Halifax council considers proposal for 700-unit ‘attainable housing’ development

Proposed Dartmouth development aims to target first-time homebuyers with small homes on small lots

Pam Berman · CBC News 

Halifax regional council will consider starting a development agreement process on Tuesday for what developers are calling “attainable housing” on 45 hectares of land in Dartmouth.

The development site is located between the Woodside Industrial Park and Highway 111 near the Mount Hope exit. City planners call it the Southdale Future Growth Node.

Zzap Consulting and Clayton Developments have submitted a plan on behalf of the landowner, A.J. Legrow Holdings Limited. It involves 700 units of single-family homes, townhouses and low-rise apartment buildings, as well as a number of fourplex buildings with over and under flats that could be condominiums or rental apartments.

A spokesperson for Clayton Developments said the project is targeting first-time homebuyers with modest prices by building small homes on small lots.

“You can have a beautiful home that’s 16 feet wide by 40 or 50 feet deep,” said Kevin Neatt, Clayton’s vice-president of planning and development. “Middle income, average households, should be able to buy a home.”

The planned development will have single-family homes, townhouses, low-rise apartment buildings and a number of fourplex buildings. (Clayton Developments Limited)

The site would also include six hectares of parkland, including a central park, a playground and trails around a wetland.

“Let’s create a feature out of this wetland,” said Neatt. “It’s an incredible environment that people should be able to walk around. It should be and will be an amenity.”

If approved, the development agreement process could take up to a year and will include public feedback.