Thank you to the 100 supporters who have signed this petition! Let's keep on spreading the word that developers in this city shouldn't have the only say in shaping our communities.
To date, the city councillor for this district, Lindell Smith, has not responded to any emails begging for assistance to find out what is going on with this property, nor has 311 which is the contact for the Planning & Development Permit Office. The good news is, the developer has been identified - Fred Ghosn. You may recognize this name from the drab gray concrete apartments going up on Agricola Street under the auspices of "Whimsical Lake Developments". You may also recognize the Ghosn family name as being associated with just about every other condo and apartment building going up in HRM, including the highly debated "Northwest" an 11 storey "luxury" condo on the Northwest Arm.
As reported by the CBC "The tall building will be an anomaly in a neighbourhood that is mainly home to single-family dwellings. It's also near Sir Sandford Fleming Park and the Memorial Tower, a national historic site also known as the Dingle Tower. 'Nobody's happy about it,' said Mark Whidden, who lives near the construction site. 'Nobody thinks that it's appropriate to put a 12-storey [sic] building amongst two-storey small homes overlooking, you know, a national site, a parkland and a building which will completely change the view down the Arm'."
Sound Familiar?
This family of developers does not care what the community wants. Luxury condos will not solve the housing crisis.
The city must know that as of right developments are not acceptable. We cannot simply stand by and not let our voices be heard as historic properties are razed to make room for condos, while properties that could be used to solve the housing crisis are squeezed for profit by developers, and we all pay the price.
Write to: mayor@halifax.ca, lindell.smith@halifax.ca