July 12, 2023 Regional Centre Community Council

Agenda

1. CALL TO ORDER AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 22, 2023

3. APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF BUSINESS AND APPROVAL OF ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS

4. BUSINESS ARISING OUT OF THE MINUTES
5. CALL FOR DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
6. MOTIONS OF RECONSIDERATION – NONE
7. MOTIONS OF RESCISSION – NONE
8. CONSIDERATION OF DEFERRED BUSINESS – NONE
9. NOTICES OF TABLED MATTERS – NONE

10. HEARINGS 
10.1 VARIANCE APPEAL HEARINGS
10.1.1 Case 24350: Appeal of Variance Refusal – 6924 Armview Avenue, Halifax. PID 00078881 [PDF]
- Staff Presentation [PDF]
Motion:
In accordance with Section 58 of Administrative Order One, the motion before the Regional Centre Community Council is to allow the appeal.

11. CORRESPONDENCE, PETITIONS & DELEGATIONS
11.1 Correspondence 
11.2 Petitions
11.3 Presentations – None 

12. INFORMATION ITEMS BROUGHT FORWARD – NONE

13. REPORTS 
13.1 MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY COUNCIL 
13.1.1 Councillor Mason – Amendments to Regional Centre Land Use By-law for ER zones and commercial conversions [PDF]
Motion:
That Regional Centre Community Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to provide a staff report regarding options and opportunities for possible amendments to the Regional Centre Land Use By-law to consider:
 
1. Allowing both secondary and backyard suites in ER zones, rather than allowing either/or; 

2. Updating provisions related to internal conversions in ER2 and ER3 zones to

a. Increasing the number of units permitted for internal conversions in ER zones up to 5 units;
  
b. allow the building envelope modest increases to accommodate fire escapes/secondary egress;

c. strengthen controls to reduce impacts on neighbouring properties including but not limited to garbage screening, landscaping, and parking placement;

3. Enabling policy to allow affordable housing, cohousing, shared housing and similar forms of housing in a missing middle form in the ER-2 and ER-3 zones of a higher density than permitted by the Land Use By-law through a discretionary approval process, allowing limited lot consolidation while adhering to the general design standards, appearance, front, side, and back yards, with a focus of ensuring compatibility with the built form of neighbouring residential uses; and

4. Consider relaxing or removing unit type (bedroom count) requirements for buildings for the conversion of non-residential building built before 2019 to residential and consider recommendations to ease commercial conversions contained in The Case For Conversions by the Canadian Urban Institute. 

14. MOTIONS

15. IN CAMERA (IN PRIVATE) – NONE 

16. ADDED ITEMS

17. NOTICES OF MOTION

18. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

19. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – September 27, 2023

20. ADJOURNMENT

INFORMATION ITEMS 
1. Memorandum from the Legislative Assistant dated June 27, 2023 re: Requests for Presentation to Regional Centre Community Council [PDF]