhaps that are too tall, there's actually a lot of space on the peninsula and in downtown Dartmouth to densify the core," he said.

Better public amenities needed

MacKinnon agrees that a finalized Centre Plan is needed and that there needs to be more incentives for people to move downtown.

"They're not expecting to have an acre and a half of land. What they're really looking for are great public amenities, they're looking for great streets, great parks. Investments like the new Central Library are a great step in thatdirection."

• Halifax's major construction has almost tripled in value over a decade