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Upper Hammonds Plains residents say zoning changes allow growth ‘on our terms’

Requests to build in historically Black community flooded in ahead of new rules

Residents in Upper Hammonds Plains say recent zoning changes will help stop the “gentrification” of their historic African Nova Scotian community as they plan for the future.

Last month, Halifax regional council approved changes to tighten the area’s zoning laws — which had not been altered since the 1980s — following years of community pressure.

Dozens of people packed the gallery at city hall during a January public hearing on the changes. Many said that while originally the relaxed zoning had been helpful to allow local businesses to thrive, it had led to a “wild west of development.”

“We’re not looking to stop development, we’re looking to have a little say,” Gina Jones-Wilson, president of the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Development Association, said at the hearing. …[Read More]