PLANAPP 2023-01870 – 5375 Kaye Street, Halifax

Updated: March 4, 2025

Request

Request
Application by Upland Urban Planning + Design Inc on behalf of a property owner, requesting to enter into a heritage development agreement on lands at 5375 Kaye Street, Halifax (PID 41225236), also known as United Memorial Church, to permit a 78-unit, 12-storey, multi-residential addition to the registered heritage property, including the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the historic church building.

Background
This development agreement is being sought in accordance with Policy CHR-7 of theRegional Centre Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy (SMPS) , which permits Council to consider a development agreement on any lot containing a registered heritage building to encourage the conservation and adaptive re-use of registered heritage buildings.

Heritage Significance
5375 Kaye Street, Halifax, also known as United Memorial Church, was registered as a municipal heritage property in 2022. The property contains a brick masonry church building which was designed by the prominent Nova Scotia architect Andrew Cobb and constructed from 1920 to 1921. It is a representative example of the gothic revival style. The church has strong historical connections to the reconstruction effort following the 1917 Halifax Explosion, which demolished the Kaye Street Methodist Church and the Grove Presbyterian Church, both predecessors to the current United Memorial Church. The church features several items donated in the memory of victims of the Explosion, including the church bells, stained-glass windows, the organ and the baptismal font. The church displays generally good heritage integrity.

Proposal

New Construction

The applicant is proposing the construction of a multi-residential addition to the northern (Young Street) side of the existing church building. This new additional will replace existing rear additions and will retain the entire original cross-gable church hall. The new addition is proposed to be 12 storeys tall and to contain 60 of the 78 total units. The remaining 18 units are proposed through internal conversion of the existing church building to residential units; however, the applicant wishes to reserve the option to keep the church hall for community use rather than converting it residential units, if their budget allows.One to two stories of underground parking are proposed depending on excavation conditions to provide parking for 13 to 26 vehicles. A tenant storage / bike room is also proposed. The underground parking entrance is proposed to be accessed via Young Street.

Church Rehabilitation

A key element of the proposal is the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the registered heritage building (the church). A non-original rear addition to the church will be removed to restore the church to its original footprint. The original church structure is proposed to be rehabilitated in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places to enhance its longevity and enable its adaptive-reuse as residential units or (optionally) it's continued use as a community gathering space. An associated application for Substantial Alterations to the registered heritage property will be applied for and reviewed by Regional Council concurrently with this Heritage Development Agreement application.

Development Agreement Scope

If approved, the development agreement would allow the property owner to construct a 12-storey, multi-residential addition to United Memorial Church, a registered heritage property. The development agreement would also require the property owner to rehabilitate the registered heritage building at 5375 Kaye Street, Halifax in accordance with the associated Substantial Alterations application. The Development Agreement will also require the property owner to follow specific building control parameters for the multi-residential addition, which will include such controls as height, mass, architectural design, lot coverage, and others.

Process

Heritage Development agreements are discretionary applications, meaning that they require the approval of Community Council to proceed. Details of the proposal have been published to the municipal website, and a sign will be posted on-site.

Public feedback is solicited via either a fact-sheet mailout or public information meeting, and residents within an 80-metre radius of the site are notified by mail of the opportunity to provide feedback. Feedback may also be provided to HRM staff by anyone at any time via the contact details provided below.

After public engagement has been completed, and pending approval of the associated application for Substantial Alterations to a registered heritage property, HRM staff will negotiate a development agreement with the applicant and prepare a staff report and recommendation for review by the Heritage Advisory Committee and decision by Halifax and West Community Council. Prior to Community Council decision, a Public Hearing shall be held, and advertised through mail-out notifications sent to residents within an 80-metre radius of the site.

Status

This application is currently in the negotiations stage. The public engagement period has closed and HRM staff will review the public feedback with the applicant and negotiate any necessary revisions to the proposal. Once staff are satisfied that the proposal satisfies the general intent of applicable policy (and any necessary application for Substantial Alterations to a municipal heritage property has been approved), staff will draft the Development Agreement and write a staff report for review by the Heritage Advisory Committee and Community Council.

Documents Submitted for Evaluation

The applicant has submitted plans and studies required by HRM staff to properly evaluate the application. The documents are also available for review at the HRM Planning and Development office in Downtown Halifax (5251 Duke St, 3 rd Floor).

For further information, please contact:

We are located at 5251 Duke St, 3rd Floor, Suite 300, Duke Tower, Halifax
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Monday to Friday, excluding Holidays

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