Wellington Street development will go to public hearing

Halifax Regional Council has agreed to send a controversial proposed development on Wellington Street in the south end of the city to a public hearing next month.

Both city staff and the local planning districts recommended against the project by developer Dino Capital to build two apartment towers eight and 10 storeys high on lots that are zoned for three storeys. The project would take up 75 per cent of the property.

A petition with more than a thousand names opposed to the proposal was tabled at council.

Councillor Steve Adams says thats usually not a good enough reason to stop the process.

If council agreed with every petition we got, there wouldbe no convention centre, he said. Governors Brook in Spryfield, there were probably 250 people who spoke out against that. That was approved and is a beautiful development.

Councillor Waye Mason says it shouldn't matter there are already apartment buildings on the street because the proposal wouldn't even be allowed in the downtown core.

When you look at Century Towers or Peter Green Hall, they have height, but they are set back and they are on a low rise podium, he said. They have low lot coverage, but they have height.

Mason says the developments across the street have high lot coverage and are only five storeys tall so thats where they get their density.

This proposal, from this developer, wants both, he said. In an unprecedented design and we should not accept this anywhere.

Some Wellington Street residents were in the council chambers Tuesday and say they're disappointed but not surprised that the development will go to a public hearing.