[Haliguy]

Read this below. This is an email from Andy Fillmore. We can't let the Heritage Trust win the lobbying effort and stop HRM by Design.


Hi all,



As you will know by now, HRMbyDesign suffered a setback last week when the legislature deferred HRM's requested amendments, including those enabling the Site Plan Review process as an alternative to the Development Agreement process, until the Fall sitting. In an e-mail to a vast mailing list last week, the Heritage Trust took credit for the stalling of the amendments and urged recipients of the e-mail to celebrate a victory. Of course it is a highly presumptuous and arrogant claim, but it is a claim nonetheless, read by many people, that damages the project and gives credence to the position of the Heritage Trust.



HRMbyDesign detractors have created, and continue to create, numerous opportunities to publicly lobby for their point of view. For one example of many, please see the e-mail below from the Peninsula South Community Association, inviting residents to an 'expert panel discussion' on HRMbyDesign this Thursday evening. These lobbying efforts continue to go unanswered by those who support the fundamentals of HRMbyDesign (shortened approval times, by-right building heights, clarity & predictability, heritage protection, etc.)



Perhaps I will see you at this Thursday night's event. Thank you,



- Andy.



>>> <unwa@eastlink.ca> June 2, 2008 7:53 pm >>>
An Important Panel Discussion



The Peninsula South Community Association is sponsoring a panel discussion entitled Urban Design
and You - Four Perspectives. The proposed Halifax-By- Design process has huge implications for the
Halifax Peninsula and those who live and work here. A group of four panelists will address various
aspects of what adoption of this program will mean for our residents. Panelists: Michael Bradfield --
Economic Issues, Danny Chedrawe - A Developer’s Perspective, Howard Epstein - Legal and
Municipal-Provincial Issues, Beverly Miller - HRM Process and Implications. When and Where?
Thursday, June 05, 2008 the Britannia Room - Lord Nelson Hotel. Short business meeting at 7:00,
panel discussion at 7:30.

[Jonovision]

That sounds interesting. If I can make it I will be there.

[sdm]

That sounds interesting. If I can make it I will be there.

Sure would be interesting to here their view, albeit Heritage biased as 3 out of the 4 are members of the Heritage trust.

[Keith P.]

Not only are they heritage-biased, but I consider all 3 of them to be nutbars. Bev Miller? Gimme a break. Busybody par excellence. Bradfield is the economist who contended that the United Gulf project would make no contribution to the economy. And as for Epstein... well, even his fellow caucus members consider him way out there.

This is getting nasty. I'm a bit surprised Fillmore is out there lobbying. I don't want the existing system to prevail, but I'm not sure we want to lock ourselves into the narrow HbD dogma either.

[spaustin]

This is getting nasty. I'm a bit surprised Fillmore is out there lobbying. I don't want the existing system to prevail, but I'm not sure we want to lock ourselves into the narrow HbD dogma either.

It is kind of surprising, especially given that he's a civil servant.

[Keith P.]

Did anyone make it to the HT meeting? Anyone have a report?

[someone123]

I'd like to attend, but instead I'll be at "Western Hegemony and you - Four Perspectives", with panelists Kim Jong-Il, Ahmadinejad, Mugabe, and Stephen Harper. :haha:

[Jonovision]

I was there. It was interesting to see the other side of things. But to be honest it's the same old thing. Their pannel was completely biased against HRM by Design, and one guy kept calling it Halifax by Design, and I wanted to go up and smack him...lol
I still havn't made up my mind completely on the plan, but the fact that it is a plan, is a really good thing. Beverly Miller kept going on about how it destroys democracy and takes our voices out of the process. She said the public participation of HRM by Design was horrible and flawed. Then she started to bash the idea of a design review board......which to me, is exactly what this city needs.
Danny Chedrawe was the only one that made some sense. He didn't support the new plan, but he understood the concepts behind it and still wants change. It seems all the others want to keep the status qho.
I'm getting a little warn out though, I just want something to happen. I'm tired of all these studies.

[spaustin]

I was there (Jono were you the one guy who spoke up and challenged the panel's "neutrality"?) and there weren't really any surprises. Danny Chedrawe had a lot of interesting things to say and really came across well as someone in between the poloraized camps of developer and heritage advocates. It was my impression that Chedrawe actually supported HRM by Design as better than no plan but maybe I'm putting words in his mouth. Other than that there were no big surprises.

[Jonovision]

No, that wasn't me. I was sitting next to Sue Uteck.
I did find some of them to be a little confused. I'm fairly certain that they all contradicted themselves at least at one point.