Protecting the view

By Kim Moar - The Weekly News
A new study aims to identify and preserve Dartmouth viewplanes before they're lost to development.
HRM planner Mitch Dickey said under current Dartmouth planning documents, there are only two protected viewplanes - one from the Dartmouth Common and one from the Brightwood Golf Course.
"The purpose of those is to keep building heights down so that views of the harbour and Halifax can be maintained," Dickey said.
Dickey said the current viewplane-protection policies were established in the late 1970s, and are imprecise and confusing.
"So the question keeps coming up, 'Where do those lines in the air over Dartmouth fall?' We need to address that," he said.
To help resolve the issue, HRM has issued a request for proposals for a Dartmouth viewplane study to identify shortcomings with the existing designated viewplanes, and make recommendations for new ones.
Dickey said the problem with current policies became clear last year during the approval process for the King's Wharf development.
"That really brought it to the forefront. There were some tall buildings proposed," he said.
In the end the King's Wharf development proposal was approved with the tallest building consisting of 33-storeys being built outside the viewplane.
Dartmouth Centre Coun. Gloria McCluskey said protecting Dartmouth viewplanes is important, even though it has not been as hot a topic in the City of Lakes as it has been in Halifax.
"We haven't had any tall buildings proposed to this point," McCluskey said.
She said although downtown Dartmouth is restricted to buildings five storeys high, taller buildings have been built through development agreements.
According to the request for proposals, the proponent is identify a maximum of six new viewplanes that may be worth protecting.
Rather than simply having a single lookoff area for protected views, Dickey said the city is also looking at establishing walking vistas.
"So as people walk the view angle changes a little," he said. "So rather than sweeping vistas, we might want to designate multiple spots along a path."
The proponent is also required to recommend measures to protect identified viewplanes, conduct public open houses and meetings, and determine allowable building heights by city block within viewplanes.
Dickey said he hopes to get the public involved in the process in the spring, and then have Harbour East Community Council decide whether or not to change Dartmouth planning policies.
It will likely be fall before any new policies get final approval.
kmoar@hfxnews.ca