The Town of Port Hawkesbury received a reply about an in-person meeting with officials from the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
At last night’s regular monthly meeting, Port Hawkesbury Town Council reviewed correspondence from the DMAH about a meeting to discuss the town’s proposed mixed-use development zone.
Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton said town councillors and officials will coordinate with the representatives of the department on a date to meet in Halifax.
Without anything set, CAO Terry Doyle agreed to a request from the mayor to “circle back” with the DMAH to come up with possible meeting dates.
In February, the town received a letter from Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr in response to council’s request for the expansion of the commercial development district phased-in assessment tool for mixed-used developments.
Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr (Communications Nova Scotia photo)
Lohr told the town his department is reviewing the Municipal Government Act, as well as the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, and is gathering feedback.
At the February meeting, Town Councillor Blaine MacQuarrie said this amounts to taxing residential developments, as part of commercial developments, in a development zone.
Town Councillor Jason Aucoin said these changes to the MGA could “potentially hamper some developments.”
Doyle said any new legislation will take time, and council agreed with this suggestion to ask for a timeline from the province, during which time an interim solution could be found