HRM Public Meeting to review
the design of a new permanent
building on the North Common
Please plant to attend the HRM Public Meeting to review the design of a new permanent building on the North Common. This permanent building is another major encroachment on the remaining ~ 30 acres of the 1763 land grand of 240 acres "to the inhabitants of the town of Halifax as Common forever".
Date: Thursday June 5, 2014
Time: Doors open at 6:30 pm to review
presentation panels with a formal presentation at 7pm.
Location: Atlantica Hotel (former Willow Tree Holiday Inn
Background
In March 2012 HRM understood through a legal opinion it sought that buildings on the Common may be illegal. HRM subsequently lobbied the provincial government to have the HRM Charter amended to permit the legal erection of a permanent building on the North Common in exclusive support of the Oval. November 2012: http://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/61st_4th/1st_read/b157.htm
During this time the Friends of Halifax Common proposed reasonable alternatives to the Mayor and Council and the Premier such as spending the budget to improve the existing Pavilion on the Central Common, a yearly international design competition for warming huts (like Winnipeg has) or yurts as found in many ski hills and golf courses. All of them ignored. Please see details in the attached December 2012 submission to law amendments.
A Masterplan for the Halifax Common is scheduled to begin in 2016. Another building without a big picture plan is another example of bad process. Direction for governance given in the 1994 Halifax Common Plan includes a commitment to retain the Halifax Common's public open space, retain the city's ownership of the Halifax Common and increase the amount of city land owned through recapture of lands (such as the CBC TV).
On behalf of Friends of Halifax Common I would invite you to engage in the protection of the 251 year old Halifax Common, a "front lands" deserving of permanent protection that should be considered as an important component of any community green belt.
Yours truly,
Peggy Cameron, Co-chair, Friends of Halifax Common
* http://www.gov.ns.ca/tenders/pt_files/tenders/P12-154.pdf The specs for the then $1.4 million building include as found in the appendix D: Total Operational Space: 220 m2 for storage, equipment, skates/helmets, sharpening, electrical & mechanical, staff room and office operations. Total Public Space: 112m2 if you include the 50 m2 of washrooms.
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