News Release
(Thursday, May 24/2001)-- Halifax Regional Municipality has won national recognition for its successful streamlining of approval processes for builders of low-density housing.
In addition, it has been awarded a Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) grant to achieve the same result for large developments, including high-density residential projects such as apartment complexes and condominiums.
The award will be presented to HRM this Friday at the annual conference of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) being held in Banff, Alberta, later this week.
Councillor Harry McInroy, who is celebrating his 20th year as a municipal councillor this year, will accept the award on behalf of HRM and its Planning and Development Services employees.
The ACT Awards program encourages and supports reform in the design, construction, and regulatory environment in an effort to encourage Affordabilty and Choice Today (ACT) for different and changing housing needs in Canada.
HRM's Planning and Development Services unit has reduced the application processing time dramatically for low-density housing projects, from a previous period as long as three weeks to as little as 24-hours, in some cases.
Approvals for large, high-density residential projects now may take several weeks to complete, which makes this type of housing more expensive and provides a disincentive to builders. As a result, HRM wants to remodel the process, so that high-density residential housing is more affordable to build and occupy.
Its objectives are to:
- shorten approval times,
- respond positively to innovative building designs and components, and
- provide consistency in reviews and inspections to encourage industry competition.
The project team will include key players from HRM's Planning and Development Services, as well as representatives from the Province of Nova Scotia, non-profit housing organizations and the building industry.
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Councillor Harry McInroy
(902) 221-4805
Paul Dunphy
Director
Planning and Development Services
(902) 490-4933
