N.S. Government announces new regulations to increase housing in HRM

The Nova Scotia Government announced new regulations in an effort to remove barriers for housing in Halifax Regional Municipality.

According to the province, the new regulations under the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter will require the municipality to make increasing housing supply the priority focus in all land-use planning, regulations, decisions and development approvals under the municipal planning strategy.

“Nova Scotians need more housing, and that need is especially great in HRM,” John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said. “In order to truly address this housing crisis, we need to ensure that increasing supply is a key focus in the municipal planning process and the prime consideration in development decisions. These regulations will ensure that happens.”

The province said other changes to the charter’s Minimum Planning Requirements Regulations include:

• Permitting residential uses in most zones, where appropriate
• Removing on-site parking requirements for developments in the urban service area
• Ensuring height restrictions do not impact density for mass timber residential developments
• Removing unit-mix requirements and reducing the percentage of ground-floor commercial space required in residential buildings started before April 1, 2027
• Permitting manufactured housing, including modified shipping containers, in all residential zones
• Permitting temporary housing in all zones to allow employees to live on or near a work site during an assignment
• Adopting a secondary municipal planning strategy for suburban areas by January 31, 2025.

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