Updated:
Request
Request
Application by Fathom Studio (Fathom) on behalf of a property owner, requesting to enter into a heritage development agreement on lands at 5663 Nora Bernard Street, Halifax, also known as the Mayflower Factory, to permit a mixed-use development consisting of a 17-storey, multi-residential addition to the registered heritage property, and the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of both the registered heritage property (the Mayflower Factory) and the adjacent unregistered building (the yellow townhouses), as mixed-use commercial/residential spaces.
Background
This development agreement is being sought in accordance with Policy CHR-7 of the Regional Centre Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy (SMPS), which permits Council to consider a development agreement on any lot containing a registered heritage building to encourage the conservation and adaptive re-use of registered heritage buildings.
Heritage Significance
The Mayflower Factory at 5663 Nora Bernard Street, designed by architect Henry Frederick Busch in 1884, is a prime example of Italianate commercial architecture which was a popular style from 1850-1890. Its three-storey T-shaped plan includes original rear wings and features a brick exterior with segmental-arched windows and a distinct cornice. The building utilizes post-and-beam construction, a technique common in the 19th century, and is clad in common bond red brick with a rubblestone foundation. The site has historical associations with Halifax’s manufacturing history dating back to the early-to-mid 19th century. It was originally built as a tobacco factory for the Mayflower Tobacco Company, which operated here from 1861 to 1903. The factory was later used by other manufacturers, including Moirs Ltd. and W.H. Schwartz & Sons Limited, before being acquired by the current owner.
Proposal
New Construction
The applicant is proposing the construction of a multi-residential addition to the existing registered heritage building at 5663 Nora Bernard Street and unregistered heritage building at 5673-77 Nora Bernard Street. The proposed new construction includes a 17-storey multi-unit residential building consisting of 150 residential units and 228sqm of commercial space. The proposal includes 115 Class A bicycle parking spaces and 10 class-B bicycle parking spaces and 3 levels of underground vehicular parking providing spaces for 62 vehicles. The proposal also includes a barrier-free landscaped courtyard fronting on Nora Bernard Street.
Heritage Rehabilitation and Adaptive Re-Use
The applicant has proposed to conserve the whole of The Mayflower Factory’s main building, removing only the eastern and western wings of the building. The majority of the main building will remain exposed and that portion of the shell which would be interior to the new addition would be visible through the glass façade of the main lobby. The main body of The Mayflower Factory is proposed to be rehabilitated in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places to enhance its longevity and enable its adaptive-reuse as commercial and residential space. An associated application for Substantial Alterations to the registered heritage property will be applied for and reviewed by Regional Council concurrently with this Heritage Development Agreement application. Additionally, the adjacent unregistered building (the yellow townhouses) will have its characteristic Hal-Forbes-designed façade conserved, rehabilitated, and integrated into a rebuilt structure which will house commercial and residential uses.
Development Agreement Scope
If approved, the development agreement would allow the property owner to construct a 17-storey, multi-residential addition to the registered heritage properties and carry out the proposed rehabilitation and adaptive re-use. The development agreement would require the property owner to rehabilitate the registered heritage building at 5663 Nora Bernard Street, Halifax (The Mayflower Factory) in accordance with the associated Substantial Alterations application and would require the property owner retain, rehabilitate, and adaptively reuse the façade of the unregistered building (the yellow townhouses). The Development Agreement will also require the property owner to follow specific building control parameters for the multi-residential addition, which will include such controls as height, mass, architectural design, lot coverage, and others.
Process
Heritage Development agreements are discretionary applications, meaning that they require the approval of Community Council to proceed. Details of the proposal have been published to the municipal website, and a sign will be posted on-site.
In the coming months, public feedback will be solicited via either a fact-sheet mailout or public information meeting, and residents within an 80-metre radius of the site will be notified by mail of the opportunity to provide feedback. Feedback may also be provided to HRM staff by anyone at any time via the contact details provided below.
After public engagement has been completed, and pending approval of the associated application for Substantial Alterations to a registered heritage property, HRM staff will negotiate a development agreement with the applicant and prepare a staff report and recommendation for review by the Heritage Advisory Committee and decision by Halifax and West Community Council. Prior to Community Council decision, a Public Hearing shall be held and advertised through mail-out notifications sent to residents within an 80-metre radius of the site.
Status
This application is in the pre-engagement stage. Once it is deemed ready to proceed to public engagement, residents within an 80-metre radius of the site will be notified by mail of the public engagement process and given an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed development.
Documents Submitted for Evaluation
The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by HRM staff to properly evaluate the application. The documents are also available for review at the HRM Planning and Development office in Downtown Halifax (5251 Duke St, 3rd Floor).
Contact Information
For further information, please contact:
Mailing Address
HRM Planning Applications
c/o Carter Beaupre-McPhee
PO BOX 1749
PO Box: 1749,
Halifax,
Nova Scotia,
B3J 2A5
Attention: Carter Beaupre-McPhee