By Joanie Veitch - The Weekly News
About 55 people attended a public meeting on Monday night to hear more about the new Metro Transit Bridge Terminal and speak to the zoning changes requested by city planners to allow the terminal to be built on up to six acres of Dartmouth Common land.
As has been the case at every public meeting on the topic over the past year and a half, the majority of people who spoke supported the bus terminal expansion in principle, but voiced frustration with a planning process that many contend didn't allow for sufficient public input early on.
"The Common land was a gift to the citizens of Dartmouth so you'd think then if we were going to redesignate the use of the Common it would have gone to the Dartmouth people. Not one single citizen of Dartmouth got to weigh in on this decision," said Michael Cosgrove, a Dartmouth resident. "Time and time again people have asked how this happened. It has been presented to us as a fait accompli."
The province amended the Municipal Government Act in November 2008 to allow the terminal to be built on up to six acres of Dartmouth Common land. The $10-million terminal, designed by Sperry and Partners, was originally planned to run along Nantucket Avenue but is now slated for a 3.2-acre parcel above the Sportsplex parking area, between Nantucket and Thistle Street, taking out the urban wilderness park as it is built.
"The wilderness area is not a great use of that space," Cosgrove conceded, adding that situated as it is, between a high school and a sports facility, the land could have been put to better public use for recreation. "A lot of us feel kind of duped."
David Reage, who was representing Metro Transit at the meeting, said HRM and Metro Transit did look at other possibilities for the terminal but cost and the potential to disrupt traffic flow proved insurmountable problems at other sites, such as the vacant lot on Wyse Road, between Credit Union Atlantic and Tim Hortons.
Another issue that generated some heated discussion was whether or not the area where the bus terminal is currently should revert to Dartmouth Common land, as some residents said it should. According to Reage: "It was Sportsplex parking previously so it does revert back to Sportsplex parking."
The design for the new terminal has an upper and lower level, the upper being a park-like area with walking paths and three glass "houses" to be used as entrances to the main building.
"We want the people of Dartmouth to have something beautiful," explained Troy Scott, one of the architects who worked on the plan and presented at the meeting.
"We wanted something that is open and friendly and has light and green space. I think it's a building that is reaching out and trying to connect with the community."
The next meeting on the terminal expansion will be a public hearing held by Halifax Regional Council, which will be scheduled at a later date.
jveitch@ns.sympatico.ca
