FALL RIVER: The province’s Executive Panel on Housing is taking over the final approval process for a proposed housing development in Fall River in an effort to get construction underway as early as this fall.
The project, known as Fall River Site B (Carr Farm), was designated a special planning area in 2024 to help address housing demand in the community.
The Halifax Regional Municipality has completed the planning work for the development, including multiple applications and several rounds of public engagement.
The province says the Executive Panel on Housing, along with Housing Minister John White, will now complete the remaining planning steps to accelerate the approval process.
“Nova Scotians need more homes, and that means we need to keep finding practical ways to move good housing projects forward faster,” White said in a news release.
“Traditional processes would not allow this work to proceed quickly enough to see shovels in the ground this season, so the executive panel on housing is stepping in to bring it across the finish line for approvals.”
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According to the province, the proposal has already undergone several reviews by HRM and independent experts, with the developer making changes in response to concerns raised during earlier consultations.
The Executive Panel will oversee a final round of public engagement before finalizing amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and land-use bylaw, as well as completing a development agreement for the housing project.
The final package will then be submitted to the Minister of Housing for approval.
The public consultation period opened July 20 and runs until Aug. 3.
Residents can review the proposal and submit comments online at www.fallriversiteb.ca.
The province says the Executive Panel on Housing has helped clear the path for more than 60,000 housing units across the Halifax Regional Municipality since it was established.
While projects approved within special planning areas receive an expedited planning process, they must still obtain all required municipal and provincial permits and meet applicable regulatory requirements before construction can proceed.
