FALL RIVER: The province wanted to see the proposed Ingram Drive development (Opportunity Site C) move forward and that’s why they approved it’s development agreement.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr made the announcement in a release on Tuesday afternoon Aug. 6.
In the release, he said he approved a recommendation by the Executive Panel on Housing in the Halifax Regional Municipality to issue a development agreement to Perry Lake Developments Inc. for 120 units off Ingram Drive in Fall River (Opportunity Site C).
The development has been contentious and had seen an amendment denied when a request from the developer came to came to HRM council to remove the need for access over the CN Rail line.
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At a press conference on the designation of new planning areas, Lohr was asked about the Ingram Drive development, and why despite residents concerns and negative reception to the proposal that he decided to override HRM council and fast track the development with the best interests of those in LWF area.
The proposal itself does not meet most of the evaluation criteria set forth in the Special Planning Area designation.
“We know that in 2022 HRM planning staff recommended that this project go ahead as it was and recommended a change in the MPS,” said Lohr.
“Really, nothing has changed.
“We want to see the project go forward.”
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He added that MLA Brian Wong, who is the Advanced Education Minister, is also working on the file.
“I know that Minister Wong, has been very involved in it too,” he said.
“He’s very involved in discussions, although I’m not privy to them, with CN rail.”
Wong commented about Ingram Drive in a post on his Facebook page as he relayed the info to the community.
“I want to reassure residents that work with CN Rail to explore a potential options for a rail crossing at Site C will continue, knowing this could unlock further development opportunities for this location in the future,” he said.
