Halifax Viewplanes/Sightlines

[Dmajackson]

This can be for any future talk on viewplanes/sightlines around HRM since we seem to have a fair number of them and there is another one proposed;

Council approves protection for Northwest Arm sightline
PAUL MCLEOD, METRO HALIFAX
December 10, 2008 05:00




The Halifax Harbour sightlines have been a valuable tool for heritage activists and a thorn in the side of some developers.


Yesterday, council took a step toward maintaining sightlines, but this time in the Northwest Arm. The sightlines would prevent anything from blocking certain viewpoints.


“It’s a beautiful spot and to me it’s just as important as protecting views in downtown, the harbour and Citadel Hill,” said Purcell’s Cove-Armdale Coun. Linda Mosher. Mosher said everything from pedways to signs to new trees could threaten the view.


Mosher proposed a motion to have HRM staff develop plans for new sightlines for the Arm. Council approved the motion unanimously, meaning HRM staff will bring a report back to council for a vote.

[Keith P.]

I watched this last night when she raised it at council -- one of the more ridiculously dysfunctional council meetings in recent memory, BTW -- and the concept is totally absurd. What she was talking about was the kind of restriction that would prevent, for example, the construction of a pedestrian overpass on Dutch Village Rd., the planting of a tree in the center of the roundabout, erection of signage in the roundabout, you name it. Apparently her theory is that nothing should impede the view of the Arm for drivers coming down Dutch Village towards the roundabout. Frankly I'd rather they be looking at traffic rather than the scenery. There is no chance of anything being built on the shoreline by the roundabout or along that stretch of Quinpool that could possibly impede the view, so I fail to understand why these measures are even necessary.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I doubt this will really have any impact... although it is like giving the anti-development people another weapon for their arsenal.

[Barrington south]

The shore line of Quinpool is very barren....it could definitely use some tree's ....to bad

[Aya_Akai]

Originally Posted by Barrington south

The shore line of Quinpool is very barren....it could definitely use some tree's ....to bad

I think we should all rally together to protest that viewplane and that trees are badly needed in that area

[Jonovision]

Not too mention that strip of Quinpool would be great for some really cool small apartment buildings.

[Nouvellecosse]

Does anyone have a map or diagram of the current Citadel Hill view planes?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Does anyone have a map or diagram of the current Citadel Hill view planes?

Halifaxboyns directly me to the following map: http://www.halifax.ca/giss/Disclaimer.php (you must click the disclaimer in order to enter). Once you get into the GISS website you will have to zoom into the HRM and select layers on the right, then select planning information. It might take a few minutes to figure out all the options but there is a lot of information on this website.

Just as a side note, I have always disliked these viewplane bylaws and would like to see them scrapped as well as the overly restrictive height limits in the HRM by Design.

[mcmcclassic]

The viewplane from the Brightwood golf course is huge on that mapping tool. All of downtown Dartmouth is consumed by it

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by mcmcclassic

The viewplane from the Brightwood golf course is huge on that mapping tool. All of downtown Dartmouth is consumed by it

Is Queen's Square outside of this viewplane?

I wonder who came up with the idea of having a viewplane in downtown Dartmouth, and how do such bylaws get introduced with so little study into the economic effects of such height controls. It really amazes me that where towers would be expected to be built, in the downtown areas, is where these height controls have been introduced.

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Is Queen's Square outside of this viewplane?

No, Queen Square is right smack in the middle of it. But I wonder when the Brightwood viewplane was created? QS may have been constructed prior to it.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Halifaxboyns directly me to the following map: http://www.halifax.ca/giss/Disclaimer.php (you must click the disclaimer in order to enter). Once you get into the GISS website you will have to zoom into the HRM and select layers on the right, then select planning information. It might take a few minutes to figure out all the options but there is a lot of information on this website.

Just as a side note, I have always disliked these viewplane bylaws and would like to see them scrapped as well as the overly restrictive height limits in the HRM by Design.

Thanks, I was able to see the view planes map, and I'm feeling very frustrated that the view planes are so extensive. It's one thing if the view planes were the only major restriction, since we could just shoehorn extra density into the non-view planed areas by using extra height. But considering that there are severe height limits as well, including the absurd provision preventing a building from being visible from within the Citadel, the downtown is just getting stifled. I kind of wish that the Texpark site was getting a tall office building instead of hotel/condo, considering it's one of the few really places and not within a view plane. It would be a great place for HRm's new tallest if it wasn't for the "Visible from parade square" business.

[fenwick16]

Thanks for the image Nouvellescosse of the viewplanes (I don't think that there was a good quality image posted before).

With the passing of HRM by Design, the only place that the Citadel ramparts maximum height now exists is in the crosshatched area of the post-bonus height map below (2nd map). This post-bonus height is only allowed with a building considered to be a public benefit or if a penalty is paid - without these conditions the pre-bonus height applies. The numbers on the maps are in meters (for example Fenwick Towers is 98 meters). I was shocked when I first saw these maps. You can see that there is serious opposition to tall buildings in Halifax (or in other words, serious opposition from the powerful minority). You can also see that if the Nova Centre or Texpark developments don't get built then the next proposals for those sites will be significantly shorter. I would say the next tallest building in the HRM will be in Dartmouth at King's Wharf (if it is allowed).

(http://www.halifax.ca/capitaldistric...signManual.pdf )

[Wishblade]

^ That just goes to show how desperately we need to get rid of the Cogswell Interchange. It's right in the middle of the area where tallest buildings are allowed.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Halifaxboyns directly me to the following map: http://www.halifax.ca/giss/Disclaimer.php (you must click the disclaimer in order to enter). Once you get into the GISS website you will have to zoom into the HRM and select layers on the right, then select planning information. It might take a few minutes to figure out all the options but there is a lot of information on this website.

Just as a side note, I have always disliked these viewplane bylaws and would like to see them scrapped as well as the overly restrictive height limits in the HRM by Design.

Glad my use of the GIS could be helpful. Now I think people are realizing how much some of these viewplanes gobble up places that could use redevelopment. I agree with the comment about the brightwood viewplane - totally a waste of time (considering if the place were to close; what would you be protecting??). Plus, viewplanes should be from public property not private land.

There is a diagram in this article that shows the Halifax viewplanes.

[hfx_chris]

Ok, makes the most sense that the viewplanes went in after the buildings were constructed

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Ok, makes the most sense that the viewplanes went in after the buildings were constructed

The ones in Halifax stemmed mainly from Maritime centre. It's my understanding that the application was not approved by the City; but that it was an appeal decision to allow the development to proceed.

So in order to limit impact, the viewplanes on the Halifax side were created - which is why today two of the viewplanes cast on either side of maritime centre. This way, if in the future they were wanting to expand the building - it could not happen.

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

The ones in Halifax stemmed mainly from Maritime centre. It's my understanding that the application was not approved by the City; but that it was an appeal decision to allow the development to proceed.

So in order to limit impact, the viewplanes on the Halifax side were created - which is why today two of the viewplanes cast on either side of maritime centre. This way, if in the future they were wanting to expand the building - it could not happen.

Yeah, I was referring to Dartmouth...

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

Yeah, I was referring to Dartmouth...

If you scroll back - you'll see that I mentioned how the Dartmouth viewplanes came to be. It was mainly the same idea - tall buildings jumping up in downtown and one former mayor (now councillor's) glorious obsession with protecting a view from a golf course.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

The ones in Halifax stemmed mainly from Maritime centre. It's my understanding that the application was not approved by the City; but that it was an appeal decision to allow the development to proceed.

So in order to limit impact, the viewplanes on the Halifax side were created - which is why today two of the viewplanes cast on either side of maritime centre. This way, if in the future they were wanting to expand the building - it could not happen.

I was under the impression that the viewplanes were in place before the building was constructed (viewplanes are from the 70's I believe, but I don't know when Maritime Centre was built), but may have been in anticipation of it. After it was built, additional rules were added to prevent buildings from being constructed at angles to the street grid to prevent tall buildings from sneaking past the viewplanes by running parallel to them as the Maritime Centre did.