Private and non-profit developers can expect an easier planning approval process for multifamily projects in some designated areas of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). The Nova Scotia government has added new directives to the section of the municipality’s planning regulations that sets parameters for housing supply, including a Jan. 15, 2027 deadline for HRM Council to adopt them into its housing strategy.
“These amendments provide greater clarity and more guidance to support growth and create safe, connected communities,” maintains Nova Scotia’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, John MacDonald.
The amended regulations now state that residential development on a similar scale is permitted, as-of-right, in areas zoned for hotels, motels, seniors or student residences or other types of short-term rental accommodations. They also allow new residential development on properties zoned for institutional or community facility uses free from the requirement to secure a municipal plan amendment, development agreement or rezoning, provided that the development does not necessitate a new public street.
As well, the regulations now permit midrise mass timber residential buildings up to 12 storeys, except in areas where stepback design requirements are in place.
“Nova Scotia needs more housing, and these changes help build it,” says John White, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Housing.
