Case 23617 - Upper Hammonds Plains Land Use Zoning Review

OPEN HOUSE - DROP IN SESSION

May 2, 2023

Halifax Regional Council adopted changes to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Use Designation and GU-1 (General Use) Zone on January 10, 2023.

Staff from the HRM Department of Planning and Development will be hosting an Open House to provide information about the new land use regulations and to provide assistance on how to apply for a permit or make an application for a rezoning or a development agreement.

Please join us:

WHEN: Tuesday, 2 May 2022, 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM

WHERE: Upper Hammons Plains Community Centre at 711 Pockwock Rd, Upper Hammonds Plains

Please drop in anytime between 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM for a refreshment and a chat with HRM Staff. We will be there to answer your questions about the new regulations.

_________________________________________________________________________

February 3, 2023

NOTICE OF APPROVAL
Regional Council

TAKE NOTICE THAT REGIONAL COUNCIL did, on January 10, 2023 adopt amendments to the Planning District 15-18-19 (Beaver Bank, Hammonds Plains, and Upper Sackville) Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.

Case 23617 – Request by Regional Council to adopt amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for Beaver Bank, Hammonds Plains, and Upper Sackville to make changes to the land use policies and regulations for the Upper Hammonds Plains Land Use Designation and GU -1 (General Use) Zone.

The planning documents have been reviewed by the Provincial Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations as per Section 223 of the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter. In accordance with Section 223 of the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, these amendments become effective as of the date of this notice.

This notice was posted on February 3, 2023, in accordance with the requirements of the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

Thank you to all who took part in this process and thank you all for your submissions and participation in the hearing and the process.

View Part 1 & Part 2 of the public hearing. (Jump to a specific agenda item by selecting it from the list.)

Planning Case 23617
UPPER HAMMONDS PLAINS LAND USE DESIGNATION AND GU-1 ZONE

Halifax Regional Council is proposing to adopt amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for Beaver Bank, Hammonds Plains, and Upper Sackville to make changes to the land use policies and regulations for the Upper Hammonds Plains Land Use Designation and GU -1 (General Use) Zone. These changes are arising out of a review process that Regional Council directed HRM staff to undertake for the area shown on the map below.

Summary of Proposed Amendments

The proposed amendments include changes to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Use Designation and the GU-1 (General Use) Zone to introduce new regulations for controlling land use conflicts, prohibit the development of certain land uses and to change the size of forestry, industrial and commercial land uses that may be permitted under the GU-1 Zone. New policies are introduced to consider multiple unit dwellings (including townhouses), larger scale industrial, forestry and commercial land uses by development agreement. Policy to allow consideration of mobile home parks in the future are being removed. The proposed changes also include rezoning of a portion of the White Hills Run to an R-1 Zone.

View the staff report AND proposed changes to the policies and regulations.
If you have questions about how to access the staff report, email the Office of the Municipal Clerk or call 902.490.4210. To arrange for a paper copy of application materials to be sent to you by mail if the internet is unavailable to you, contact the Planner, Maureen Ryan.

November 18, 2022
Please be advised the proposed amendments to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Use Designation and GU-1 Zone have been tabled with Halifax Regional Council for First Reading on Tuesday, November 22, 2022. At this session Council will make a decision on whether to give the First Reading, No public input will be gathered at this time. If Regional Council gives First Reading to the proposed amendments, a Public Hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

View a copy of the Staff Report and the proposed amendments.

Public Information Meeting - Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022
Thank you to all who attended the public information meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. Miss the meeting? You can still view the presentation on the proposed changes to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Use Designation and the GU-1 Zone. View a summary of the meeting minutes. At the meeting, the vast majority of the attendees wanted to proceed to Regional Council as soon as possible with the proposed zoning changes for Upper Hammonds Plains.

An open house and public information meeting were held at the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Centre on July 19, 2022 to introduce municipal staff to the community and to share the results of the What We Heard Survey. View the meeting presentation and the meeting notes. Approximately 47 people attended this event and there were a lot of questions about the rights of current development applications and concerns about how development applications are affecting the heritage African Nova Scotian Community of Upper Hammonds Plains.

A sense of urgency was expressed at this meeting to bring back proposed changes to the zoning for the area to ensure the values and views of the community are considered in the forms of multiple-unit dwelling developments that have been taking place.

The What We Heard Report from our recent survey is now available. Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. Your input is greatly appreciated for this zoning review.

Halifax Regional Council has initiated a process to review the policies and regulations for future development under the Upper Hammonds Plains Designation of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for Planning Districts 15, 18 & 19. Through this process, Planning & Development will be working with the residents and landowners of this community to review the GU-1 (General Use) Zone that was applied to the Upper Hammonds Plains Designation in 1987.

Why is the municipality reviewing the zoning?
The zoning for Upper Hammonds Plains (UHP) was adopted in 1987. In recent years, there have been land-use conflicts as the GU-1 Zone permits a wide variety of land uses, with little requirement for buffering, separation, or consultation with the community for larger development proposals. In light of this, the North West Community Council requested that Halifax Regional Council initiate a review of the zoning for the Upper Hammonds Plains. View the Council report.

Why was the GU-1 Zone applied to Upper Hammonds Plains?
When the Upper Hammonds Plains designation was created the Upper Hammonds Plains community was interested in the need for job creation and the retention of members of this historic African Nova Scotian Community. The Upper Hammonds Plains land use designation was adopted to:

• encourage locally based labour-intensive jobs for local residents;
• provide a wide range of housing types, sizes, prices and tenure arrangements; and
• provide adequate community services and facilities to keep existing residents and attract those who have left the community.

To carry out these objectives, the GU-1 Zone was applied to Upper Hammonds Plains.

What does the GU-1 Zone permit?
The GU-1 Zone permits all land uses EXCEPT those uses listed below:

• Industrial uses over 10,000 sq. ft.
• Commercial entertainment uses,
• Mobile home parks,
• Sanitary landfill sites and dumps,
• Hazardous waste disposal sites, and all construction and demolition (C&D) uses.

View a complete copy of the GU-1 Zone.

Other uses considered
Some additional uses may be considered after a public hearing before the North West Community Council. These include:

Uses considered by rezoning

• Industrial uses over 10,000 sq. ft.,
• Commercial entertainment uses.

Uses considered by development agreement

• Mobile home parks

Glossary of planning terms
View the glossary of planning terms for useful definitions of some of the terms you have been viewing on this website.