Regional Municipal Planning Strategy August 2006 THIS COPY IS A REPRINT OF THE REGIONAL MUNICIPAL PLANNING STRATEGY WITH AMENDMENTS TO 26 JULY 2008 REGIONAL MUNICIPAL PLANNING STRATEGY THIS IS TO CERTIFY that this is a true copy of the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy which was duly passed at a duly called meeting of the Council of Halifax Regional Municipality held on the 27th day of June, A.D. 2006, which includes all amendments thereto which have been approved by the Municipality and are in effect as of the 26th day of July, 2008. GIVEN UNDER THE HAND of the Municipal Clerk and the corporate seal of the Municipality this ____ day of _____________, A.D. 2008. ________________________ Julia Horncastle Acting Municipal Clerk ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Regional Municipal Planning Strategy has been prepared according to the provisions of the Municipal Government Act and pursuant to Regional Council's adoption of the Regional Planning Phase II Action Plan on December 3, 2002 and Public Consultation Resolution on September 2, 2003. The Plan covers the entire Halifax Regional Municipality. Instrumental in guiding the planning and public consultation process was a Regional Planning Committee (RPC) comprised of 5 citizens, 3 Regional Councillors, and the Municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer. The Committee held regular meetings which were open to the public and was responsible for public engagement and awareness building initiatives. The RPC is acknowledged for the success of general public input and participation throughout the process. The RPC have fulfilled its mandate and have delivered a Regional Plan which upholds the Regional Planning Principles, Goals and Objectives. The RPC have advocated community interests and worked to build a plan for our future. The Committee understood the need for a regional plan and supported Regional Council in this endeavour. Citizen participation in the process to create this Regional Municipal Planning Strategy is to be commended. The important role of volunteers in participating in the planning process and developing this Plan is recognized. The work of the RPC was supported by a core staff team of land use, policy, parkland and transportation planners. This core team was augmented with expertise in finance, engineering, environmental management, urban design, and project management. This Plan lays a foundation to help shape and influence healthy growth for the Halifax Regional Municipality. For this Plan to succeed, business and civic leaders must continue to support these efforts, and all concerned citizens should act on the issues discussed in the Plan. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................1 CHAPTER 1:INTRODUCTION ................................................4 1.0 Overview ........................................................4 1.1 HRM: From Past to Present ..........................................5 1.1.1 Population Growth...........................................5 1.1.2 Development Trends .........................................6 1.2 HRM: From Present to Future ........................................7 1.2.1 Economy and Employment ....................................7 1.2.2 Population .................................................8 1.2.3 Housing ...................................................9 1.3 Why We Need a Regional Plan ......................................10 1.4 Where We Want to Be .............................................12 1.4.1 HRM’s Vision and Principles .................................12 1.5 Opportunities of this Plan ..........................................13 1.6 How this Plan Was Created .........................................15 1.7 Municipal Planning Document Structure . 16 1.7.1 Important Terms............................................17 1.8 Organization of this Plan ...........................................17 CHAPTER 2:ENVIRONMENT ................................................19 2.0 Introduction .....................................................19 2.1 Open Space Network ..............................................19 2.1.1 Natural Networks ...........................................21 2.1.2 Parks and Trails ............................................22 2.1.3 Regional Parks .............................................23 2.1.4 Municipal Parks ............................................25 2.1.5 Natural Areas and Natural Corridors . 26 2.2 Water Resources .................................................27 2.2.1 Potable Water Supply........................................27 2.2.2 Wetlands Protection.........................................28 2.2.3 Riparian Buffers............................................28 2.2.4 Floodplains................................................29 2.2.5 Coastal Inundation ..........................................30 2.3 Watershed Planning ...............................................30 2.4 Functional Plans..................................................32 2.4.1 Water Quality Monitoring Functional Plan . 32 2.4.2 Open Space Functional Plan ..................................33 2.4.3 Urban Forest Functional Plan .................................34 2.4.4 Potential Hazards to Development Functional Plan . 34 2.4.5 Emissions Reduction Functional Plan . 34 CHAPTER 3: SETTLEMENT AND HOUSING ..................................36 3.0 Introduction .....................................................36 3.1 Urban Settlement Designation ......................................37 3.2 Urban Reserve Designation ........................................38 3.3 Rural Settlement Designations ......................................39 3.3.1 Rural Commuter Designation .................................39 3.3.2 Rural Resource Designation ..................................40 3.3.3 Agricultural Designation .....................................40 3.3.4 Rural Commuter Transit Sites .................................41 3.4 Planning for Centres ..............................................42 3.5 Management of Residential Development Within Rural Designations . 46 3.5.1 Open Space Design Developments . 47 3.5.2 Island Development .........................................49 3.5.3 Other Growth Management Mechanisms . 50 3.6 Housing Diversity and Affordability . 54 3.6.1 Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Population . 56 3.6.2 Residential Care Facilities ....................................56 3.7 Developing Incentives for Inclusive and Affordable Housing . 57 3.7.1 Incentive or Bonus Zoning....................................57 3.7.2 Parking Standards for Transit Oriented Housing Development . 57 3.7.3 Secondary Dwelling Units ....................................58 3.7.4 Housing and Neighbourhood Revitalization . 58 3.7.5 Neighbourhood Stability .....................................59 3.8 Functional Plans..................................................60 3.8.1 Opportunity Sites Functional Plan . 60 3.8.2 Affordable Housing Functional Plan . 61 CHAPTER 4:TRANSPORTATION ............................................63 4.0 Introduction .....................................................63 4.1 Road Expansion and Network .......................................65 4.1.1 Transportation Corridors and Capital Projects . 65 4.1.1.1Transportation Corridors ...............................65 4.1.1.2Capital Projects ......................................65 4.1.1.3Rural Streets and Roads................................67 4.1.1.4 Threshold for Commuter Roads . 67 4.1.1.5 Bicycle Parking Requirements . 68 4.2 Regional Coordination.............................................68 4.3 Transportation Master Plan .........................................69 4.3.1 Road and Road Network Functional Plan . 70 4.3.1.1Road Classification ...................................70 4.3.1.2Street Standards ......................................70 4.3.1.3 Emergency Preparedness and Hazardous Goods Routes . 70 4.3.2 Public Transit Functional Plan.................................71 4.3.2.1 Improving Existing Transit . 71 4.3.2.2 Bus Rapid Transit (MetroLink) . 71 4.3.2.3Fast Ferry Services....................................71 4.3.2.4Rail Transit..........................................72 4.3.2.5 Specialized Markets and Community-Based Transit Services . 72 4.3.2.6 Transit Accessibility ..................................72 4.3.3 Active Transportation Functional Plan . 73 4.3.3.1 Walking ............................................74 4.3.3.2 Bicycling ...........................................74 4.3.3.3 Trails ..............................................74 4.3.4 Transportation Demand Management Functional Plan . 75 4.3.4.1Influencing Travel Habits ..............................76 4.3.4.2 Traffic Calming ......................................76 4.3.4.3 Improving Transportation Efficiency . 76 4.3.5 Regional Parking Strategy Functional Plan . 77 CHAPTER 5:ECONOMY AND FINANCE ......................................79 5.0 Introduction .....................................................79 5.1 The Capital District ...............................................79 5.1.1 Capital District Sub-designation . 80 5.1.2 Spring Garden Road Commercial Area Plan . 80 5.1.3 Urban Design Study.........................................82 5.1.4 Capital District Policy Amendments . 82 5.2 Halifax Harbour ..................................................83 5.2.1 Halifax Harbour Designation..................................83 5.2.2 Regional Plan Amendments for Areas Within the Halifax Harbour Designation ...............................................84