Councillors tackle downtown development, herbicides, big-box stores
Posted Jun 8, 2011 05:08:35 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Regional councillors tackled three contentious issues at City Hall Tuesday and dealt with two of them decisively.
The third appears to have a resolution in sight.
Coun. Dawn Sloane (Halifax Downtown) told her fellow councillors its time to light a fire under developments which have been approved for the downtown but which aren’t yet under construction.
The Chronicle Herald reports there are 23 such projects planned for the central core, including the 27-storey, twin office towers known as the Twisted Sisters.
Sloane said the development agreement, which was signed in 2006, expired more than a year ago.
A representative from the developer United Gulf, Jenifer Tsang, told council talks with an architect are underway and a presentation should be before council in the coming weeks.
United Gulf bought the vacant lot, the former Tex-Park site, from the city several years ago for about $5 million.
Councillors also voted down another downtown-development proposal to open satellite big-box stores in the core.
Sloane had asked for a staff report on the idea of having big-box stores such as Wal-Mart or Home Depot open miniature stores downtown when they move into one of the municipality’s business parks.
Metro Halifax reports the concept was voted down after a discussion in which councillors said the large retailers would be the end of small, locally-owned businesses.
Finally, councillors voted to reverse the ban on a chelated iron herbicide which is already approved by the province and Health Canada. The product – sold in stores as Scott’s EcoSense Weed B Gon and Neudorff Fiesta Lawn Weed Killer – was banned after a vote on May 24.
However, councillors were told HRM can’t enact bylaws that contradict provincial regulations.
With that in mind, councillors voted 17-7 in favour of adding the herbicide to the municipality’s permitted products list.
