Councillor drops controversial Young Avenue development proposal

Coun. Steve Adams decided to withdraw his controversial motion affecting a proposed development on Young Avenue in Halifax’s south end.

In city council Tuesday, Adams made a short statement when he put forward his motion, and then announced he would be dropping it.

“There was never any malicious intent,” he said.

Adam’s motion aimed to change certain bylaws affecting a multi-unit development on Young Avenue. The current bylaws restrict developers to building 14 single-unit family homes. Developers proposed a much larger project with many units and underground parking.

Adams didn’t explain why he dropped his motion. He couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Coun. Waye Mason publicly criticized Adam’s motion. Mason represents Halifax South Downtown, the district which the proposed development is in. He stated in a blog post earlier this week that he’s frustrated Adams did not consult him about the motion.

The proposed development on Young Avenue has been a long-standing issue. It goes back to 2016, when developers George and Steve Tsimiklis demolished two large mansions on the street.

After the houses were torn down, residents on Young Avenue lobbied the city to maintain the historical character of the area. Council implemented bylaws that placed restrictions on the proposed development.

Moving forward the development will still have to follow current bylaws. The developers still have the option to build the 14 single-unit homes but nothing more.

Housing shortage

Mason made it clear that preserving the historical character of Young Avenue doesn’t contribute in any way to Halifax’s current housing shortage.

“The Centre Plan is in place and you can build tens of thousands of units by right,” said Mason after council. “So we don’t need this land to do that.

“What’s slowing down development to address the housing crisis is the capacity of constructors and developers to both finance and actually just build stuff.”