Planning for thousands of housing units around Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, N.S.

Halifax is planning big changes for Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth.

A plan to develop the area around Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, N.S., to support housing for thousands of people is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Halifax councillors greenlit planning and bylaw changes last week to allow for the construction of 2,800 housing units.

But there’s space for up to 4,600 units in the long run.

“This proposal transitions the site from a parking-dominated mall complex into a mixed-use, transit-oriented, pedestrian-first neighbourhood,” said Cesar Saleh, VP planning & design at WM Fares Architects, who spoke on behalf of the developers.

That’s because almost all of the 3,200 parking spaces will be used for development space.

Replacing those, a new parking structure will be built and there will be several underground parkades as part of the new builds.

In all, proponents told councillors there will be 5,300 spaces upon completion – for tenants and mall-goers – with only 300 being outdoors.

There will be seven residential towers, up to 40 storeys, with the tallest ones located near the highway.

Staff said in the long run, the development could bring 8,600 people to the area.

Too much, say some locals.

“I am not against development,” Doug Rose, who lives nearby, said to councillors as part of a public hearing last week.

“I think developing this site is a good thing to do, there’s a lot of wasted space. However, I do believe this project is too large for the environment it’s meant to fit into.”

There will also be a new transit terminal replacing the existing bus stop coming at a total cost of around $5.8 million.

Open public spaces and a new municipal park are also part of the plans, but some councillors argued there wasn’t enough green space or recreation space.

“Is there enough outdoor, active park space in this proposal?” asked Deputy Mayor Patty Cuttell. “I’m just concerned that there’s not enough park amenity.”

Cuttell acknowledged 10 per cent of land, or two acres, will be set aside, but argued “it doesn’t consider population with density height.”

“Our proposal implements adopted policy, delivers housing at scale, reinforces and stabilizes Mic Mac Mall, adds 350,000 square-feet of pedestrian-accessible retail, provides employment space, expands municipal tax base, modernizes aging infrastructure, improves transit infrastructure, adds public open space and transforms an aging retail site into a complete urban community,” said Saleh.

While the development timeline is unclear, what was explained to council is that the project will happen in stages, starting with a 13-storey addition to the mall, including the parking structure, office space and family entertainment space – and the transit terminal.

A 17-storey 400-bed special care home is also part of the first phase.

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