New apartment building approved for Coburg Road

A new five-storey apartment building will be developed on Coburg Road in Halifax’s south end, much to the disappointment of a family that lives next door.

Members of the Halifax and West Community Council approved a proposal for a 28-unit building at 6345 Coburg Rd. on Tuesday. A boarded-up house currently sits on the site.

The new building will have separate entrances for six ground floor units with an additional exit in the main lobby. Coun. Waye Mason supported the project, saying he feels the design, which has worked in other neighbourhoods, will work for Coburg as well.

“People will be sitting on their front steps, talking and engaging with the neighbourhood,” he said during the meeting.

Cathy Coady and husband Blair Miller, who live behind the property, expressed concerns at Tuesday’s meeting that the new building will mean more noise and increased foot traffic.

“It just worries me that there’s going to be a lot of in and out, not through one door, but several different entrances,” said Coady.

Coady, who has seven children, said she would prefer single-family dwellings in the area. She’s also worried the new development might become overcrowded with students.

“If the units have five people in each one of them, that’s going to be a lot of people. My other concern is the balconies. As I said, none of the (other) buildings have balconies,” said Coady. “And if people are out partying at night time when we’re trying to sleep, that’s an issue for me.”

Ekistics Planning and Design, which created the layout of the building, said they are happy with the decision. Construction is expected to start next year.